pest controlling with reptiles

[melly88]

well just as the title says how do u go about keeping ur reptile safe while u pest controll your house???

 

[Bel03]

Good question! My partner breeds fish & its a nightmare come pest control time! All 100+ filters are unplugged, & all 100+ tanks are covered securely with blankets, towel etc........so i assume for reptiles covering with blankets or removing from the house would be the answer.

 

[snakehandler]

It depends on the type of pests your talking about!

 

[melly88]

just the "norm" for spiders & roaches

 

[Chris1]

let ur beardies free range, works fro me!

other than that, i have an old thong (the foot variety, not the underwear type) in every room so nothing gets a chance to escape while im looking fro something to swat them with,....

 

[melly88]

lol chris i was wondering how long it would take before for a beardie statement came in

 

[snakehandler]

We use traps and baits for the roaches and one of the best methods is an outdoor surface spray around windows, doors and roof-line, we have very few insects etc into the house and it does not affect the animals as the spray is outdoors, alternatively you can get indoor surface sprays with a directional nozzle, just don't use them in the area of the animals!

 

[dangles]

there is a paste type stuff the pest controller used for roaches here. A couple of dabs of the paste here and there has worked a treat. As most of it is behind stuff none of our pets can get to it. As for spiders just use a shoe to dispose of them

 

[Chris1]

the stuff dangles mentioned is called max force cockroach gel and is sold at some hardwares....but not all.

i used it at the last place i rented, for the first week i got home to the floor covered in tiny baby roaches, then barely saw a roach in the remaining 18 months i was there,.....that place was infested when we got there,...ewwwwwwwww!!!

 

[Chris]

I'm GM for a pest control company, we come across this issue all the time. Get your pestie to apply a residual spray, that way the insecticide isn't airborne, it is applied at a low rate & sticks to whatever it's applied to. Also get him/her to use sticky traps & gels wherever possible, if you have black ants they can put the ant gel in little plastic ant 'cafe's'. Obviously also cover up your enclosures while he's there but it'll be okay afterwards... I should know... my house glows yellow

 

[Dipcdame]

This is a great thread, and some good answers, Chris_D, would the residual spray method also apply in the case of termites????

 

[Tristan]

psht i use bug spray at home, i spray it directly on any roaches and only spray it in the air at flies in other room away from the reps, unless your spraying constantly and large amounts all the time or spraying close to your herps the risk will be minimal

 

[gillsy]

there is a paste type stuff the pest controller used for roaches here. A couple of dabs of the paste here and there has worked a treat. As most of it is behind stuff none of our pets can get to it. As for spiders just use a shoe to dispose of them

That is the best stuff, I lived in the city near a chinese resturant. Had heaps of roaches when I moved in, and wouldn't let them spray because of fish tanks. 5 mins he was in the house, did under the tanks, cupboards, balconies. Didn't see a roach for over 18 months.

 

[Chris]

This is a great thread, and some good answers, Chris_D, would the residual spray method also apply in the case of termites????

Unfortunately not, termites are treated very differently.

 

[ianinoz]

With Lizzy living in the house and free to go anywhere she pleases anytime she pleases, we don'[t need pest control or bug baits or sprays. And the loads of lizards living under my house, in my shed, and in my garden and yard keep the outside insects and spider under very good control.

Not seen a single roach inside the except a few tiny baby ones in the bathroom since Lizzy came out of brumation.

My house is off the ground and I regularly check the piers and brick wall foundations for any sign of termite intrusion. never found any. All my closest neighbours have had termites in their house and shed.

Lizzy ate lots of roaches that had eaten roach baits and been sprayed (she'd get them before I had a chance to find them once they'd died or were dying and collect them and toss them outside for the birds and outside lizards. Doesn't seem to have harmed her in anyway. I was worried about it harming her, but I guess the amount of chemical the bugs get on them or ingest is so minute that it has no effect on reptiles if they find dead or dying bugs.

