Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have 2 baby corn snakes who keep getting mites and everytime they get them i clean the cage really well and i sterilize all items in the cage and i spray the snakes with a mite killer but after awhile the mites return and i have to deal with it again. why do they keep coming back? how can i stop them?
i am feeding them frozen pinkies so they arent getting them from there. any tips are appreciated

>>i have 2 baby corn snakes who keep getting mites and everytime they get them i clean the cage really well and i sterilize all items in the cage and i spray the snakes with a mite killer but after awhile the mites return and i have to deal with it again. why do they keep coming back? how can i stop them?
>>i am feeding them frozen pinkies so they arent getting them from there. any tips are appreciated

Some questions first.Are there any other snakes in the same room?In the house?Do you store your substrate close to there cage?Are they both in the same cage?Does the place you buy your subtrate keep them near there reptiles?What kind of mite spray are you using?Do you spray in under cage,under any lips in the cage,screen?Have you sprayed it around the whole area you keep your snakes?
Mites are hell on legs.They can spread out 10 to 15 feet away and lay eggs that come back to haunt you.
What I have done and has never harmed a corn or any snake.In the garden part of your local walmart they have what's called sevindust.It's 7 dollars a can and can treat hundreds of snakes.
What I do is first put the snakes in an escape proof container and dust them lightly.I then take everything outside and blast it with a waterhose.Dry,then sprinkle some sevin under a newspaper(1 sheet and the only thing that should be in your cage)and I also apply it under the cage on any top edges,screens,and lightly dust the surroundings,carpet etc.
Rinse snakes off and put them in.Any mite comming or going will die in there tracks.After 3 days clean the cage out and give your snakes access to water.Then I reapply the sevin to the top,under,and around the cage for a week.This will keep anything thats going to hatch in a bad/dead mood.lol.If everything looks great for couple of weeks and no mites clean up powder.It is harmless to humans/animals.I may catch flack for this advice but it has always worked 100% for me and it's never killed any snake Ive treated or owned.
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If lead paint is so deadly why do they make it so delicious?

I once had a collection consisting of about 80 adult snakes (along with babies and yearlings) and I've successfully eradicated mites. I have not had mites in several years. To rid them, I implemented the following process:

1) Keep the snakes in relatively sterile conditions - housed in a plastic shoebox with newspaper substrate, a water dish and a plastic hidebox.

2) Treat the snakes with Nix headlice treatment. To do this get a damp (with water) paper towel and put some Nix on it. Then coat the snake with the dilluted solution by letting the reptile crawl through the paper towel. Avoid getting the solution in the snake's eyes and mouth. Apply the Nix/water quickly - in less than a minute - then THOROUGHLY rinse the snake with water (Nix is poison).

3) Use Provent A Mite as directed to treat the snake's enclosure.

4) Repeat this process twice at three day intervals.

The method outlined above has worked very well for me.

Tim

Third Eye

What do snake mites look like? I've recently seen tiny little yellowy things floating in the water dish. I've inspected my snake very closely and they arent on her anywhere.
They're really really tiny but are they actual mites? I have no other snakes and nothing new has been introduced in months and months other than her FT mice obviously.

>>What do snake mites look like? I've recently seen tiny little yellowy things floating in the water dish. I've inspected my snake very closely and they arent on her anywhere.
>>They're really really tiny but are they actual mites? I have no other snakes and nothing new has been introduced in months and months other than her FT mice obviously.

Young mites are white,larger blood filled are brown to black.Back in the older days I used only white waterbowls.It would make spotting them easier.Everything 10 to 20 years ago was wild caught and parasite infected, it isnt as common now but I still go over everything with a fine tooth comb and wait a good month before I add them to the rest of my collection.
This time of year(cold) I get all kinds of creepy crawlys sneaking in and some make there way to my snakes waterbowls.
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If lead paint is so deadly why do they make it so delicious?

Are you using jungle earth or repti-bark? I heard that if there is any dampness/humidity with that substance, that mite eggs naturally in there can hatch. So, if you are replacing it with fresh, eventually more will hatch.