Alternative Mite Treatments

Pest strips using Dichlorvos (Vapona) as their key ingredient have been phased out and are now hard to purchase.

Vapona-based products are still sold commercially in the UK, although based on reports from keepers in the UK are now all but gone from there as well.

Vapona products sold in the UK include one sold online as Nuvan 500EC by Novartis Animal Health UK Ltd. Although designed for agricultural use, they may also be used against mites in reptiles using the formula given above. However Nuvan 500EC is scheduled to be removed from the UK Market by 18 April 2004.

There are some non-Vapona based "pest strips" that also work on mites and these are in my view the second treatment of choice. This includes some sold commercially in the form of dog and cat flea collars. These are pyrethrin based and care is needed as some literally don't work against mites.

The methodology is the same as given above.

AIRCRAFT SPRAYS

The best known in Australia is 'Top of descent', which is marketed by Callington Haven Pty Ltd, 2 Euston Street, Rydalmere, NSW, 2116 Phone : (02) 9898 2788. It is also available from specialist reptile suppliers.Alternatives are available in the UK.

The active ingredient is 20g/kg d-Phenothrin which is a synthetic pyrethroid.

This kills insects and mites quickly and yet is apparently harmless to humans and reptiles; at least if used judiciously.

Top of descent is simply sprayed in the cage which is then closed and left. The reptile itself is also lightly sprayed at a distance.

The mites fall off dead.

An hour later, the cage is then aired out and the reptile re-introduced.

The cage is resprayed a week later with the reptile in it.

The cage and substrate do not need specific cleaning or replacement.

Areas around the cage should also be sprayed as should the room containing the reptiles.

Users of the spray hail it's success as a mite treatment.

It's commonly recommended not to allow the reptile water after spray mite treatments.

The reason being that the reptile may bathe in the water, put spray into the water and then drink it, thereby ingesting the chemicals.

If this is likely, then water should not be offered for a day after spraying to allow the most toxic amount of the chemical time to more-or-less come off the reptile.

Alternatively the reptile can be 'drinked' in controlled circumstances, during this phase of the mite treatment.

ORANGE MEDIC AND OTHER MITE SPECIFIC SPRAYS

The first is based on a synthetic pyrethroid (like 'Top of descent') and is sold as a head lice treatment in Australia.

It also works well against mites in reptiles.

If using Orange Medic, the compound is diluted to 1 part to range medic to 6 parts water and sprayed on the reptile (all over), with the head area being wiped over with cotton wool immersed in the compound. The film is left on the reptile for an hour before being washed off.

The process is repeated once a week for five more applications. The reptile must also be moved to a mite free cage.

The other (original) cage must be 'sealed' and also fumigated by some means, typically an application of orange medic, by spraying all areas. This treatment for both cage and reptile must be repeated weekly for a total of six weeks.

The contraindications for orange medic from users are that it should not be swallowed by the reptile and that if used during a shedding period, problems may occur.

In terms of the former contraindication, death by ingestion of orange medic is rarely reported and so with common sense shouldn't be an issue.

In terms of the latter, shedding problems attributed to orange medic may in fact be merely those caused by the mite infestation and not the treatment. In other words the product has been wrongly blamed.

Tests with Orange Medic on several mite free snakes (Pythons and Elapids) approaching a slough failed to have any discernable impact on the shedding process, with the snakes shedding as normal (in one piece).

In terms of other aspects of Orange Medic treatment of mites, use is much the same as for Top of Decent.

There are also some sprays sold commercially that also claim to kill mites, including a number of bird treatments. Some work, some don't.

If using a spray to kill mites, it's best to speak with persons who have used them with success, before treating for mites yourself.

Don't automatically believe what the manufacturer claims.

The most popular commercially available spray specifically designed for killing mites and ticks on reptiles is 'Provent-a-Mite', which is available from most herpetological suppliers, or via mail order on the internet.

The spray is best sprayed into a cage before a reptile is introduced. The application lasts 30 days and a second application should ensure that your reptile and cage is mite free.

The spray will kill all mites and larval forms in the cage and on the reptile that will be in contact with the substrate that in turn contains enough fumes to kill the mites.

To properly administer the spray, you hold the can upright and spray at a distance of 12" to 15" from the surface of the substrate at a rate of 1 second per 30 cm.

The enclosure should be ventilated well until the spray has dried and all but the most remnant of vapors have dissipated.

The reptile can then be re-introduced into the cage, but should me monitored for six hours after re-introduction.

If it appears to show signs of gasping or discomfort, it should be removed.

In terms of the reptile itself, if it has a mite infestation already, it should be placed in a small plastic container that has been sprayed with the product and allowed to dry.

The reptile should then be left in the container until after all the mites have fallen off and died.

