Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, I posted a little while back about thinking that I have mites.... I now know for sure that I do. I've heard about Prevent-a-mite and how good that is, so I was thinking that I'd use it. Does anyone know where I can get it? At like Petco or something??? I really want to fix this problem fast and without losing any of my precious pets. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-Drako

I've always used olive oil for mites. Just give the snake a rub down and those suckers will come right off. After the rub down just wet a cloth and let the snake crawl through in in your hand to get all the excess oil off. Then repeat the cloth process with a dry one. About cleaning the cage. I aways rinsed out the cage really good with soap and water then I filled it full of boiling water let it set about 5 minutes and you should have no problem. Hope I could help.

First, bathe the snake with some nice warm soapy water. Next dry and extra virgin olive oil the snake completely with a nice coat of oil. Third, bleech the tank and clean the entire thing out thoroughly. Use papertowl for substrate so you can keep track of mites on the snake and so they don't just hop off the snake and into your substrate for a while. Lather, Rinse, Repeat, always repeat... lol

I have had good success with Provent-a-Mite. I ordered mine from Big Apple Herpetological, but I just notice it is at Classic Dums for the same price but including shipping. I will be getting my next cans there. They are $20/can.
I have not used olive oil but have heard of success with that also.
Just please do not use mineral oil...I have had MAJOR problems with it.
And dont stress too much...mites are not good but they are not life threatening until they are very heavily infested. Pretty much all they are is stressful to the snake, which can cause them to not eat or something. They can get to the point of sucking too much blood from the host, but you shouldnt have to worry about that for awhile. If you just noticed for sure that you have them you have plenty of time. Just get started treating asap.
Baths can help loosen many and drown them if you'd like to begin treatment while waiting for the mite spray to come, if you decide to use it.
Good luck,
Nicole
Coal's Constrictors
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Nicole Gustafson
Coal's Constrictors (formerly Coal's Cold-Blooded Creations - changed to simplify and there is another 'Cold Blooded Creations'...I'm not trying to hide from anyone or anything!
Cook Minnesota

BOAS:
Gavin, Lydia, Hailee, and Jade ~ Dumeril's
Wyatt, Sheena, Shaylee, and Mary Jane ~ Columbian
Desdemona ~ Peruvian
Madeline ~ Surinam
Avery ~ Bolivian

CORNS:
Kiana and Sierra ~ Amel
Casper and Kissa ~ Anery
Tripp and Scarlet ~ Bloodred
Aidan ~ Ghost
Skylar ~ Anery Hurricane
Ariel ~ Striped Amel
Lily ~ Blizzard
Ambur ~ Creamsicle
Neva ~ Snow
Sage ~ Normal

BEARDED DRAGONS:
Divine ~ Silver Pastel
Christopher ~ Sandfire Red x Sandfire Yellow
Baby ~ Snow

CAT:
Morgan ~ Calico Tabby

DOGS:
Maximillion Vasco von Katzel and Len-Mar-'s Lexed Leas ~ AKC German Shepherds

HORSES:
Mateo ~ Palomino Paint Quarter Gelding
Chic ~ 3/4 Quarter 1/4 Arabian Bay Mare
Rayna ~ 7/8 Quarter 1/8 Arabian Palomino Filly
Dallas ~ Palomino Quarter Gelding
Banner ~ Red Dun Quarter Mare
Chance ~ Buckskin Dun Quarter Stud Colt

I think if you have so many mites to the point of having to worry if your snake is losing blood.....your snake should already be dead. I had an adult circleback red-tail boa that died because of mites. We also thought that mites were just "parasites". But we now view them as killers.

The mites can get into the eyes, ears, nostrils, vent and mouth of a snake causing things like respiratory infection, reduced breathing abilities, vent scarring to the extent of them not being able to defecate properly, eye scarring resulting in reduce vision, and ultimately death. Mites cause traumatic and serious damage. i say traumatic because the irritation the snakes endure for so long can cause mental problems. no lie!

