Flea collar?

[Naja]

Okay, yesterday I visited some friends of mine who also keep boas. They had a problem with blood mites a while ago, and went to the pet store for a solution. They were sold these small cloth bags containing some mystery-treatment at 2 euros a piece ( will be about 2 dollars, don't really know about the currencies, fluctuating a lot lately ). They put a couple of those in with their snakes and voila`,after two weeks, no living mite remained. Investigative as I am, I off course needed to know what this mystery-treatment was.... Opened one of the (obviously self-sewed) cloth bags and in there was a small piece of a flea collar (yeah, the ones commonly used on cats and dogs). IS THAT A SAFE TREATMENT????

[Naja]

Because if it is.... I'll be sewing and stashing flea collars, lol ;D

[Randy_T.]

I am unfamiliar if using flea collars is dangerous, I have heard of it before and don't recall hearing any ill effects but I would ask a vet what their opinion on it is.

Let us know what you find out on the subject.

[Panama_Red]

I always have used a small peice of no pest strip in the enclosure with no ill effects, accept to the mites. I keep the stuff on hand in a ziplock, just in case. I treat all new boas with it even if no mites are seen. As far as the flea collar goes I'm sure it does work they contain pyrethrens (sp?) and if your snake can't come in contact with them they will probably be fine. I would watch prolonged exposure to them though.

[Doug]

HI,
I do know that many flea collars are different in activity and have different kinds of insectacide.
We had a couple young marines at Camp Le June try the flea collar around the leggins above the boots to repel thoses nasty biting chiggers and ticks we have in the woods around there. Believe me once you've had chiggers you'll do anything to prevent them. ::) ::)..
They both developed abnormal liver enzymes from exposure to the insectaside in their leggings.. After a few days de-collared :(they returned to normal.
So I would only use the piece of collar for the short term and bag them collars and remove them from the room.
I don't use them on my dogs now cause my children may come in contact with the animals... This may have been one type of collar thats toxic to humans....
Gezze
doug

[Naja]

Thanks for your responses so far! I won't start using them yet, see what more I can find out first, especially after that note you made Doug, about different kinds of insectacides on the collars, good point there. I will keep you guys posted on what I find out, please do the same!