 

[mysnakesau]

I'm GM for a pest control company, we come across this issue all the time. Get your pestie to apply a residual spray, that way the insecticide isn't airborne, .......

Be careful with residual insecticides, especially for lizards who are insect eaters. If insects walk across treated areas and end up finding their way into your lizards tank, you will have a very sick or dead lizard. If you have colonies of crickets, woodies, mealworms or whatever, move them well out of the way and make sure that afterwards, wild, free roaming critters cannot get into your colony. They mix with the crowd you won't know it and you could feed that to your lizard.

I lost my beautiful ridge tailed monitor from this very issue. Without asking us first, my older daughter decided to spray our house for cockroaches when we weren't home. After a couple of weeks it seemed my animals faired well. But my hyperactive ackie suddenly dropped like a fly. Straight to the vet but he died 3 days later. He had eaten a cockroach or something that either got into his tank, or into my colony of woodies and it knocked him over dead, and unfortunately no anti-dote is available for reptiles, for pesticide poisionings.

 

[Chris1]

thats so sad mysnakes, and its the reason i'll never use anything other than a shoe as cocky control.

i occasionally see a dying roach in the house and i race to get it, could surface sprays still be functional after 2.5 years? (thats how long ive been there, maybe the previous people sprayed)
i scrubbed the floor/skirtings and bottom foot of all the walls when i moved in just incase,...

 

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

Melly88,
If you do have to do pest control by spray or fumigation, you MUST cover the reptiles & any insects that you may have if you got lizards. Cover the entire enclosure with cloth, preferably heavy cloth even a thick sheet, even loose draping is good enough.
Reptiles are very susseptable to chemicals & I have actually seen a pest controller kill a wild brown snake by spraying chemical on it, it did take a while like 5 to 10 minutes from memory & a lot of spray, but it did kill it dead.

So do not take chemicals around reptiles & thier food too cheaply.
Some other suggestions like like let your beardies go loose & all that are good but if you really do have to do pest control, PLEASE take my advice.
Cheers
Ian

 

[wokka]

i thought termites, cockies and things with external skeletons could be controlled with cyton inhibitors which would not effect reptiles.

 

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

i thought termites, cockies and things with external skeletons could be controlled with cyton inhibitors which would not effect reptiles.

Hi wokka, I am not sure what you are calling cyton inhibitors?
I was for a period of time a certified pest controller & have had for many many years a commercial operators licence which is more to do with weeds than pests. YOU need a pest control operator licence to carry out pest control & when you get into termites you need a timber pest control licence which is higher & above a normal pest control licence.

I am not aware of the cyton inhibitors that you talk about. There are many different chemicals that attack insects or pests in many different ways. ONE thing I wil guarantee is that they will kill snakes & insects if used incorrectly & therefore are detrimental to your collection unless protection is used.
There are chemicals available on the market these days of many different forms & names that are considerable less damaging to say pets or reptiles, one of them is 'Frontline'.
A great effective long lasting residual chemical for spraying straight on your dog or cat or even cockatoo for flea & tick prevention. You are being ripped of by your friendly vet or pet barn (most probably the name brand company) because the amount of active constituent in that bottle of Frontline is bugger all & watered down to buggerry to enable it to be applied to animals.
I used to & still do my friends pets & yards with the same chemical but do so from commercial Quantities at a smeer fraction of the price & watered down to the same requirments & does a job treat.
You just have to watch what chemicals you use & KNOW how to use them.

An example I will give you all right now is that no one should ever have to pay a pest control person to come & spray inside your house. FACT- a can of home brand surface spray from woolies or coles is worth about $3. about 3 tins should spray your entire inside of your house around the facias, skirting boards, cracks & crevices & your undies draw if you wish.
The best thing is that it is exactly the same active constituent that the pest control person will saturate your house in, but at this time YOU are in control & spray where you wish & can even get behind that snake enclosure without covering it in chemical.
Have I said enough? or do you want more? I am easy & can give it all day as I know it, or at least I think I do.

Cheers
Ian