Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got back from a four day trip to the beach last night. I found mites all over my yeearling Colombian male. I went to the local pet shop looking for Prevent-A-Mite, but all that they had was Zoo Med's "Mite Off". I Put him in a rubbermaid, sprayed him thoroughly, let him sit, added water and let him soak for a while. I set up a different cage for him which I cleaned out and sprayed with Mite Off. I put paper towels in for substrate, a bowl of water and a new hide. It is about 90 in the cage, and I have been changing the water everytime I walk by the cage and seee mites in it. He still has mites crawling around on him, although there were a lot in the rubbermaid I put him in and have been a lot in his water.
I want to make sure that I have done everything I can.
I also am wondering where these things come from, my ball pythons did not get them, and I havent gotten any new animals, and he didnt have them when i left for my trip. Can they come from mice?

Thanks A Lot
Sorry for the long post

yes they can come from mice, thats why it's a good idea to feed your snake frozen/thawed mice.

i would use prevent-a-mite a few times on the cage that had the mites before u use it again. once should be enouch but its better to be safe than sorry.

good luck
steve

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
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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

Yes the come in on mice. After I had them (from live mice) I switched everybody to f/t and that's that. I did it because of the mites but wow it is SO much better than frozen in a dozen other ways too, but that's another story for another post.

Read this on mites (all three parts):
http://www.vpi.com/9VPITipsAndTechs/thewaragainstsnakemites/Mites-KnowTheEnemy.htm

...and this:
http://www.anapsid.org/mites.html

There a few ways to go once you have them.

One is Provent-a-mite and it's the least hassle because it continues killing mites in the cage but you can't use it on the snake. Read about it here:
http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html

One is reptile relief which you have to use every three days on them, the cages, etc. but you can spray it directly on the snake (follow directions) because it's non-toxic when used as directed. Read about it here:
http://www.naturalchemistry.com/Pet/StorePlus/Store/viewConsumerItems.asp?idProduct=65

You can get both products on eBay too, sometimes cheaper, and also at most large corporate pet stores, or smaller pet stores that sell reptiles, and of course online, just google it.

I have used the soapy water method (Ivory Liquid for dishes, and not much, see the VPI sheet). This works pretty great for getting them out of the crevices of the snake like the folds on the chin, by decreasing the surface tension of the water. Mites can't swim either.

Speaking of mites not being able to swim, I know a guy who had a LOT of snakes, to keep his others from becoming infested he put a tupperware tub with the snake with mites in the bathtub on blocks with water around the tupperware like a moat. Because mites can't swim this effectively kept him from having them in all of his cages. However by the time you have read this it's maybe too late because these nasty little varmints will be in any other cages you have with snakes in no time. They can walk 12 feet an hour, and they are attracted by the smell of snakes. They also have 3 larval stages (besides the adult stage and the egg), which is why they aren't gone until you don't see them for a full month of treatment.

I read that "Mite Off" only treats the animal not the cages or the room. So, that means a bleach solution on the cages and rinse thoroughly every three days along with treating the snake, and the whole process repeated for 1 month after the last mite is seen. Wash all the plastic stuff well (hides, bowl etc) and throw away (yep that's right) anything in the cages that is wood or porous because mites can hide in the tiniest places. Vacuum the whole room after each time you wash the cages which must be done every 3 days with Mite Off just like withReptile Relief. If you have other snakes you also have to do their cages too, and use the product on them, same as reptile relief too because these spread like wildfire.

I don't recommend the other methods. In the 80s the old school way we used was SHELL no-pest strips, or Vapona strips and I never had a problem, but it's a fly poison, so don't use that because both these newer products are way better. What I do recommend is using Reptile Relief combined with a few soapy baths at first, and using Provent-a-mite on the cages. Until you can get those two products use what you have and keep washing those cages every 3 days.

Whatever you do you're not done until a month passes and you haven't seen any. If you see any, the month starts again.

Good Luck!
Caden