Reptile & Amphibian Forums

since I found that my ball python had mites, I completely cleaned out his cage (filled the tank with water plus a little dish soad and tiny bit of bleach...I rinsed it out a ton, and then I cleaned it with 'reptile relief' spray also). I got rid of the bedding and everything else. I have him on paper towels with cardboard hides.

I soaked the snake in warm water for a while, which drowned some of the mites, but not all of them (I could see some still hiding under his scales), so I dried him off and sprayed him down with 'reptile relief'. Now I looked in his cage and could see a few mites crawling on him, as well as some in his cage, and I was wondering...is reptile relief supposed to work fairly quickly, or is it more of a slow death type of thing? Am I going to have to try again in a couple of days?

thats all i use and never have a problem. say i notice mites on tuesday. ill clean then and ahain on thurs and ill check again friday and sat to make sure. i havnt had a mite problem in a LONG time. i heard of people using olive oil too.
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1.0 Leucistic rat
0.1 Norm Ball Python
1.0 Pastel Ball Python
0.1 Norm RTB
1.1 Anery 66% het stripped snow RTB

Reptile relief only works on what it comes in cotanct with when wet. Once it touches the mite it will start to eat away at it's exoskeleton and the mite dies - takes a minute or two. If the mite does not come in contact with the RR - it will not be killed. Once the RR is dried or rinsed off it is no longer working - that is why you need the PAM so that you have something that keeps on working after the initial treatment. Also I don't think the RR kills eggs. In other words RR works great for immediate relief to yur snakes but for a long term solution it should be followed up with PAM.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.42.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizard of unknown origin

PAM?

Who will ship prevent-a-mite to new york? On lllreptile.com it said they wouldn't ship it to new york state.

I use the reptile relief and I have also been using NIX lice treatment for years. I usually use the reptile relief at shows and when I run out of NIX. Here is how you do the NIX mixture, Use 2-3 drops of NIX in a large spray Bottle mixed with WATER. The reason I like NIX is it kills for days and the EGGS. I spray the outside of all my cages if I find out I have just 1 mite. The only bad thing is you have to be careful using the NIX on baby snakes it could kill them to. I usually make sure all of the snakes that I am gonna treat have had a drink of water before I treat them with the NIX, I also remove the Water dish while I am spraying the snake and cage. So if nothing else works on Mites then I would say get a bottle of NIX and a spray bottle and mix you up a batch, Remember 2-3 drops per 24-32 Oz of water. These are just my ways to mix it, you can mix it stronger or weaker if you would like. Hope that helps. Thanks David

I can't use PAM. It's really not safe for anyone with asthma. I have used NIX and it works great. I use it in a stronger solution than stated in the previous post. 1/2 to 1 ounce mixed in a 64 ounce bottle. After cleaning out the cage/box, putting down clean paper towels, I mist the box or cage with this solution. Repeat daily or every other day, as needed.
Also, when you soak your snake, do it in two steps. The first 30-45 minutes I use just plain water. I have seen the snake drink some of the water but this usually occurs right after placing them in the tub/box. After 30-45 minutes, I add some more warm water with a small amount of dish soap. This will break the air bubbles under the scales where there are more mites and eggs. When I remove the snake after soaking, I have them slide through a sponge that is sprayed with the NIX solution. Basically wiping off any remaining mites.

Just a comment about this treatment. It has become part of my standard quarantine for ALL incoming snakes. It's much easier to treat everything coming in then trying to eradicate mites after an outbreak.

That's kool, I used the lower dose on kingsnake.com as to not kill anyones snakes. Because it is a poison and if someone don't know how to use it right it COULD cause death to the snake. However it usually just kills the mites and ticks I would rather not overdose anyone elses snake. I use higher doses on snakes that are more infected with mites then I would if I only saw one or 2 mites. I also get snakes from shows that are covered in them sometimes but I treat them on the spot. The snake is sprayed down with NIX at the show and then again when I get home. I prefer NIX over anything else it seems to work really good. Thanks david

is spraying everything down with a dilute solution of ivermectin. You can buy ivermectin paste for about 7 dollars for enough to last you your entire life at any decent feed supply store (usually in the livestock treatment area). Dilute 1 cc into about a quart of water and spray down everything. Ivermectin will continue to kill mites, ticks, and pretty much any insect or external parasite it comes into contact with for about a week. Therefore, if you spray down two times in a week, your problem is solved and doesn't come back. This is also the method you would see recommended in the ball python manual, etc...

good luck
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