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Stephers Amandaleah HerpsinIN Tengtou HerpsinIN Tengtou Amandaleah Tengtou Sivester Stephers |
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Stephers View Profile |
Mite help please
Thank you -Lizzie |
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| 04/11/07 09:38am |
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Amandaleah View Profile |
Message To: Stephers In reference to Message Id: 1241735 Mite help please
Make sure they are actually mites. Also, if your substrate is wood chips. GET RID OF THEM. Wood chips are horrible. You want somethis easy like tile, paper towel, or newspaper. It’s not pretty, but it’s easier for you and safer for your iguana. |
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| 04/11/07 10:01am |
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HerpsinIN View Profile |
Message To: Amandaleah In reference to Message Id: 1241755 Mite help please
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| 04/11/07 10:54am |
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Tengtou View Profile |
Message To: HerpsinIN In reference to Message Id: 1241811 Mite help please
You saying that is like me saying: If fresh fruits and vegetables is really good for Iguanas, then why would there also be all the different type of commercial Iguana foods? |
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| 04/11/07 11:02am |
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HerpsinIN View Profile |
Message To: Tengtou In reference to Message Id: 1241817 Mite help please
I just dont see the point of stressing out the animal by rubbing it down with this oil for it to not even do a good job? Why not just get a product that will actually kill everything in one to two applications and not have to worry about it. Mites are a pain in the butt and can spread very, very easily from one animal to another. |
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| 04/11/07 11:46am |
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Tengtou View Profile |
Message To: HerpsinIN In reference to Message Id: 1241850 Mite help please
Treating the Reptiles Remove the reptile from its enclosure. Bathe it as described below, then place it in a holding tank outfitted with paper as substrate. Treating Lizards Place the lizard in a warm (80-85º F / 26-29º C), shoulder-deep bath of diluted Betadine (povidone-iodine): add enough Betadine to water to make it the color of medium tea. Pour the bath water over the lizard, being careful around the eyes. The water will flush most of the mites off and drown them while the Betadine, a topical antiseptic, helps treat all the mites’ bites. You may wish to bathe the lizard in a plain water bath first to allow it to drink first, adding the Betadine after it has done so. If the lizard defecates in the water, drain the tub, clean it, and draw a fresh Betadine bath. If the lizard is a small one, or a species that does not regularly swim, keep the lizard in a dry, warm area until the tank has been treated. Larger lizards can be left to soak for a half hour or so. While the enclosure is being fumigated, remove the soaking lizards from the tub or holding area. Saturate a clean soft cloth in diluted Betadine and run it around the joints between their legs and body, through the folds of skin around the neck, jowls, and dewlap. Use a cotton-tipped swab to apply the dilute Betadine around the eyes and nose. If the lizard has a spiked dorsal crest, check between all of the spikes to see if any mites remain lodged in there. If you find them, you can remove them with a moistened cotton-tipped swab Do not put oil into lizard eyes. Unlike snakes, they do not have a protective covering of skin over their eyes and putting oil in the eyes can cause severe irritation or inflammation. Let the lizard soak again in a fresh, warm water, or rinse it off and keep it in a warm place until the tank is done. If the reptile is badly chewed up by the mites, more Betadine should be added to the water and these medicated baths should be repeated at least every couple of days while the bites heal. Non-soaking lizards should have undiluted Betadine applied by cotton-tipped swab to crusty areas after their wipe-down, then daily for several days. Watch the lizard and check the tank carefully for the next month (average 2-6 weeks). If there is any reappearance of the mites or traces of mites (such as their ashy feces), repeat the above procedure. If you see no reappearance, you may wish to repeat the procedure in 6 weeks just to make sure that you have caught all the eggs, especially in a wooden tank. Treating Snakes Snakes should be soaked in a dilute Betadine bath as described above for lizards. If the snake persists in climbing out of the tub or is too small to put in a bathtub, place it in a plastic, lidded container into which air holes have been punched, filling it 3/4 full of the Betadine/water solution. You may wish to bathe the snake in a plain water bath first to allow it to drink first, adding the Betadine after it has done so. If the snake defecates in the water, drain the tub, clean it, and draw a fresh