Ugh... Spider mites

[Peppered]

I'm not sure if they came in on the new plants (which I thought I washed really well) or the topsoil I bought to re-pot them recently... I've read a few posts on here about users who were successful in dealing with them by spraying isopropyl alcohol, but I think they all were in regards to panther chams. Pepper absolutely loves her cage-wide "salad bar" (particularly the newest, most tender baby leaves, so new plant growth is impossible ), so I can almost guarantee she will be sampling plants/leaves any given day if I try this.

I think I may try moving her to a temporary sleeping setup overnight, spray the crap out of the plants with alcohol, and by morning I can thoroughly rinse everything with a good spray down. Could that be a good idea? Since the alcohol itself evaporates quickly, I think water blasting the plants thoroughly after should be good to remove any traces of it, right? Im just worrying about if it won't be enough, and then if she tries to eat one of the plants...

 

[Beman]

@jamest0o0 what do you recommend?

 

[jamest0o0]

@jamest0o0 what do you recommend?

I prefer to individually eat each spider mite off my plants until they are gone

 

[jamest0o0]

In all seriousness, I feel like @snitz427 usually has some good recommendations on dealing with pests(if she’s active on here these days).

I have used neem oil for my outside plants with success, but wouldn’t use in an enclosure with pets. I’m not sure if there’s natural predators for spider mites, but they seem to pop up when the plant is stressed and strong healthy plants are pretty good IME at keeping them away/minimize damage.

Spot removing them would probably be the best option if you can’t take the plant out. A weak alcohol solution to at is washed away(don’t let your Cham consume any) would probably work. Sometimes just hosing them off works for me too.

 

[MissSkittles]

I believe lacewings will help as well as other predatory mites whose names I won’t even try spelling.
https://todayshomeowner.com/pest-control/guides/how-to-use-predator-insects-to-control-garden-pests/
https://www.arbico-organics.com/pro...er-tJ3h0k5J-6_Zlgrk3LzB-kAplo0AxoCznsQAvD_BwE

 

[Peppered]

In all seriousness, I feel like @snitz427 usually has some good recommendations on dealing with pests(if she’s active on here these days).

I have used neem oil for my outside plants with success, but wouldn’t use in an enclosure with pets. I’m not sure if there’s natural predators for spider mites, but they seem to pop up when the plant is stressed and strong healthy plants are pretty good IME at keeping them away/minimize damage.

Spot removing them would probably be the best option if you can’t take the plant out. A weak alcohol solution to at is washed away(don’t let your Cham consume any) would probably work. Sometimes just hosing them off works for me too.

Thank you!! I ended up spot treating with a squirt bottle and diluted alcohol. I think these new plants are stressed from how bright/how much light they're getting now in the cage and are adapting to it, which could explain why I started seeing all these mites!

I believe lacewings will help as well as other predatory mites whose names I won’t even try spelling.
https://todayshomeowner.com/pest-control/guides/how-to-use-predator-insects-to-control-garden-pests/
https://www.arbico-organics.com/pro...er-tJ3h0k5J-6_Zlgrk3LzB-kAplo0AxoCznsQAvD_BwE

Oh yeah I was reading about these yesterday! I may try out the lacewings, I like that they can double as a new feeder for variety once they turn into flies haha!

 

[snitz427]

My go to is a spray bottle with maybe 20% filled with 70% isopropyl alcohol (not ethenal alcohol) mixed with a squirt of dawn dish soap and filled with water. Shake it up well and spray tops, bottoms, and stems of plants. Let it sit and the rinse very well. It hasn't hurt my isopod populations but it is tricky to rinse everything well enough (mostly the undersides) so you may need to rinse the water bottle really well and go thru one or two refills / sprays of plain water to rinse off the soap. Obviously remove the chameleon for the duration of cleaning.

There are also very effective predatory mites (orange… cucuberis? Or something like that). But predatory insects can get expensive.

Mites thrive in drier conditions, but can exist in humid as well. Good humidity or getting hit by the misters may help keep them managable.

 

[Peppered]

My go to is a spray bottle with maybe 20% filled with 70% isopropyl alcohol (not ethenal alcohol) mixed with a squirt of dawn dish soap and filled with water. Shake it up well and spray tops, bottoms, and stems of plants. Let it sit and the rinse very well. It hasn't hurt my isopod populations but it is tricky to rinse everything well enough (mostly the undersides) so you may need to rinse the water bottle really well and go thru one or two refills / sprays of plain water to rinse off the soap. Obviously remove the chameleon for the duration of cleaning.

