OK...THIS IS THE LAST TIME I EVER USE REPTIBARK...

I want to keep my Argentine Rainbows as a display type cage. Therefore newspaper or papertowel will just not cut it for this cage. I really like the look of the reptibark, and have tried it "just one more time" too many now. I bleached it, baked it THEN used it for his cage. I just did this a couple days ago in fact. One of my kids noticed that he was having some trouble in his cage today. When I checked I found him "rubbing" his head around in the substrate..gee I wonder why??? [img]images/forum/icons/icon_confused.gif[/img] Turns out he had pieces of the reptibark in his mouth, which got there as a result of him trying to "relieve" himself of MITES ARGHHH. Now I myself was handling him just a couple of days ago when I did the change-over in substrate. At that time he had not a single mite or problem. [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] I also did cage cleanings for my other snakes cages at the same time and used other types of substrates for them. This snake, Argentine Rainbow, is the ONLY one with mites. [img]images/forum/icons/icon_mad.gif[/img] GEE..WONDER WHAT THE SOURCE OF THE MITES IS?? [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] Just to top it off..he doesn't just have mites..he's INFESTED with the dang things!! Mineral oil...we're there allready. [img]images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] In fact it is sooo bad...I've got him actually soaking in a pool of mineral oil after I soaked him down with the stuff [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img]
Lots of people have asked what these lil buggers actually look like..so here's some pics I had taken while I worked with him earlier....

These are mites under the head/chin area..all the lil black things...
<IMG SRC=http://photo.redtailboa.net/albums/LORIS-Photos/aba.jpg>

This is an underview of him ... the lil black dots are the mites....

<IMG SRC=http://photo.redtailboa.net/albums/LORIS-Photos/abb.jpg>

When I refer to scaling..this is how I do it with a card...

<IMG SRC=http://photo.redtailboa.net/albums/LORIS-Photos/aaz.thumb.jpg>

This is what the mites look like once you get them off the snake....on your hand..

<IMG SRC=http://photo.redtailboa.net/albums/LORIS-Photos/aay.jpg>


Boy am I glad he's only a lil snake!![addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

Oh yeah..he had a bit of the reptibark in his mouth...Allways wanted the pleasure of picking wood particles of a snake's mouth [img]images/forum/icons/icon_confused.gif[/img] .. He was not thrilled over this , but I managed to only get bit about 4 or 5 times while doing [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] .. He just wouldn't sit still and let me hehe [img]images/forum/icons/icon_confused.gif[/img] [addsig]

[Sabazios69]

Hey Lori, I am truly sorry to hear that. I myself have never had a problem with the stuff but my Dumeril is on Forest Bed(the blocks that you soak in water to expand for those who do not know what that is) sometimes and once I looked in on her and she had it all in her gums and around her teeth. That was a load of fun to get out. Luckily, she is not a biter(yet [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] ).
I only had this problem once and that was over a year ago.

Sabazios69 [img]images/forum/icons/icon_mad.gif[/img] [addsig]

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[erikm]

Did ya bring out the mineral oil?? I know you swear by it! and I must say that I sure do to! When I brought my newest rescue, a central american BCI, she was COVERED in mites. You could barly see her eyes because she was so swollen up. I brought her home, tossed her in a shoebox with some mineral oil and left her for about an hour. Since then she hasn't had a mite at all. She is now gaining awesome weight and packs down small rats at only 3' long!

Erik[addsig]

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

YOU KNOW I DID ERIK!! hehe
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE> In fact it is sooo bad...I've got him actually soaking in a pool of mineral oil after I soaked him down with the stuff
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE> [img]images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [addsig]

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[JuliusSqueezer]

The problem isn't the product so much as the source. When a pet supply dealer gets infested with mites they can come in on anything....any substrate...even paper bags and cardboard. You prolly would have the same problem if you had bought some aspen or coconut bark from them at the same time. I'm not wild about no-pest stips but what about hanging them in a garbage can or something with new unused substrate for a week and then let it air a few days before using it? mites are just one of those things that we will all have to deal with from time to time if we keep moderate to large collections...there really is no avoiding it completely.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Tom]

Hi Lori

Here is a good way to ERADICATE MITES. I hate this little guys.
I clean the cage and every thing that is in it with bleach water and then dry it out. I put my Boas in a Rubber Maid tub with seven dust 5% (NOT THE 10%) on them over night then I give my Boas a warm bath to clean them off. I also put a light dusting of seven dust 5% in the cage and leave it in for about 1 or 2 week. Then I clean the cage one more time with bleach water to get all the seven dust and DEAD MITES out. I know some people will say this is not safe for your Boas but I have had nothing but good luck with this. I have had Boas since 1979 and have not lost one boa from this.
I got this information from my Vet.

If you want to use the reptibark. You can put a light dusting of the seven dust in the reptibark. I have done this one time and it worked great. I had it set up like this for 2 months. All of my snakes were ok. But I went back to using newspaper it is much easier to clean the cage.
Tom
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Shadrach]

Ok guys I heard of something new to me today? Anyone ever heard of putting a dog flea collar on top of the enclosure? This fellow herper swore by it he said the little varmits couldn't stand them? Whats everyone views on this has anyone else heard of it?[addsig]

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

Hey Tom..What you probably haven't noticed yet on the site here is...I won't use any chemical like sevin dust with my snakes. [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] I know that some people swear by it like Julius..BUT I swear by MINERAL OIL hehe. Thanx for that tho [img]images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif[/img]
Julius...I'd agree with you BUT I bought about 5 different substrates from the same place and the reptibark is the only one apparently harboring the lil critters [img]images/forum/icons/icon_confused.gif[/img] ..and 2 others were right next to the stuff also [img]images/forum/icons/icon_eek.gif[/img] ..hmmm[addsig]

