The rec.pets.herp Mite FAQ
Last update: July 12, 1994
The major portion of this Frequently Asked Questions list was compiled by
Glenn Peirce (seeker@sage.cc.purdue.edu). I have added a few posts which
I had previously saved to the bottom. The only editing I have done is for
clarity's sake; Rebecca Sobol's contribution was moved closer to the bottom.
Mike Pingleton
pingleto@ncsa.uiuc.edu
http://gto.ncsa.uiuc.edu/pingleto/herp.html
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Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
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From: seeker@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Glenn Peirce)
Subject: Mite information collected
Sender: news@mozo.cc.purdue.edu (USENET News)
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Date: Sat, 9 Jul 1994 15:39:16 GMT
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Lines: 215
I have collected a few very informative articles and relations of personal
experience concerning the snake mite. I do not have the names of everyone
that sent me information, but I wish to extend my appreciation to them
anyway.
To whomever is compiling the various FAQ's, please feel free to include
the following information, either within the FAQ or as a separate one.
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This article appeared in "Cold Blooded News", a publication of the
Colorado Herpetological Society, Volume 21, Number 4 - April 1994.
FURTHER NOTES ON MITE ERADICATION
by Rob Nathan, DVM
It is with great interest that I have read all the recent articles
on mite eradication. I have personally tried several techniques on my own
collection. All the available drugs seem to have their own merits and
limitations. No matter which method is employed, none will be successful
unless there is repeated and thorough cleaning of the animal's environment.
I prefer using a diluted bleach solution (1 part bottled bleach
+ 10 parts tap water for a concentrated solution, or 1 part bleach + 20
parts water for a dilute solution) to disinfect the cages and water bowls.
Bleach seems to be very safe and is inexpensive. It is important to
thoroughly rinse the cage and bowls before using them again. Contact
time is necessary to properly disinfect; ten to fifteen minutes seems to
be effective.
No-Pest strips seem to have become a standard among
herpetoculturists for treating mites. Various treatment schedules have
been advocated by different authors. Frye (1991) recommends a 6mm piece
of No-Pest Strip per 100 cubic feet of cage. Klingenberg (1993) recommends
exposing the animals for 23 hrs. per day, two to three times per week, for
two to three weeks. It is important to remove the water while exposing
animals to No-Pest Strips. Also, the strips should be placed in a small
jar with holes in it so the animals will not come in direct contact with
them..
I personally have left the No-Pest Strips in the cages for 24 hrs.
on, 24 hrs. off, and 24 hrs. on again. I wait two weeks and repeat. With
this protocol, I have never had a problem. However, there is always the
potential for toxicity since NO-Pest strips contain dichlorvos, which is
a potent organophosphate insecticide. There are numerous anecdotal reports
of toxic reactions, including to humans who have skin contact with pest
strips over a period of time..
I have also tried Ivermectin to treat mite infestations.
Ivermectin is a cattle wormer. It works by increasing the level of an
inhibitory neurotransmitter know as GABA (gammaamin butyric acid); this
chemical is normally present in the central nervous system and when it is
released it acts to prevent nerve impulses from occurring. By increasing
GABA release, Ivermectin causes paralysis and eventual death of the mite.
Ivermectin can be used two ways: injectably or topically. Injectably,
it has often been given at 200 micro-grams/kg, intramuscularly or
subcutaneoulsy, every two weeks for two to three treatments. This has
worked well for killing the mites present on the animals. Fatal
reactions have been reported mostly in lizards so it should be used
with care, but it has also been used quite successfully on these reptiles.
Ivermectin is toxic to chelonians and should not be used under any
circumstances..
Abrahams (1992) has used Ivermectin as a dilute spray for topical
use. He uses 5 micro-grams (1/2 ml of the stock solution) added to one
liter of water. No one knows how long this is stable once it is diluted.
Light reportedly also will inactivate Ivermectin, so it should be stored
in a dark place. Abrahams reported not having to repeat treatments.
I recently have begun using Trichlorfon spray, based on the
recommendations by Boyer and Boyer (1991). Trichlorfon is an
organophosphate and the same precautions should be taken with its use as
with a pest strip. They used various dilutions of Trichlorfon on over
600 animals at the Dallas Zoo. They reported one death of a hatchling
ball python. Based on the various dilutions tested, they recomment a 0.15%
solution (add 8 ml of the 8% stock solution to 400 ml of water). They
recommend lightly but thoroughly spraying the entire animal, repeating
this in about two weeks. They also recommend spraying the entire cage
and water crock after thorough cleaning. It is important to let the animal
air dry completely before returning it to its enclosure. They reported
limited experience using this on lizards and snakes without any untoward
reactions. Geckos are reported not to tolerate Trichlorfon. I have had
good success following their protocol, with no toxicities to date.
No matter what method is employed, one should exercise caution.
These are all potent drugs, not to be taken lightly. If used properly,
they can be part of a safe, effective mite eradication program. Don't
forget, however, that prevention is easier and safer than any of the
above treatments. The best way to prevent mites from overwhelming a
collection is proper quarantine procedures. For any new acquisitions
I would recommend a minimum of 90 days quarantine. This is used to
allow adequate time to treat any mites that might be present and, very
importantly, to allow adequate time for other problems to manifest
themselves. For example, 'paramyxovirus' infections, which cause fatal
respiratory and neurological disease, may not manifest themselves for
90 days. When quarantined, the animals should ideally be housed in a
separate room and always be handled last. The instruments used while
working with these animals should always be thoroughly cleaned and
disinfected, by soaking in bleach for example, prior to any further use.
