Aspen and other wood substrate users: how do you stay mite free?

[lemunhed134]

Hey guys. I recently got rid of a really miniscule mite infestation (not sure if they were mites, they were tiny tiny bugs in substrate that I got rid of before they could multiply or attack my snake) that ocurred through repti-bark. I am using brown paper bags as a substrate and my snake is getting used to it, but I don't think she likes it as much. How do you aspen users keep your stuff bug/mite free? I have heard of profilactic prevent a mite, baking in the oven and other methods, I was just wondering what worked for you. ALso what brands of aspen do you buy and where do you buy them from? or what other types of substrate do you like? Is Reptile carpet good?

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Gargoyle12]

You should not have a mite problem with aspen unless your snake has mites or something around it has mites. Mites dcan travel about 40 meters a day and I think live a week off of a host.

I buy my Aspen from Petsmart because it is the cheapest. You can find it cheaper online but the shipping costs so much.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Bchildress]

i get my aspen from tractor supply and have never had a problem with mites since switching to it

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[toker]

You can get little bugs in your aspen, they are hamless to your snakes and the bugs will die once things dry up in the cage.

If you can by chance get pictures of these bugs we should be able to tell you what kind they are.

Unless your snake is soaking all the time, or you see little specks in the water that sort of resemble black pepper, odds are they are not mites.

Look at your snake, around the eyes.. see if you see anything attached to it.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Danesetti]

another thing you can do to get rid of mites, is to buy a product called No
More Mites. Take your snake out of its cage, and spray the entire substrate and furnature. then wait about half hour to 45 minutes before you put her back in. This should completely get rid of the mites. It worked for me

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[ball python chick]

i love aspen bedding and proventamite

[jjmetro]

this stuff called Reptile Relief works well. i have enough repti bark to fill my boa's tank twice. when i change the substrate, i spot clean it all and spray it down with the Reptile Relief. once you are rid of mites, they usually wont come back unless you bring them in somehow. Weather it be in substrate from the pet store (happened to me twice) or a new snake with mites, they pretty much have to be reintroduced to your home, unless you never got rid of them to begin with.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[ssscales]

The best thing if you use Aspen or any shredded wood product in your cage is to treat it with Prevent-o-mite. Just place it in a trash bag and spray a few seconds and close up, let sit for an hour or so and then let it air out for a few hours before using.

[Jimbo239]

Walmart has the best deal on Aspen that i have found, its 2 bucks for 1500 cubic inches of it....

[savannah_babe]

you can also buy it at your local hardware store, we still pretreat ours before putting it in the cage, but, its just a safety thing with us..

[lemunhed134]

Sounds like the benefits of pretreating outweigh the potential risks to the snake in when using provent a mite in a recomended fashion. I just dont like the idea of my lil girl being in contact with hazardous chemical residue on a constant basis... but experience is the best teacher.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

I have used aspen for a while but I hate the huge chunks there are in it for smaller snakes. Any way to get real shredded aspen?