Betadine bath. Whether or not the snake’s head was under the water, dab the eyes and heat pits with mineral oil after removing it from the bath. Check the groove under the chin as well as under all the belly scutes and in the vent folds to make sure there are no mites, dead or alive, lodged in those areas. If you find mites in these areas, you can remove them by gently rubbing them from between the scales and folds with a cotton-tipped swab dipped in mineral oil. Treating the Environment Remove and dispose of all the substrate in the reptile’s enclosure (bag it in a plastic garbage bag and get it out of the building). Vacuum the inside of the enclosure thoroughly, especially in the angles of the walls. If the tank is made of wood or ungrouted melamine, lightly scrape the inside angles with the edge of a blunt knife, then vacuum again. You are trying to get up all the loose eggs, mites and mite feces (the white dust in the bottom of the tank). If you have a glass or Plexiglas® tank, wipe all surfaces down with hot soapy water. Wooden enclosures may be sprayed with soapy water. Remove all soap residue. For good measure, take the time to thoroughly disinfect glass tanks by swabbing them down with a 1:30 bleach-water solution (1/2 cup bleach per gallon of water), let the solution sit for ten minutes, then thoroughly rinse out the bleach residue. Disinfecting does not kill the mites; depending on how much disinfecting solution you apply, it may drown the mites you missed during the cleaning step. Disinfection is used to kill potentially harmful organisms that may be spread around by the mites. If you have wooden cage furnishings such as branches, caves, or rocks, bake them in the oven, set at 200-250º F (93-121º C), for 2-3 hours (depending on thickness, and longer at the lower temperature); check on them during this time to make sure they do not start to scorch or burn. Rocks may be boiled, completely submerged, for 20-30 minutes. If the wood or rock furnishings are too big to place in the oven or in a pot, soak them in a bucket, cement mixing tray, or tub, in a 1:30 solution of bleach and water (use one half cup bleach for each gallon of water) for eight hours or so, to thoroughly saturate into crevices. Rinse thoroughly, spraying fresh water into all the crevices, until they are well saturated and flushed free of any bleach residue. Let dry thoroughly, preferably in the sun, for at least 24 hours. Wash all bowls with the bleach-water solution, rinse well and let air dry. If you have heating pads inside the tank, unplug and remove them. Clean with soapy water, rinse off the soap, then spray them down with the bleach-water. Let them sit for at least ten minutes, then rinse clean and set aside. If you have the one of the self-adhesive reptile heating pads, check under them as best you can, or get rid of them entirely, replacing with a people-type heating pad or other free-standing heating pad or tape. Mites can crawl into the tiniest of spaces between the stuck-on pads and the glass, there to await their next metamorphosis. If it doubt, rip it off, and throw it out. Disconnect all light fixtures and wipe them down with a damp cloth to remove any adventuresome mites and their feces. Squeeze a "No-Pest" strip (such as the difficult to find Vapona® strip) or cat flea collar out of the inner envelope in which it was packed onto a piece of foil laid on the floor of the enclosure. Leave a bit still inside the packaging so that you can slide it back in when done. If the enclosure is a large one, you may need to set out several such strips or collars. If using a flea collar, stretch it out. You may need to cut them into pieces to prevent the from curling up again when you let go of the ends. Close the tank and seal it up as air-tight as possible to keep the toxic pesticide fumes inside the tank where they are needed. Cover large, screened areas and ventilation panels or holes with waste paper or plastic, taping it in place. Tape over the seams and any gaps between the doors and tank. (Masking tape works well for all of this taping as it seals tightly but will come off easily and not leave a tacky residue.) Leave in place for three hours, longer for large enclosures. Vacuum all around the enclosure - on the floor, wiping down any cabinets, etc. If there are any curtains on windows in the wall behind the tank, check them carefully for mites, too. Either vacuum or, if heavily infested, take them down and place immediately into large plastic garbage bags, seal the bags, and put in your car to take to the cleaners or laundromat. When done vacuuming, immediately dispose of the vacuum’s bag in the garbage outside your house or building. When the time is up, unseal the tank, disposing of all the paper and tape into a plastic bag for immediate disposal into the trash. Push the strip or collar back into its original packaging, place it in a ziplock-type bag, then store it in a safe place. Leave the tank open and air it out for several hours. If possible, open a window in the room and turn on a fan to help air out the fumes. A space fan may even be placed inside the tank or blowing into it to speed the air