Again, prevention is always preferable to treatment.
Literature Cited
Abrahams, R. 1992. Ivermectin as a spray for treatment of snake mites.
"Bulletin of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians"
2(1):8.
Boyer, D. and T. H. Boyer. 1991. Trichlorfon spray for snake mites
(ophionyssus natricis). "Bulletin of the Association of Reptile and
Amphibian Veterinarians" 1(1):23
Fry, F.L. 1991. "Biomedical and Surgical Aspects of Captive Reptile
Husbandry", 2nd edition. Kreiger Publishing, Macabar, FL.
Klingenberg, R.J. 1993. "Understanding Reptile Parasites." Advanced
Vivarium Systems.
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Life Cycle of the Snake Mite, _Ophionyssus natricis_ (Camin, 1953)
The following chart gives the average span of time spent in each stage of
the snake mite's life cycle at two different temperatures. These
temperatures are the ends of the range commonly encountered in zoos.
Temperature
Development Stage 30 C (= 86 F) 20 C (= 68 F)
----------------- ------------- -------------
Egg 28 hours 98 hours
Larva (nonfeeding) 18 hours 47 hours
Protonymph (feeding) 3 days 14 days
Deuteronymph (nonfeeding) 13 hours 26 hours
Adult (feeding) 10 days 32 days
The time spent in the protonymph stage refers to those that find a host
soon after molt. Unfed protonymphs can live 15 to 19 days before dying of
starvation.
A gravid female leaves her reptilian host and finds a dark, moist crevice
where she lays eggs. Each egg hatches into a softbodied larva, which does
not move after leaving the egg. It is usually safe from dying of
dehydration in the crevice where it hatched. After molting into the
protonymph stage, the mite continues to stay in the humid crevice until its
exoskeleton becomes sclerotized, which minimizes the chance of death from
dehydration when the protonymph moves to dryer areas. Then it begins
wandering around the cage at random. If the protonymph encounters a host,
it climbs aboard, conceals itself under a scale, and begins feeding. When
full of blood, the protonymph drops off the host, finds a dark, moist
crevice, and molts into the deuteronymph stage. The deuteronymph is active
but usually remains in the crevice until the final molt into the adult
stage. The opposite sexes usually pair off in either the late proteronymph
or deuteronymph stage. Mating takes place shortly after the mites reach
adulthood. The adult wanders randomly around the cage until it encounters
a host. Then it climbs on the host, sucks blood until engorged, and drops
off. Males seek unmated females, and females seek crevices to lay eggs.
Females lay 60-80 eggs, feeding two or three times at intervals of one to
two weeks.
Whenever a mite encounters a barrier, it climbs instead of going around the
barrier. This leads mites to climb up the sides of the water dish, any
other cage furnishings, and the walls. Any mite that passes through an
opening and leaves the cage is likely to fall to the floor. There it
continues to wander randomly until it either dies or enters another cage
and finds a host. This wandering will rapidly infest every cage in the
area.
Snake mites have rather rigid behavior patterns. If they encounter a
barrier or an incline, they climb. They are attracted toward moist
conditions and toward dark areas. If cold, they are attracted toward
warmth until a threshold is reached, when they try to move toward a cooler
area. They are attracted by the smell of a host and tend to stop moving
when a contact area on the back touches something, like the underside of a
snake's scale. The groove along a snake's lower jaw and around its eye
make excellent attachment points for a mite, as these areas are adequately
warm, moist, and narrow enough to trigger the contact stimulus. A snake mite
can complete its entire life cycle in the groove around a snake's eye.
One of the natural dangers to a snake mite is its host shedding its skin.
The snake crawls away leaving the mite behind in the shed skin. However,
the snake is rapidly reinfested in the confines of a cage.
Drowning is another natural danger to a snake mite. Snake mites are not
able to swim and will eventually drown in water. In a bath, they are able
to migrate along a snake's body to the head, which is usually out of water,
and at least some of the mites survive. However, placing a clean snake
cage on legs in a shallow pan of water will prevent mites from just walking
into the cage.
Heat and dehydration are related dangers. Eggs are significantly less
likely to hatch successfully in dry conditions than in humid conditions.
Snake mites are killed within a few minutes at a temperature of 55 C (=
131 F).
(Camin, Joseph H. 1953. Observations on the life history and sensory
behavior of the snake mite, _Ophionyssus natricis_ (Gervais) (Acarina,
Macronyssidae). Chicago Academy of Sciences, Special Publ., No. 10. 75 pp.
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Years ago when my very young burmese python had mites I used the no-pest
strip. I used a whole, fresh strip which I put in a jar with holes punched
in the lid. I left it in for several days when I noticed that my python
had a runny nose. I made an appointment with the vet and removed the pest
strip from the cage. By the time I actually took the snake in to the vet
his nose had cleared up and he was feeling better. The vet told me never
use more than half a strip, and to let it sit out for several days before
putting it in with the snake. The treatment does need to be repeated in ten
days to two weeks because the no-pest strip will not kill the mite eggs.
I am happy to report that both my snake and I survived the treatment and we
have not been plauged with mites for many years.
Rebecca Sobol