Mites stink!

Yes, they can come from Mice. They can also come from other pets, substrate, wood, and many other things that can be in your snakes cage or close to it.

I don't have experience with the product you purchased. I have used Provent-A-Mite successfully before, but don't like it too much.

Want a simple home remedy?

I suppose this is a baby or yearling, right?

Have a deli cup, like the ones they are sometimes shipped in?

Ok, fill that just below the airholes on the sides with room temperature water. Take your finger and rub it across the top of the dishsoap bottle or similar, then rub your fingers in that water to get a very mild, very faint soapyness. I'm talking where you can barely see any bubbles or realize there is soap in that water.

Set him in there and let him soak. Again, considering this deli cup was used for snakes, it probably has several air holes on the sides, more towards the top. As long as the water is below that level, he can breath - he should have more than enough room to comfortably position himself where he'll probably just have his head sticking up and out of the water.

I sometimes place them like this back in the cage/drawer with a note, or leave it slightly open for more air.

Well, I suggest leaving him there overnight... probably a good 24 hours or even longer. If he soils the water, replace it.
I sometimes go 48 hours. During this time, his cage and other stuff is disinfected, and since it's empty, mites will die and not return there.


The secret is the soap.
Mites hide under the scales of snakes. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you can't get those little boogers hanging out in there, under their little caves complete with their own life sustaining air pocket. Even a normal soak won't get those, atleast not in the first day or so. The soap actually coats the skin, the scales, and doeasn't allow that airpocket. Coats the mites too and suffocates them. You should see lots of dead ones on the bottom of the deli cup, but not right away, most likely you'll see most of them after the first half or full day.



After you're done and return the snake to the cage, don't fill the cage with its usual substrate and decor for the first day or two, simply use some white papertowels or something similar, so you can clearly see if there are any left, or if any return, and you don't have to go through so much trouble if they do.
If you do this right, I doubt they will...



Chemicals are expensive and harmful... i'll use them only if I have to.


Best Wishes, Bci Joe
-----
Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

[ Show Entire Thread ]