Adding live plants to enclosure - Advice needed.

[Mavrick]

I'd like to add some native grasses to my beardie enclosure. I intend to pot them into small plastic pots, and remove them for occasional watering to keep humidity levels on the lower side. The question I mainly ask is, should they be treated in some way against any parasites (mites are big here in Adelaide)? There are mite sprays at my herp shop, and I will ask the boys about it when I see them tomorrow, but has anyone introduced similar grasses (native weeds basically, long stalked, fluffy seed stalks) and had issues?

I have the grasses outside in some pots until I work out the risks etc. so please lend a hand if you have done this with your own enclosures.

Please keep in mind these are not tropical plants by any means, think scrub/desert in keeping with theme. Low water requiring plants for sure, so my humidity levels will remain in good range, so please don't warn me against that, I'm aware.

 

[thomasssss]

hey mate , im not totally sure but i think you will find that snake mites wont come in on plants there wild status actually isnt known and i have heard some people say that they are only in captive collections in australia and arnt actually in our wild snakes , how true this is i dont know but this is aps so im sure ill be corrected if it isnt

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Introductions of critters won't be a problem, but keeping grasses alive in an indoor enclosure will be. Generally grasses need very high ambient light, and that's something you won't be able to provide enough of indoors - that's why you don't see ornamental grasses (except some bamboos) growing in indoor displays.

Jamie

 

[James_Scott]

I did plant some grass plants that I pulled from the garden in my ackie tank. After 3 weeks I had a massive infestation of reptile mites. It took 3 cans of top of decent to get rid of them over a 8week period. If you are using live plants give them a spray a day or so before going in and again two weeks later once they are in. Plants should under go a quarantine period to be safe.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Snake mites come from other snakes, or from cage furnishings that have been used by snakes infested with mites. You will not get snake mites from randomly pulled plants from your garden. How do you know they were "reptile mites"?

Jamie

 

[someday]

i have live plants in my water dragons enclosure only small and i mist them every 2-3days they all seem to be lively besides my vine.

 

[James_Scott]

Snake mites come from other snakes, or from cage furnishings that have been used by snakes infested with mites. You will not get snake mites from randomly pulled plants from your garden. How do you know they were "reptile mites"?

Jamie

These were put under a compound microscope, photographes and then the pics were sent to the vet for identification. It only makes sense that if furnishings in an enclosure carry eggs and mites then external furnishings in the wild are no different.

- - - Updated - - -

I should note that we get a hell of a lot of snakes in our area and mites are common in wild populations.

 

[Stuart]

http://www.wildlifehealth.org.au/AW...dedFiles/122/Snake Mite 25 Mar 2009 (1.0).pdf

The above shows the mites status in the wild as "not known" but that can neither confirm or deny that they exist in the wild. James, was it possible the mites could have been in the enclosure prior to you putting the plants in? Possibly just a big coincidence at the time?

Also, just curious, was the vet 100% certain they were snake mites and not possibly another species? Just wondering as I thought snake mites were only existant on snakes and other reptiles were OK. Im not sure myself so happy to be corrected

 

[James_Scott]

He said reptile mites. I always quarantine animals and these were there for over 12 months with no sign. There were two different species of mites found. One was retile mites and the other not.
Im sure they were from the yard. There is always a chance they came in on a visitor who has them but that is the only other explanation I coild think of and nobody handles my monitors so I doubt it.

 

[jack]

These were put under a compound microscope, photographes and then the pics were sent to the vet for identification. QUOTE]

can you post the pics here?

 

[Mavrick]

These were not from my garden, there is a chance that wild snakes were in the area and I hear all the time from my herp shop guys about selling mite sprays because people brought in a log or plant from outside to stick in their terrarium. I also run a proper, desert level uva/uvb light in my tank that runs in time with the sunrise/set for the year, so lighting will not be a problem with keeping the plants alive. I intend to do a quarantine as mentioned by James_Scott, spray with top decent mite spray and then introduce them. So thank you James, for reinforcing my original intentions.