Snake mites and how to spot them

All Reptiles
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When dealing with a scorched earth policy situation I have found the following to be the best course of action:

  1. Acquire your mite killer of choice (Frontline spray, Prevent-A-Mite, Nix, whatever)
  2. Spray the inside of four times the number of bags as animals you are having to treat and allow them to dry
  3. Grab a few simple holding bins
  4. Take every animal out of its enclosure and tie it inside a bag
  5. Set the bags in the bins to keep them out of the way.
  6. Strip EVERYTHING from inside the enclosure and anything that cannot be baked in an oven or soaked in bleach - throw it away
  7. If you are working with cages, take them outside. If you are working with a rack, take the bins outside
  8. Hose everything down and scrub with dishsoap
  9. Let dry
  10. While drying, return to room and:
    a. If only dealing with cages - lightly spray entire floor area, with special attention to along the baseboards and corners, with your mite killer of choice
    b. If dealing with racks - spray the floor as above but also spray inside each shelf of the rack, with special attention to the corners and the underside (e.g., the “top” to each bin) of each shelf
  11. Go back outside and lightly spray the inside and outside of each enclosure/cage/bin with your mite killer of choice
  12. Go back inside and, now that the floor is dry, vacuum everywhere
  13. Take out the full trash bag that is probably teaming with mites. Begin your bake and/or bleach of non-disposable items. Two hours minimum for 200F bake, thirty minutes wet contact time minimum on 10% bleach for soak
  14. Spray the inside of the trashcan with mite killer of choice
  15. Go outside and get your enclosures
  16. Put everything back in the room
  17. Take the bin of bagged animals outside
  18. One at a time, remove an animal from its bag and gently wipe down with a rag lightly sprayed with mite killer of choice. One rag per animal
  19. Put wiped-down animal in a new bag (from step 2)
  20. Put newly bagged animals into a new holding bin
  21. Take the bin back inside
  22. Go and strip down, bag your clothes, and take a shower
  23. Put on new, clean clothes
  24. Return to snake room
  25. Outfit enclosures with simple furnishing/bedding. I prefer paper and generic hides. If you must use some kind of organic bedding, make sure it is dry
  26. Lightly spray furnishing/bedding with mite killer of choice
  27. Let dry
  28. One by one, return animals to enclosures.
  29. DO NOT place water bowls in enclosures!!
  30. After 2-3 days, you can return water bowls
  31. Monitor a minimum of weekly. If you are using paper, you will likely see dead mites. A dust buster is a great tool for removal
  32. After 4 weeks, place the animals in one of the unused sets of bags from step 2
  33. Empty and dispose of all items in enclosures
  34. Repeat steps 25-33
  35. Hopefully by this point you have broken the reproductive cycle of the mites
  36. Set up enclosures however you like and return to status quo
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