General information

Ophionyssus natricis, better known as the snake mite, is frequently found on reptiles. Snake mites are ectoparasites that live on their host. Almost every terrarium enthusiast will encounter these mites at some point. Snake mites transmit various diseases and can weaken a reptile so severely that the animal dies. It is therefore important to take countermeasures in good time.

General characteristics

The snake mite is a very small, spider-like parasite that thrives in the substrate layer of the terrarium. An adult snake mite measures around 1 mm, has eight legs and is dark red in colour. The female lays 15 to 25 eggs at a time in various places: in the substrate, in the gaps between the glass panes, on bogwood and even on the reptiles themselves. In the latter case, they are usually found under the eye scales and around the anus. Under ideal conditions, a larva hatches from the egg after just one day. If conditions are not ideal, the eggs can remain dormant for months. The larvae only hatch once the climate is favourable again. In this way, snake mites overwinter and survive relatively long periods of adverse conditions. Before reaching adulthood, the mite passes through a number of nymph stages, in each of which the larva takes on a different form. Snake mites can live for up to six months and survive for months without food.

Way of life

Snake mites live in the immediate surroundings of the reptiles. Development from the egg onwards takes place in the substrate layer, in gaps and in crevices. As soon as the mite is fully grown, it seeks out the reptile and crawls onto its body. It pushes its way between the scales and pierces the reptile with a special sucking snout in order to draw blood. This can take several days. Generally, the mites spend 4 to 6 days on the host animal. Females can take in up to 15 times their own body weight in blood. Once fully engorged, they leave the reptile and look for a safe hiding place in the substrate layer to lay their eggs.

Symptoms: how do you recognise an infestation?

It is important to detect a mite infestation as early as possible. Therefore, check the terrarium and its surroundings regularly and carefully for the presence of mites. An infestation can often be recognised by the animals becoming listless and less active. In the water container, the attentive reptile keeper can often spot tiny nymphs that look like peppercorns. Viewed through a magnifying glass, it becomes clear that these nymphs have legs and a head.

Control

Until now, cleaning a terrarium infested with snake mites was almost impossible. Various chemical products are available on the market, but they rarely provide effective relief and often have very negative effects on the reptiles. A good solution is biological control – with Dutchy's® predatory mites.

Dutchy's® predatory mites

Dutchy's® are very small predatory mites that survive well in the substrate layer of the terrarium. They feed on various soil insects, including snake mites. The predatory mite spreads across the terrarium area in no time and searches for food wherever snake mites like to hide. Once no more pests are present, the predatory mites feed on other organisms in their environment. Predatory mites have no adverse effect on the reptiles themselves. When there is no food left because all pests have been eaten, the predatory mites feed on each other and die out.

If the temperature in the terrarium is above 28 °C day and night, control is somewhat more difficult: under such conditions the predatory mite barely feeds and instead enters a resting phase. In such cases it makes sense – if the animal can tolerate it – to lower the temperature a little more at night.

When applying, carefully follow the instructions for use for reptiles. Control with predatory mites in the terrarium has also proven effective against spider mites (tarantulas are very often affected). You will find all products in our mite control category.