circulation in it. The fumes may be undetectable to you but not to your reptile, so you want them flushed out of the reptile’s environment. Put new substrate and any new furnishings into the enclosure. Simple substrates, such as paper towels, are best used for the next couple of weeks. This will enable you to easily see if additional mites have hatched or migrated into the tank from the surrounding area. Drapes and upholstered furnishings near heavily infested reptile tanks should be checked and, if necessary, removed for thorough cleaning. Replace the water bowl, hide box, into the tank. Reinstall and turn on the heating and lighting, warm the tank back up, and place the reptile back inside. After the reptile has been treated (see Treating the Reptile, above), it can be returned to its enclosure. When Considering the Use of Toxins... Working with pesticides--internal and external products alike--always involves some risk. An animal may be oversensitive to a product or to a particular component in a product. In a group of animals being treated, one may suffer while the others remain unaffected. This could be due to an extreme sensitivity or an unknown underlying physiological condition. Many people have for years used pest strips inside their reptile enclosures with no apparent ill effect. It is best, however, to never leave a pest strip in an enclosure with an animal, nor even open in the same room with an animal. Reptiles metabolize substances at different rates than do mammals and birds. Do not assume that what is safe for one animal (such as a flea collar for dogs or cats) is safe for your reptile. While there are toxic substances listed below, the only ones I recommend are the topical application of the ivermectin solution. For particularly heavy environmental infestations of mites, I recommend the use of the no-pest strips only while the reptile is being housed elsewhere during the time the strips are in the enclosure, with the keeper taking appropriate precautions for themselves and the other humans and animals in the room while the strip is being used. Otherwise, the ivermectin solution can be applied, left in place for 10 minutes or so, then washed off. The bottom line is that most products aren’t even adequately tested on humans, let alone animals. Toxins are toxins: they affect all living things, poison the water supply, the ground, become aerosolized or dry particulates which then waft through the air to be inhaled days, weeks, months, even years after they were first used. Every time you use a toxic substance, you are putting at risk far more than what you are trying to get rid of. Alternative Methods and Substances Heat High heat may also be used to kill mites in an enclosure. Glass or other aquaria may be sealed up and placed in the sun (obviously, the animal should be housed elsewhere while this is being done!). Do this on days when the outside temperatures are in the mid-80s-90s (29-32º C) so that the temperature inside the enclosure reaches or exceeds the 131º F (55º C) for the several hours needed to kill the mites. Ivermectin (Ivomec®) While some vets will recommend injecting a reptile with ivermectin as a way to get rid of mites, the drug is highly toxic. Even the drug’s manufacturer strongly advises against injecting it into reptiles for any reason (it is often used as a wormer for reptiles). Another way to use this drug, however, is externally, in a spray made by mixing ivermectin and water. Ivermectin may be obtained in a vial or syringe from your veterinarian, or without a prescription in the bovine or equine section of feed stores (where it is sold as a cattle and sheep wormer under the brand name Ivomec). You will also need a 1 cc syringe and a large bore needle (which can also be obtained from feed stores or your veterinarian). Ivermectin is rather thick and the multi-dose injection bottle in which it comes is topped by a thick rubber seal. You must insert the needle through this seal to get it into the drug itself. Some smaller gauge needles can get through the seal without bending, but it will take a very long time to pull up even the small amount of the drug needed, so use a larger-bore needle if you can. Mix 0.5cc (5mg) of injectable ivermectin (it comes 10mg/cc) per quart of water. Shake or stir vigorously and use immediately. Follow the steps above for cleaning out the enclosure. Instead of using the pest strip or collar, soak a cloth in the ivermectin-water solution, or pour the solution into a spray bottle. Thoroughly wipe down or spray the entire inside of the tank, wiping down the unplugged heating pads and light fixtures. While the ivermectin solution is drying in the enclosure, soak a clean cloth in the solution and wipe down the reptile or spray it thoroughly with the ivermectin solution, avoiding the eyes and open mouth. Use a cotton-tipped swab to carefully apply the solution around their eyes and nostrils, taking care not to get any in their eyes. You can also use an ivermectin solution to moisten a swab or cloth and work it into r the chin grooves, under belly scutes, ventral folds, and into dorsal crests. Put new substrate and the furnishings