[dack]

Hey Shadrack, I recently had a nasty infestation of Mites. The first time ive ever had them with any of my snakes. And i have to tell you, I tried the No-Pest pest strips and i had no problems what so ever with them. I only used it because many GREAT and very successful breeders actually use this. I basically got my info off of VPI.com about treating mites. In fact go to this link and it will talk more details about using the strips and the best way to use them. First of all i would not put one on top of the cage like that. I only use small pieces inside a container with holes to allow the fumes to escape. Best thing is the containers that 35mm film comes in. Anyway this worked great and none of my snakes had any problems with it. Just remember that some snakes could be affected by it and you should always use caution. Your snakes definately could react completely different then mine did. there are some other sites too that have the basic info on the strips but I couldnt find any in the short time I wrote this message. So if I find anymore then I will post some more here for ya. There are severals parts to this mite killing but this is the actual site for the several different methods you can use. Anyway I hope this helps.

Vpi.com and their great page about mites and how to kill them all! [addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Sabazios69]

I love Provent-a-mite.
I had tried everything to get rid of mites for my Dami-poo.
Nothing would work and I had a guy suggest it, I trust this guy more than anybody else. so I bought a can(around 20 dollars, last forever!!).
I used it for two months every ten days. Never seen a #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& mite on him since. The last couple spray downs were for any hidden eggs hatching.
YOU DO NOT spray this stuff on the snake.
Just the enclosure after you have removed the water dish and snake. Let air out for hour or two. Put snakie back in and water dish back in and voila. You will see hords of dead mites by morning.
I have not had a mite problem in over a year.

Sabazios69 [img]images/forum/icons/icon_mad.gif[/img] [addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Pat]

Sab..I use proventamite too. The stuff WORKS![addsig]

[Shadrach]

Thanks for posting the pics Lori it gave me something to go by in deciding if my baby had mites (unfortunatly yes she did) but they are gone for the moment hopefully never to return! So far I've good luck with the T-Rex Boi-Mite after the first spray they were dropping off in my hands. As far as reptibark I've used it for many years now with no bad effects (other than digging a piece out of the mouth every now and then!) Usally my snakes push it out of their mouth's with their tounge's. If not then I go digging they love that (hehe)! [addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[rottie]

so i am confused is reptibark bad ???

I am using it currently and I dont like the sounds of it. I think I should switch to paper..

Am I being too much of an over protective daddy ??

[addsig]

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[morti]

Rottie, like Julius pointed out, ReptiBark is not exactly BAD per se, but I have had a couple of bad experiences with it leading to mites. I agree with Julius about the little buggers probably coming from the store, but I think it an odd hapenstance that I can buy a bag of lizard litter from the same shelf as the reptibark and not have any problems.

Again, If the fine folks that produce ReptiBark read this, I am in no way saying that ReptiBark in any way causes mites... Nor am I cautioning anyone against using that product... I just like lizard litter better. [img]images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

-Your Sick Uncle Morti

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[cb76]

hey guys
lori- i hope all those lil' pest are gone!, i hate them. i got my first case of mites a couple of weeks ago. i bought a bag of substrate from a #et-l@nd- i did not think it could be infested with mites- it was. a couple of sprays of provent a mite, never seen 'em again. i also use it for preventitive measures too, thats prolly how the others did not get any -THANK GOD! i scoop alot of poo, so i do a lot of substrate replacing...the stuff works
later
will

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[hisba]

Ahh Lori that sucks...
Well at least you caught it and can treat him
before it spreads...
THose are some great pics of the mites..
I wanted to ask, could I use a few of those
on my website? I'd be more than happy of
course to give you credit, put a link down
for a website if you have one, or whatever you
want.
If you'd rather I didn't, hey, that's cool too,
really!! Just let me know. [img]images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[JuliusSqueezer]

I like mites....gives me something to do. I am homocidal by nature but I love most animals and don't wanna go to jail or get fried for killing people...so mites are one creature I can kill and not feel guilty over. BRING IT ON MITE-SCUM!!!

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Reptilian]

Sorry about the mites. Several thoughts about the origin, was told by a biologist they may prefer that substrate over others nearby. Also I use the compressed coconut husk, but I purchase it from a hydroponic store in TN. 15.00 for a bag that expands to the = 33 gal rubbermaid container. It is sterilized and chemical free(hydroponic farmers are as funny about critters and chemicals as we are).
Julius you're my kinda guy lol. I need those little releases sometimes myself. lmao [img]images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

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[skadiwolf]

personally, i use coconut shredded bark (the compressed brick stuff) as a bottom layer for moisture retention and then a layer of repti-bark over that. i've never yet had a problem with the repti-bark. however, it would seem like once you get some, you wouldn't have a problem afterwards because supposedly you can clean it and continue to use it. (haven't arrived at that point yet myself)

for my kings i use shredded aspen because they love to burrow.

now, one thing about ESU Reptile Lizard Litter...i got it after some recommendations and loved the stuff until the only three snakes i had it on ALL came down with URI. i was very displeased. i had noticed it was a bit dusty, but didn't think it would be a problem. turns out, as soon as i changed it out and raised the temps, everyone that had it (only those three) immediately started getting better. :/

unfortunately, i think snakes can also react differently to different substrates and a lot of it is just trying safe substrates and seeing what works best for you. i definitely feel you just can't beat a bottom layer of shredded coconut with repti-bark atop it for humidity control! that's free of mites of course.
[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks