Mite Awareness

[SNKMST]

Snake Mites

Snake mites are a very frustrating, time consuming and inconvenient problem faced by many reptile hobbyists. They are considered (unjustly) by some, a reflection of poor keeping practices and hygiene.
Even the best kept collections can face an apparently spontaneous outbreak of mites, although it would be fair to say that diligent, conscientious keepers strive to eradicate and prevent “to the best of their ability,” a re-infestation of mites and prevent affected snakes from being sold.

They thrive in temperatures between 23 and 29 Degrees Celsius with a relative humidity of 70 to 90%, so as part of providing suitable conditions for the optimum health and well being of our reptiles we are also assisting the survivability of mites (they can live for over a month).

Snake mites require humidity to survive, if the humidity is too low (below 20%) they dehydrate and if placed in water or become too wet they drown.

Mite eggs are usually deposited in the enclosure but have been found around the eyes and anal scales of larger snakes. Upon reaching the Protonymph stage they then actively seek out their food supply (our reptile’s blood) where they will attach themselves, growing rapidly and continuing the cycle. There are 5 stages to the life cycle of mites. These are:

1, the egg.
2, larva (non feeding stage).
3, protonymph (Feeding stage).
4, deuteronymph (non Feeding).
5, adult (Feeding and Breeding)

Adult mites are easy to see on pale surfaces, and are pinhead-sized, blackish creatures, which can be seen moving, and when smeared, leave a red or brownish streak of blood. This is unlike ticks, which are generally larger, and are far more difficult to crush.

A few tell tale signs of a mite infestation are – the snake spends an in-ordinate amount of time submerged in their water bowls, You will see tiny, pin-head sized black specks in the bottom of the water bowl that when inspected closely, are seen to have legs. Snakes can often be seen rubbing themselves on cage furniture or the walls of the enclosure (outside of a slough cycle) and may also have tiny red specks under scales. A dusting of whitish mite faeces might also be apparent on your snake's scales, especially around the head.
Substrate choices can harbour a mite infestation. The choice of a decorative substrate (while visually appealing to the reptile keeper), doesn’t encourage mites to breed, it does however make it very difficult to diagnose and eliminate the problem. Some examples of problem substrates are gravel, cat litter and wood shavings.

It is in the better interest of all hobbyists to quarantine any new snakes that come into a collection. A good way of checking an animal for mites is to place it in a white or pale coloured bag (a pillowcase is ideal) for at least 24 hours, and check the inside for mites after this time. Upon detecting a mite affected snake eradicate as quickly and efficiently as possible. Snake mites have the potential to transmit germs and potentially deadly diseases. Inclusion Body Disease (IBD) and Ophidian Paramyxovirus (OMPV) are of particular concern.

Treatment for the purposes of this article are best advised by professionals as there are many treatments available, some of which can be fatal to your reptiles if carried out without due care and proper knowledge.

A huge thanks to Dave (nvenm8) for providing this document.

[reptiles]

Hi can lizards get mites as will? or is it just snakes?
Thanks
Regards
Richard

[JasonL]

Originally Posted by reptiles

Hi can lizards get mites as will? or is it just snakes?
Thanks
Regards
Richard

Lizards can get mites to, esp lizards with large scales such at Blue-tongues. Lizards such as bearded dragons will get them in a collection with a mite problem, mites like to hide, and on lizards without scales such as beardies the mites tend to congregate in areas such as skin folds around the neck, vent and armpit areas.

Mites are easily eradicated from small to medium indoor collections if the keeper remains active to their eradication. There is no room for shortcuts with mites however, as they will just re-bloom weeks / months down the track.

Keepers with large numbers of animals in outdoor pits will have a much harder time of fully cleaning their collection and often opt for "mite management" rather than "mite eradication".

[craftsman]

Great post!

Why don't we see mite infested snakes in the wild?
I remember some years ago when Robby Bredl had his reptile park in Cardwell, like in all large collections, there was the occasional mite outbreak. Robby had this outdoor pit with a crushed bark and some loose pieces of bark for cover - that was hit "treatment station" where he placed mite infested snakes. Small resident ants swarmed over the snake and picked off all the mites and in a matter day or two, the snake was clean as a whistle.

[hazzard]

You can buy predatory mites hypoaspis miles for treating outdoor pits. They feed on all stages of the snake mite but do require substrate for hiding and a source of humidity. They are Bred by the beneficial bug company (next door to my office ) in NSW, and by biological services in Victoria.

Cheers Hazz

[reptiles]

How can you tell if your lizards have mites? I'm new to lizards as I have been keeping turtles for the last 20 years. Anyone got any photos of mites on lizards so I can get an idea what to look for.
Thanks
Richard

[hazzard]

• • Lifted scales (feel up and down the animal's back with tips of fingers)
  • White specks appearing in 'patches' all over the animal
  • Small black spots moving around on the animal
  • Spontaneous outbursts from the animal

• From http://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm

• Hazz

[Herpetofauna]

Great post! Hopefully newcomers to the hobby will read it and take it in. I'm always amazed at how many experienced keepers have mites in their collection, and how many keepers just don't pick up on them, especially when bringing in new snakes to their collections. If new snakes are treated while being isolated from your collection, you can easily avoid mite infestations. I've purchased snakes that have turned up with mites (too many times) in the past, but it's just a simple case of quarantine, observation and treatment. I've never had a mite outbreak in my collection.

Daniel

[Herpetofauna]

Also, I'd be very interested to hear from people that have used predatory mites to control snake mites, and the outcome.

Daniel

[hazzard]

Daniel,

It's really important they are used correctly to thrive and work. Anthony Stimpson worked closely with the Beneficial Bug Company to work out the appropriate methods of application. As they rely on humidity it's not easy to achieve constantly in enclosures (they are very dry places). In outdoor enclosures you can achieve it by trays of peat moss etc. If they are happy they do their job exceptionally well.

They are used more widely in the USA;

Cheers Hazz

[Herpetofauna]

Cheers Hazz. That's interesting. I heard Anthony was mucking around with them a few years ago but I just haven't heard much about it since, or any results. I presume these predatory mites just die off once they have done their job and the snake mites have gone?

Daniel

[hazzard]

Yes they will in the abscence of mites, but if you know what your doing you could keep them alive on an artificial diet .

Growers use predators by the "trickle in effect" to keep mite problems down, i imagine this would be similar in a pit situation where re-infestations are common.

Cheers Hazz

[Reptilicious]

My snakes dont have mites,but i heard somewhere that a shallow tub of water and placing the snake in to soak a bit helps?Does this work effectively or does to soap irritate them?

[Brettix]

There are a few Tarantula and invert keepers using these predatory mites to keep mites off.As Most t's and invert live in moist peat these predatory mites thrive in their enclosures.Though nematodes are a problem.