Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just found dark, little, round bugs on my blood. Are these mites? Any info on treating this parasite and how we got this parasite would be great.

Thank you.

Mites can be extremely hard to get rid of. Other people will probably chime in but I have never used any of the chemicals they sell to get rid of mites. I had a bad infestation about four years ago and it took a couple months to be completely mite free. First, you need to throw everything in the cage away that is disposable, like bedding, moss, etc. Then sanitize the cage itself and any furniture with soap and hot water. Again, some of the over the counter mite killers might work better. If you have any potted plants get rid of them. Mite eggs are really hardy and will survive extreme temps. If you have any wood, bake it in the oven at between 100-150 degrees for an hour, that is supposed to kill any of the remaining mites and eggs. Then wash the snake in 80 degee water. Remember 80 degree water will feel cool to your hand, do it in a bath tub or large sink so you can see that you've gotten most of them. I then put the snake on newspaper for a couple weeks, washing the snake every day, with just water, until the mites were gone. Then I set her cage back up. Good luck, Eric-

Use Provent-A-Mite you can get it from beanfarm.com and some other places. Its a little expensive but it works wonders. I had a bad infestation creep up on me awhile back and after two treatments its been completely gone! Just spray it in their cage and let it dry. Then again ten days later. Its supposed to be used once a month to prevent recurrances, but I will leave that up to you.
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"It's my snake, I trained it, so I'm going to eat it!" - Mad Max, The Road Warrior

Hey,
Scrub out any of the items in the cage with a good hot water and soap bath and good old muscle. You can even apply a bleach bath to the items that you plan on reusing such as water bowls. Other cage items such as logs or any other wooden materials can be washed and either baked or sprayed with Provent. I use it and swear by it. It just works! Follow directions carefully. (Not that difficult). Also, as an quick and easy fix for treating the snake directly, I like to soak the snake in a good soapy warm water bath. I use a large sweater box, depending on the size of the blood etc., and add a few drops of dish detergent till the water bubbles up. You can soak the snake for about 6 hours or even over night, so long as the tub is kept in a warm place. I swear by the soapy water treatment and have used it for years. It also, just works! Repeat as necessary. The surfactants in the soap reduce the (reduce surface tension) oxygen levels in the water causing the mites to suffocate. Spray news paper with the Provent and allow to dry for a few minutes before placing into the cage. Place the snake back into the cage and that's it. Repeat in 2 weeks if mites are noticed. I prefer to scrub all items and any and all corners of the rack and cages thoroughly with a good brush and hot water, prior to replacing any herps in to the system again. Barker's have a great paper on treating mites on their site. I have used No Pest Strip for years, and use it only if absolutely necessary, but with extreme caution as there are some animals that are highly sensitive to the vapors. Find out more about NPS, but try the soap and Provent. It's the safest avenue.
-Angel

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In life you can fall many times, but you're only a failure, if you don't try to get back up!
Evil Canevil

I just wanted to thank everybody for the advice and information. Hopefully we will be able to get rid of these mites and live happily ever after!

That sucks about the mites Dan, hope you can get rid of those nasty little guys. I'd love to see a recent pic of that male, if possible.

Hey that sucks. I just recently found mites on my blood too. I was trying to find a way to remove them without using chemicals, so I looked around on the internet and found lots of people recommending predatory mites called Hypoaspis sp. These mites feed on other mites but not on animals. The will clean off everything in your cage including your snake and when the food supply is gone they die off. Supposed to be very effective and also safe for your snake - no chemicals. Check it out. Good luck.