It's called stargazing and our late boa had this condition. They begin to, literally, go insane and they just stare, upwards toward the sky. If they are stargazing, you will recognize it! It really freaked us out, it's like they are possesed! some people say that a snake can recover from it, i tend to disagree. Even if you erradicate the mites from your collection, the snake (in our experience) will stay mentally scared for life.

Coal stated that mites aren't dangerous in small amounts. Well, the thing we learned is if you can see them, there are too many. there isn't such a thing as a small amount of mites. Once they arrive, their populations explode. Especially if you have your snakes in a breeding rack setup.

We use black knight spray on our adults. the hatchlings, we house in smaller containers and they are easy to clean and bathe. Just some advice that was handed down to me though.... olive oil can cause shedding problems. what we do is bake any thing bakeable, bleach anything bleachable, black knight anything black knightable, and bathe the snakes. you can use betadine in the water when you bathe the snakes to help their scars and cuts to heal. Put enough betadine in to make the bath a tea color. but if you do use betadine, bathe them in regular water first so as they can get a drink and defecate if they want. Mites are drownable, thats what the bath is for, just fyi.

Thats about all i wanted to say. and I really feel strongly about this subject because, well, the red-tail we lost was the first snake we had ever gotten. he got a respiratory infection and passed away on us. He just got weaker and weaker, and we found him dead in his water bowl when we got home one day; he was soaking, trying to get the mites to drown. we found probably 3-4 tablespoons worth of mites that he finally got to come off, more than likely from his nose and ears, where we couldn't get to them. unfortunate, truly unfortunate.....

:``(

Thanks for reading, WES
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"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives."--Sue Murphy

WES SPINKS
E-Mail Me
Spinks Snake Site

I would definitely go for something like provent-a-mite or black knight if you want to get rid of them quick. Home remedies can work but it's easier to 'miss a spot' and get reinfested using them.

Though, I got a ball python that had mites back in June and they're gone now (haven't seen any for a month) I sprayed the cage with Equate bedding spray from walmart (for lice), let it air out, and put the snake back in. I was told it has the same active ingredient as provent-a-mite (permethrin). It cost less than $4. But it was only one snake infested and that one was kept in a seperate room since I got it. If there were more infested I think I would have gotten 'name brand' sort of thing.

Oh, and I heard that 'Reptile Relief' works OK too.
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-audri
Webpage/Pics

If you have to treat multiple enclosures and prevent reinfestation this is the best method possible.Go out and buy a no-pest strip.Using gloves cut the no-pest strip into pieces that will fit into film cases that you have preferated with holes.Remove all substrate and water dishes from enclosures and wash the tanks out with a good dose of bleach and water.Make sure the tank is dry and put the snake and film canister back in for a week.That will get them off the snake.Now we have to get rid of all the ones hiding outside your enclosures.I get what's called sevin dust and sprinkle it under,along the top of the tank and lid and around the cages.You can buy this stuff at any garden shop and will kill any mites comming back for a snack.It is also harmless to humans so dont worry about using it.After a week clean your mess up and rewash the enclosures well.Take out the film canisters and put them in sealable freezer baggies just in case you need them again.I always give a second treatment 3 days later with the canisters just to be sure.Keeping a little sevin dust under the enclosure is a good idea also.I work partime at a very large petstore called superpets in my town.I have noticed that some shipments of rodents and reptiles come in the same truck.I have seen snake mites on these rodents.If you can always feed frozen to your snakes....Good Luck...Paul....ps,If you have tarantula's or bearded dragons,or frilled dragons dont let them near the no-pest strips.It will kill them off in a hurry.

Don't use the No-Pest strips with hatchlings. It will cause brain damage and eventually kill them. Use only in a well ventilated area for the benefit of younger snakes as well.

D80

That's one i didnt know.Thanks.Always learning...Paul

No problem, I help when I can. I had a buddy learn this one the hard way. I also believe there is something in the Manual about it as well.

D80