into the tank and replace the reptile. Monitor carefully for the reappearance of mites, repeating as necessary. Please note that ivermectin poses a potential danger to any animal, but most especially to severely debilitated reptiles, particularly when used systemically (administered orally or by injection) on such reptiles. Take extreme care when using it topically. Ivermectin has been reported in the veterinary and herpetocultural literature to be fatally toxic to chelonians and should never be used in or on them, nor in their environment. No-Pest Strips While this product has historically been recommended to be used in the tank while the reptile is in residence, an increasing number of reptile keepers and veterinarians recommend against doing so. This is due to the often fatal incidents of organophosphate poisoning from the fumes that outgas from these strips. Some reptiles may die right away, but enough may take months to sicken and die, so long from the event that the exposure to the organophosphate is not remembered and the reptile is said to have died "mysteriously" or "for no reason." If you are planning to use the more "natural" pyrethrin products, keep in mind that this plant-derived pesticide is still highly toxic and some of the products also contain organophosphates. NIX and Other De-Lousing Products One person reported using NIX (an over-the-counter preparation for human lice infestations, similar to Rid and Pronto, which contain the same ingredients), mixed 50/50 with water, applied to the snake. It was left on for no more than 10 minutes. The snake was then rinsed thoroughly to remove all solution residue. It was reported to have been effective. Another person reported using NIX full strength on his two snakes. He left it on for ten minutes and then put the snakes in their enclosure, into which a No-Pest strip had been placed. One snake died within 24 hours, one survived but was weak. Organophosphate poisoning from No-Pest strips can, and have repeatedly, caused damage to the reptilian (and other animals) central nervous system; many have died. It is not known in this case whether it was the full strength NIX, the No-Pest strip, or both in combination that cased the death of one and subsequent health problems in the other. Pet Trade Mite Sprays Many owners have tried RepRinse and Mite-Off without success. Provent-A-Mite seems to also have variable results but looks like the best way to go for free-roamers or when the mites have spread throughout one or more rooms, not just in enclosures. Provent-A-Mite also works on the eggs, so may reduce the laboriousness of your de-miting efforts. Any spray-on-the-reptile product is going to be worthless unless the environment is treated as well. Conversely, plain water will wash off most mites, but not the ones hiding tightly in crevices around the reptile’s body. Pet store sprays won’t get to these mites, either, so you might as well use something that really is effective at less cost: plain water, with Betadine mixed in if the reptile has sustained numerous mite bites. The Betadine does not kill the mites - it is an antiseptic used in treating the wounds caused by the mites feeding on your reptile. Dehumidifiers/Desiccants Placing dehumidifiers in the reptile’s enclosure or in the room have also been tried with varying success. Caution must be taken when keeping some reptiles in severely dry environments and the presence of toxins, including pesticides, in such dehumidifiers. Trichlorfan Trichlorfan, a cattle insecticide, has also been reported useful (it is apparently fatal to geckos). A 0.16% solution (8 cc of the standard 8% product mixed in 24 ounces of water) is sprayed on the reptile and left to dry thoroughly. The reptile must be kept without water for twenty-four hours so that the pesticide doesn’t get into the water that the reptile may then drink. After twenty-four hours, the reptile is thoroughly rinsed off, then placed back into its enclosure with a bowl of water. The tub/shower must be thoroughly rinsed before it is used by any animal or human. |
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| 04/11/07 12:30pm |
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Amandaleah View Profile |
Message To: Tengtou In reference to Message Id: 1241885 Mite help please
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| 04/11/07 12:45pm |
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Tengtou View Profile |
Message To: Amandaleah In reference to Message Id: 1241904 Mite help please
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| 04/11/07 02:19pm |
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Sivester View Profile |
Message To: Tengtou In reference to Message Id: 1242036 Mite help please
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| 04/11/07 08:32pm |
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Stephers View Profile |
Message To: Amandaleah In reference to Message Id: 1241755 Mite help please
And I know what type of substrate to use... but thank you.^_^ |
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| 04/12/07 01:57pm |
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