Mites on feeders?

Heya, so, I have ran out of F/T feeder mice for my new baby bp. I have a local rat breeder I usually purchase from and trust and I have placed an order with them but in the meantime I need to feed her.

At this point my only option is to purchase from my local hobbyist reptile store. Now, I used to trust these guys very well (they were very experienced, knowledgeable, and their animals always looked healthy and well taken care of), until I bought a carpet python from them who had mites. They said they had no idea how that could've happened and said they would treat her for free. I, not wanting to step foot in that store again for fear of more mites, decided to treat her myself and I was successful. I have also talked with several other hobbyists (including my local rat breeder) who have experienced this store's mite problem. Turns out the store doesn't quarantine any of their animals either, big surprise.

That being said, I have avoided them at all costs since then. But right now, they are the only place to get a few meals for my bp short notice. Their feeders have always been fine apart from being a little pricy. Of course I haven't bought from them since I found out about the mite problem. I have no idea if it was a one-off or if they are infested with mites, but I know I'd rather not take my chances.

I could go and purchase a few feeders then come home and immediately shower, change, sanitize etc. But can mites be carried in on feeders? Could I freeze mites to kill them? What would the best route to go be? I was holding out hoping my order would be complete soon enough but my bp's looking pretty hungry and it's been too long. There's not really anywhere else to get any except maybe petsmart, but I almost trust them less (although the transmission rate would be lower than a reptile store when it comes to mites), and I don't favor the quality and prices of their feeders.

Mites, fleas and ticks can be found on poor prey. If you find fleas 99.9% of the time the prey will have worms also. Freezing for a week “should” work. But I’m not a Veterinarian an don’t know what worm eggs can survive what.

Your snake will be fine if they miss a few meals.

Time to find some snake keepers near you for when your short or going into group buys.


Good luck!

Thanks! I just decided to go ahead and pick some up at Petsmart. The F/T feeders are in the fish section, away from the reptiles, and I trust them to be mite-free in comparison (as for quality, I'm not sure yet). It works for now.

I don't think snake mites inhabit rodents, or the reverse, that mites/fleas that inhabit warm-blooded pets will get on snakes, other than the odd "stray" (much the same way they might come home on you or your clothes). That's a shame that your local reptile store has gone downhill this way. It truly doesn't take much to get an outbreak of mites- just one incoming shipment, so they need to stay vigilant. That you got similar information from other people about their "mite problem" tells you everything you need to know- NOT likely a one-off, & especially with no quarantine-:(

Is your local supplier as reliable with quality feeders and less expensive than ordering online? I know Petsmart isn’t.

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Is your local supplier as reliable with quality feeders and less expensive than ordering online? I know Petsmart isn’t.

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If you mean the local reptile store, their quality was definitely better than Petsmart in my opinion, but their prices are about the same as them. I'm not sure how it matches up to ordering online, but I do know that my local rat breeder gives me a hell of a deal. She under charges herself all the time but at this point she lets me chose the price myself based off what I think is fair and we've been happy with that so far. I paid $40 for 23 rats (mostly mediums) and she said it was way too much. The only problem is that she is very busy and hard to reach sometimes. But the feeder quality is great and fresh and so I make sure to order from her in bulk and usually have no problem. I just happened to pick up one too few mice from the reptile show when I got my newer bp a few weeks back.