Does Boiling Water Kill Mites

[daniel1234]

LOL, so how do they get it in collections, apart from contact with infested animals/enclosures. Is it because we control their enviroment and as such provide ideal conditions for mites also?

 

[KenKitty]

Blow torch

Take to it with a blow torch,or a plumbers gas bottle,thatl fix em.
kenoath

 

[bigguy]

Daniel

There are numerous ways you can get mite. Infested animals bought into collections. Hitching a ride on a visiting herper . Or by the owner themselves visiting other collections or handling someone elses reptiles. It does not take much .

I have known people who have not had mite for years, only to be highly infested after a visit from a fellow herper. It only takes one female and you canl be over run.

As for the blow torch, that will kill them instantly. Might be a bit rough on the cages, but the mite will be gone

 

[zulu]

Daniel

Yes, you can see the eggs in light coloured cages. Normally the mites lay them in a corner or a joint in the wood. They appear as a black mass in these areas.

As for taking your snakes outside go right ahead. Snake mite is normally only found in snake collections and is rarely encountered in the wild. There have been some mention of it happening but its rare. If it was common in the wild as some people suggest, there would be no snakes. They would have all died of blood loss , specially the hatchlings. Large investations can kill a hatchling in a week or two , and as far as I am aware no snakes in the wild carry a can of TOD to get rid of mite..

Ive got a very detailed report by B Lazell and Mark Fitzgerald on Pale Headed snakes Hoplocephalus Bitorquatus that is interesting in that the snake mite gets a mention.
Quote> Two females (both gravid) had infestations* of the exotic mite Ophionyssus natricis when found.(These were identified by Dr Dave Walter at the department of entomology & zoology,Queensland University,St Lucia.)No males were found with mite. End Quote
So as you say Bob there is some wild records,ide presume that mites would not be uncommon,just not recorded in many instances,by the sounds of things they dont build up in numbers as in captive conditions,maybe they have a higher wild attrition rate,ime onley speculating.

 

[fraser888]

Oven is the best way to do it mate.

 

[jimtaylor]

thanks very much everyone great advise also with mites wat if you have an outdoor enclosue like an avary or similar it would be hard to stop mites