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How do snakes get mites? Do they just appear one day, or what? I keep my tanks clean, the snakes get handled on a regular basis, I don't really ever take them outside, and I don't put new ones in with the ones that have been here. I was wondering how they end up with mites. It sounds like a pretty scary thing and I don't want it to happen to mine. I am fairly new at this, and just trying to learn whatever I can. I know my question is probably stupid, but I would really like to know this.
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SpardaWolf
1.0 okeetee-Sparda
1.0 pastel motley-Peeper
0.1 anerythristic-Piper
1.0 reverse okeetee-Stripe
1.0 ball python-Cobra

If your doin all that stuff your doin pretty well.If you give your snake live mice they could be on that thats why its a good idea to give them frozen mice. Also if you have a cat or dog those might carry them in.

i think we got ours because we keep our summer cages in the garage. we also breed mice and rats.... so thats the only way i can think of other than brining in an infested specimen to the collection.

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

My very first snake, my ball python, came home with a new tank, new shavings, new real wood half-log and the mites to go with it...

bathing, olive oil, paper towel substrate and some anti-mite smelly stuff in a car (used sparingly and barly at all) cured the problem quickly and with little effect on the snake..

good luck,

I've kept snakes for 10 years and been breeding them for 8. I never had a problem until this year. They came in with a baby ball python. I checked her, had her slither through my hands, checked my hands, quarantined her for a week. No mites, no sign of mites, and then bam! Mites on her, mites in my rack, and they spread. I thought I had them beat 2x and then finally I got them. They can be hell to get rid of. Especially for someone like myself that has asthma. I can't use certain sprays because they'll induce an asthma attack. I did find that soaking the snakes in soapy water for 6 hours killed the ones on them. Next I soaked them in water with Nix,1-2 hrs. Nix is the stuff you can get at the local drug store for head lice, crabs, etc. I also mixed an ounce of the liquid Nix soap into a quart of water. I sprayed down my rack and all the boxes. then every other day I would spray some of that mix on a rag and have each snake slide and slither through it. I did that for one week. That worked best for me. Just one word of caution, do not soak a snake that is in the blue. During their shed cycle they go through a process of absorbing moisture. This is that time, a day or so before they shed, that their eyes are suddenly not blue, they have cleared up. They can absorb too much of the treatment and die. I unfortunately read about this after the fact.
Best of luck
John Q

I'm in no way questioning your experience but 6hrs of soaking a snake?!!

My snakes dislike water, I can't imagine making them suffer for 6hrs (would be 6 straight hrs of thrashing around) then expect them to eat in the next 12 months due to stress...

a quick cleaning, tank bleeching, olive oil thoroughly and paper towel substrate is all you need... rinse, repeat, always repeat

whatever works for ya though...

How does olive oil kill the mite eggs outside the enclosure?

It doesn't. You need to thoroughly bleach and disinfect everything in the cage to hope to get rid of them. Soaking, oil, etc., will only kill the mites on the snake itself.
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-audri
Webpage/Pics

I wont oil my snakes.20 years ago when eveything was WC ticks and mites were on everything i purchased.I wrote what i have used for the last 15 years a few questions down from this.Im so paraniod about mites that a keep my new future projects at my buds house for 2 months before i even bring them home.I also work partime at a superpet's here in my town.I keep my work clothes in a garbage bag outside in my garage and wash them at the laundrymat.Prevention is the best cure....Paul...

Extra Virgin olive oil, if used conservatively can help a snake finish a shed gone wrong. I've also found for the little one's that placing them in a small container with warm/moist paper towel will finish the shed, I did that a few days ago for my hatchling anery A. Worked great

Extra Virgin olive oil, if used conservatively can help a snake finish a shed gone wrong. I've also found for the little one's that placing them in a small container with warm/moist paper towel will finish the shed, I did that a few days ago for my hatchling anery A. Worked great

I was kind of worried. Now I feel alot better. Oh yeah, I never feed live so they won't come in that way.
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SpardaWolf
1.0 okeetee-Sparda
1.0 pastel motley-Peeper
0.1 anerythristic-Piper
1.0 reverse okeetee-Stripe
1.0 ball python-Cobra