Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have been treating my boa for mites for about 3 weeks and she has less but still a good amount.im using de flea reptile releif by natural chemistry.i see them on the paper.but still lots on her how long will it take to get rid of them what can i do to help the process go faster it says in 3 day intervals.so besides that what can i do?

thanx for all replys ahead

josh

What you're using is NOT working. Just another bogus product that doesn't do what it claims. I recommend NO-PEST STRIP. This product releases a vapor containing the active ingredient dichlorvos which is HIGHLY effective in killing all stages of mites OVERNIGHT when you use fresh product. Many mail-order co's that sell dry-goods will have this in stock, or your local ACE hardware, Menards, etc., may still have it in stock altho it's out of season.

You'll need to cut an appropriate-sized piece from the strip with a razor blade (about 1.5"x1.5" for a 4'x2'x2' cage, or about 1"x1" for a 15 gallon tank). Put it in a deli cup with about 12-15 1/4" holes in it. Treat for about 12 hours, and repeat every 7-10 days for another 3 treatments.

Make sure there's fresh water available in a container large enough for the snake to submerge in. No dichlorvos does NOT concentrate in the water, despite popular myth.

Some of the popular sprays (Black Knight, Provent-a-mite, etc.) also work but no more effectively then No-Pest strip, IMHO.

These directions apply to most boid snakes only and may need to be modified for other snake families.

Mites are bad news (vectors for bacterial and viral disease, such as IBD). I don't subscribe to half measures when it comes to treatment.

Good luck! Scott J. Michaels DVM

I dont even cut them up anymore,my last infestation i tossed a whole one in each cage overnight.I also had them under the cages also.Then i repeat 3 days later,then 3 days later again.Then to be anal about it i put 5% sevin dust around the tops and under the enclosures and light dusting on my snakes.This has never failed me ever.

The great thing about Black Knight is that you can use it on new snakes before even bringing them into your home. Preventing mites from coming in is the trick..if you are using no pest strips it is already to late. Many years ago I used no pest strips with little luck...but now that I give all of my incoming snakes a spray of Black Knight I haven't seen a mite in several years.

It realy sounds like what you are using isn't working. There's some great information on the www.vpi.com under "The War Against Mites" link. After reading the information there, I decided to use Black Knight spray and ordered it on-line from a classified ad here on Kingsnake. Cleaned all cages completely, soaked the snakes for a couple of hours and sprayed the cages down with Black Knight (before replacing the water dishes). I lightly sprayed the snakes that weren't in shed and saw no ill effects. I repeated treatment twice within the next two weeks and haven't seen a mite since. It really does kill insects on contact- it was very handy when I needed to remove a couple wasp nests around my home.
Good luck getting rid of your snake mites!
Lora