Dealing with mites in a reptile collection can be a daunting and frustrating task, but don’t worry, we’ll explain it here.
So, you’ve noticed mites in your vivarium, terrarium, or reptile; First of all, you need to establish what type of mite it is. There are thousands of species of mites, so it’s almost impossible to pinpoint the exact mite you’re having a problem with, but we can group them into three basic categories of mites you’re likely to experience in the nursery.
There are two types of mites that are most commonly found and scare reptile keepers, but they are not as bad as you might think, these are mites that harbor on substrates and food. These moths are usually dull white in color and about the size of a dot like this. You will find these moths if you are using a wood based or soil type substrate in a damp nursery, they don’t have to have come from anywhere, they just seem to appear! They appear because they have all the items they need to survive. These are heat, moisture, food, and a place to live (the wood substrate). In small quantities they will not present a problem, only in large uncontrolled quantities would they represent a risk for the reptile, lizard, snake or amphibian. These moths can be easily controlled by cleaning the substrate regularly (replace organic soil monthly and wash or replace bark substrates). By doing this and removing uneaten food and cleaning up feces daily, you will ensure that the mite population does not get out of control. Another frequently encountered mite are the “grain” or “dust” mites, again these favor the conditions mentioned above and can be controlled in the same way, they are usually introduced when the reptile keeper attempts to store or raise live foods in the home, these mites love to feed on bran and grains etc., then they are introduced to the nursery on the live food.
Third, you can find (but are less likely to) the serious mites, these can cause problems and need to be dealt with as soon as possible: these are snake mites, reptile mites, and ticks. Again hundreds of species but they all have the same thing in common. They live on your reptile using it as a host and usually feed on its blood!
How to Identify Reptile/Snake Mites – These mites are often red, brown, or even reddish! in color they can range in size from a small point to something like a very large flea, ticks are usually a bit larger. when crushed, they usually leave a red bloodstain.
How do I know if my snake/lizard has mites? The first signs to look for are excessive shedding of the skin and dead mites in the water dish. Reptiles with mites will spend a lot of time lying in the water to try to drain the mites, as they will irritate them. If you suspect your lizard or snake has mites, remove it from the vivarium and insert it closely, in a severe infestation you will notice the mites crawling all over your body and even onto your hands. In less severe infestations and in most snake mite situations, you will notice mites under the scales, let your snake slip through your hands when it folds the undersides of its scales and it will be visible; don’t be surprised if you see mites hiding under the scales. scales which then completely disappear from view below the scale. These scales will look slightly higher than the others.
How do I treat reptile moths? You must attack them fast and hard, you cannot do half measures. First, remove the reptile and any tank mates from the vivarium (if one reptile is affected, you should assume that all reptiles in that vivarium are also infected), discard all substrate, if you can get rid of all wooden furniture, like the branches, then do it. So, but if they were expensive or unique, you’ll need to wash and scrub them, then soak them in hot water. All water and food dishes should be removed, scrubbed, and soaked in hot water. When soaking nursery furniture, make sure it is completely submerged or else the mite will climb onto the dry part to live another day. Ok, the furniture has been taken care of, now you need to take care of the nursery, if the nursery has unsealed joints, be very careful as there will be mites hiding in the cracks. once the vivarium is empty, wash it thoroughly with hot, soapy water. If you can, get it out of the house and spray it thoroughly with an insecticide.
To treat the reptile from mites you will need to spray it with a mite killer, there are two types of mite spray available one with an active ingredient and one without, the ones that do not contain natural substances and work by irritating or suffocating the moths, the ones that do contain ingredients actives contain chemicals that will kill moths. In our experience Beaphar insect spray is the most effective and after treating snakes with mites with this product the first treatment was extremely effective requiring only secondary treatments in heavily infested wild animals and in mild cases as a “belt” precaution and orthopedic devices. Always follow the instructions on mite sprays carefully, as some reptiles may not be able to be treated.
When treating a reptile for mites we always wear gloves, spray the product on the reptile and apply it to the reptile’s skin to try to get it under all the scales, pay attention to the ears and nostrils as this is where mites like to hide. but always check the instructions first before applying any spray.