There are also very effective predatory mites (orange… cucuberis? Or something like that). But predatory insects can get expensive.

Mites thrive in drier conditions, but can exist in humid as well. Good humidity or getting hit by the misters may help keep them managable.

Thank you so much for this advice/info!! So far I've continued to spot treat with isopropyl alcohol and it seems to be working well combined with having the mister set up and running correctly now (I was having trouble setting up the timer but got that figured out). I'm still keeping a close eye but I think the infestation is going away thankfully

 

[regal81455]

You might consider steam cleaning your plants and cage as well. This has worked very well for me in keeping things sanitary and pest free. 2x a month I do it and it's entirely safe for your pet. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

 

[elizaann2]

You might consider steam cleaning your plants and cage as well. This has worked very well for me in keeping things sanitary and pest free. 2x a month I do it and it's entirely safe for your pet. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

What kind of steamer do you have? I've been thinking of getting one myself for the same reasons.

 

[regal81455]

This one. It's been amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER...efix=black+and+decker+ste,aps,102&sr=8-4&th=1

 

[elizaann2]

This one. It's been amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-HSMC1361SGP-SteamGlove-Handheld/dp/B01MXVVRTW/ref=sr_1_4?crid=30DE8EA4LR1SK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SGov6qe1lIS0pS_kANt_7YRCEidBc8d-iu2luXb11MyhxVJdkHeeBfeNY_Z6uX07Y3MJNXkAHQIdS3HUXryso8zkvJF2EfdaRtK9ZXkTCHb5oRM2kAmMqG6BpZj3QL62_nbnYCBlAGPJR1qnDKYno4fpubbTKKnTjg5d1AEYAc7rXUTw1qk8eeNGh0tYIort40iXVykdD1QnSvwzhR57lXzxE1DGbNQKtU0DQAhKJ2nxf-R2joPgqdFqKCSID0LPAtjGRRks9xvQmZD-neGGV10bIAp1QKNOClGj3Lrw12Q.HMrySv7efPWjwTf7Q2kOCUQ8_Rhw6dKnNkki6aX32As&dib_tag=se&keywords=black+and+decker+steam+mop&qid=1726614286&sprefix=black+and+decker+ste,aps,102&sr=8-4&th=1

Thank you so much!

 

[regal81455]

For sure! Hope it treats you as good as it has me!

 

[elizaann2]

For sure! Hope it treats you as good as it has me!

I will let you know how it goes! Any tips for cleaning you want to pass on?

 

[regal81455]

Sure!

I usually spray the whole cage down with F10SCXD after poop and dead leaf pickup 1st. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then I use the steam nozzle on high and steam everything. I just make sure to keep moving it around so it's not sitting in one spot too long to avoid killing leaves on the plants. After I've done a solid job of steaming everything I might rub the leaves a little with my finger tips if needed to get any stubborn stuff + it shows your plant(s) love. Then I'll use the misters to give everything a really good rinsing and again a little finger love if I feel necessary. From there I just let everything dry out. Usually 30-45m for me. After it's dry it's been perfectly safe for my guy to be let back in.

That's been my process really from day one. Seems to be working for me. I've had no issues with plant die off or pests and Digit hasn't shown any signs of illness.

Good luck!

 

[elizaann2]

Sure!

I usually spray the whole cage down with F10SCXD after poop and dead leaf pickup 1st. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then I use the steam nozzle on high and steam everything. I just make sure to keep moving it around so it's not sitting in one spot too long to avoid killing leaves on the plants. After I've done a solid job of steaming everything I might rub the leaves a little with my finger tips if needed to get any stubborn stuff + it shows your plant(s) love. Then I'll use the misters to give everything a really good rinsing and again a little finger love if I feel necessary. From there I just let everything dry out. Usually 30-45m for me. After it's dry it's been perfectly safe for my guy to be let back in.

That's been my process really from day one. Seems to be working for me. I've had no issues with plant die off or pests and Digit hasn't shown any signs of illness.

Good luck!

Fantastic! Thank you so much!