UNkillable mites

[nomadbean]

It has been awhile since I posted a question, but I am at the end of my rope. My rack system with my 8 boas in it has mites. I am not sure where they came from, but alas they are here. I took out all the racks (rubbermaids) and sprayed the rack down with permethin and then treated each cage with it and changed all the papertowels (substrate) and washed water bowls and got new hides. Still there, so a few days later, we treated the whole rack again with permethin and mineral oil on the snakes. I look this morning as I am changing water out and blast it all there are mites in the water. Now, before I need medication, could these just be mites bodies we missed, because they are not on the papertowels or on the snakes from what I can tell. Or if it still live little buggers, what should I try now, short of moving away? Thanks guys.
Trina
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[telefrag]

Is this rack made out of wood?

Mites lay their eggs in wood and wood bedding, your probably killing multiple generations, in my honest opinion, you need to take the rack outside, and either a: burn it
or b: leave it snakeless for a few months so all the mites can cycle out.

I wrote up a paper awhile back on mites, life cycles, and basic habits.
IM me and I can send it to you.
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Constrictor_BO]

The dead mites could be falling out from under the scales when in the water bowl. It's really hard to say for sure. You can check the snake but using a damp paper towel and rubing it down the snakes body. Watch the mites that come off for a couple minutes to see if they move or not and that will tell you if they have came back. Usually in treating mites, you have to treat for several days to get the ones that hatch out. When my snakes get mites I do a treatment every three days for a couple weeks to be sure I got them all using one of the spray treatment methods.
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[JJshiv]

I agree with with Constrictor BO. When my corn snakes got mites I treated them with mineral oil and bleached the entire rack set up. A couple days later there were mites in the water bowl. I realized they were ones that fell off when I saw one of them soaking later that day. They must have been under the scales.
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

	Corn Snake The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata) is a species of Rat Snake.

[nomadbean]

The rack is made out of a kind of melamine stuff. I have not seen one for a week now, I coated it in permethrin and then bleach treated it the next day. If they come back....gggrrrr, they will not come back because I will go insane I think. I had 8 VERY pissy BCI's to deal with and I do not want to do it again. One of the snakes actually hadthe nerve to bite my lip when I was using the mineral oil on him... He is lucky he was not dinner that night. Gotta love them, I guess. Thank for the help guys.
Trina
[addsig]

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

[telefrag]

You know mites can live for 40 days on or off a snake.

And they dont always lay eggs near the snakes.

The first stage doesnt even feed.

So I would recommend watching the entire area where you have seen the mites.

again, I wrote up a paper describing the life cycles and what their vulnerabilities are, so if anyones interested.....
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[morti]

I reccomend a hand grenade.

-Your Sick Uncle Morti.
[addsig]