If uncertain as to when this is, you should assume that it is 30 minutes after you noticed the last mite fall off and die.

It's at that point that the reptile can be placed back in it's now mite eradicated cage.

As with the pest-strip treatment, there is no need to replace cage substrate. Nor is there a need to even quarantine the snake to another cage for any period, save for that in which the spray is actually applied to the cage, allowed to dry and fumes dissipate.

IVERMECTIN

This is an injectable or orally taken substance that is used to treat animals (including humans) for parasites. Ivermectin, made by Merck is sold under several names as 10 mg/ml and 2.7 mg/ml injectable form; 0.153 percent and 1.87 percent paste form; 10 mg/ml liquid oral form and 68 mcg, 136 mcg and 272 mcg tablets. It works well on reptiles with mites, except for turtles (and frogs), which often appear to show a strong allergic reaction, which parallels the reaction of fish to the chemical.

The compound is known to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause coma and even death in higher doses. The margin for error with this product is not great and so it should be used with utmost caution.

In other words, guessing weights and amounts is simply not on!

Some lizards are also known to have allergic reactions to the drug and so if intending using this treatment, it is wise to check that your species is not one of the susceptible ones.

Most snakes respond well to treatment.

As implied here it's not a preferred mite treatment due to the relatively high dosages required relative to the known toxicity levels.

Ivermectin is available from farm suppliers and veterinary surgeons.

The mites ingest the material and fall off the host dead. Ivermectin attacks the nervous system of the mites.

Three doses injected at one week intervals are required to kill all mites and larval stages.

The surrounds of the cage should be sprayed with a barrier causing surface insecticide.

All mites that attack the host reptile will die. Those that don't will starve to death.

Hence using the above treatment, the cage will automatically become mite free as all the mites within it either die or starve to death.

The dose rate for reptiles is usually .2 micro grams per kilo.

Ivermectin is also used to kill nematodes and to prevent heartworms in mammals.

Ivermectin can also be used as a topical spray treatment for mites and trials using it this way have worked well.

If it is used, it should be used at the rate of 5 micro grams per litre of water. Both reptile and cage should be sprayed and the treatment should be repeated a week later. The reptile must be sprayed all over (top and bottom), head and tail.

Persons using the dosage and treatment just indicated claimed success in eradicating mites.

Spraying the cage and injecting the reptile may also be done in conjunction, but care must be made not to overdose the reptile (see above).

DRIE DIE/SEVIN DUST

These are powerful desiccants, which are also effective against mites. Reptiles are known to have eaten food with Drie Die attached without apparent problems, although good sense says that this should be avoided.

These dusts are usually sold by avian suppliers who also use them to treat ectoparasites on birds.

These were the mite treatment of choice before pest strips were used and still in common use.

The powder is sprinkled on the live reptile and the cage and substrate replaced.

Try to make sure that the reptile doesn't inhale or ingest dust particles.

For a week the reptile is kept in a Spartan cage with minimal substrate and the dust die sprinkled in the cage to kill hatching eggs and larval forms of mites, lice and ticks.

No water is in the cage and the reptile is 'drinked' (offered a drink) daily.

If using Sevin dust or another product brand name that uses this, make sure you get the 5% dust and not the 10% dust as there have been reported problems with the higher concentration.

One liter-sized can of the dust will last most keepers several years.

NEGUVON

'Neguvon' powder is a toxic substance available only on prescription.

When mixed with water it is also effective in removing mites from reptiles and cages although it can be toxic to reptiles.

It's not a preferred mite treatment, due to the high risks involved to the reptile if too much is used or if the reptile ingests any.

Put another way, the allowable margin of error for this treatment isn't much.

The former practice of applying oil to reptiles in a bid to suffocate mites should be avoided as this will also often kill the reptiles.

Under no circumstances should ‘Dettol’ be allied to reptiles with mites. If the mites don’t kill the reptile, then the ‘Dettol’ probably will! This author is aware of at least one case where a supposedly experienced herpetologist applied ‘Dettol’ to two young Burmese Pythons (Python molurus) which had mite infestations. In spite of their mites, the snakes were otherwise in good health. Within minutes, one of the snakes was dead. The second animal was washed of the ‘Dettol’ but it also died.

It was the intense irritation caused by the ‘Dettol’ on the skin that killed the snakes.

In spite of this well-publicized case way back in 1997, there was as recently as 2002 a self-styled 'expert' posting on internet lists his view that 'Dettol' was the only proper way to treat mites in reptiles. The same recommendation was also to be found on several websites.

SUSCEPTIBLE (TO MITES) REPTILES

There are some species of reptile that are more susceptible to getting and suffering adversely from mite infestations than others.

This in part stems form the nature of their scales. Large scaled species and soft scaled species typically fare worst.