Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My snakes have mites, it is as many of you know the most annoying thing ever. They got in while I was working for someone who has about 3000 snakes and I have been slowly eradicating them ever since. Over the time that they have been in my collection, I have noticed something. Albino Ball Pythons get them the worst. I have a juvenile female albino in with a juvenile female ghost. Often times I will find several adults or babies on the albino, and not one will be present on the ghost. I know it is easier to see them on the albino and all that, but I have literally spent 15 minutes combing over the ghost and not been able to find one. I also have a juvenile male albino in with a juvenile het albino, and the same situation occurs. I have seen albino burmese pythons living with normal burmese pythons in the same situation. I have a snow boa living in the space next to me reticulated python, the retic has no mites, the snow boa does.

It is no secret that albino scales are soft and easier to damage.
It makes sense that mites would prefer their easy to get through skin.

I have a theory that I plan to try out.

My male albino will only eat mice, so, every week, I am going to give his mice carrots to eat for a couple days before I feed them to him. My theory is that over time the extra beta-keratin will thicken his scales, and hopefully the mites will not be as able to get through.

Also, there is the possibility of it actually enhancing his yellow.

I am curious what you all think, if it will have any affect, or if it is just a waste of time.
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Ball Pythons:
1.2 Normal
1.2 Pastel
0.1 Black Pastel
2.0 Het Orange Ghost
0.1 Orange Ghost
1.1 Mojave
1.2 Spider
1.1 Albino
0.1 Het Albino
1.0 Piebald
0.1 Double het, Albino Pied
Other:
0.1 Irian Jaya x Jungle Carpet python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Tiger Retic
1.1 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
3.3 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 American Alligator
1.0 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Argus Monitor
1.0 Chinese Water Dragon
0.1 Brown Basilisk
1.2 Crested Gecko
0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
1.1 Sugar Gliders
1.1 Puppies

They seem to like my boas over my balls. when I had them in the past my boas will have way more than my balls and they are all in the same room. I also think they show up much better the lighter the snake.

Why not just give the mice beta carotene shots before feeding or put it in the animals water? Just ideas . . . .
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1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 orange ghost mojave
1.0 Yellow Belly
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Green Hypo
1.0 Spider Het B Hypo
0.1 orange ghost mojave
0.1 Green Hypo
0.1 mojave
0.5 Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.1 Bell Jungle
0.6 normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 black back
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
1.0 posslble salmon boa
0.1 BCI 8.5 ft x m
1.0 snow corn
0.1 amel corn (did not prove out of 14 eggs 2b het anery)
0.1 amel corn
0.1 ghost motley corn
1.0 love line (creamcicle?) okatee
0.1 love line okatee
1.0 albino vanishing pattern nelsons
2.0 Het albino vanishing pattern nelsons
0.1 blue tail monitor (adult male wanted)
2.0 Reed frogs
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

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Brian
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I thought about both of those. The things is, the mouse will absorb the vitamin better if it is from a natural source, also, I am quite sure that getting liquid beta-keratin is more expensive than a carrot. As far as the water idea goes, my snakes don't do a ton of drinking, and soaking is random. Doing it by feeding carrots to the mouse is easy, and the best way to get the vitamin into the mouse, and the easiest way for me to make sure the snake is getting the vitamin each week. I really hate mice anyways, the last thing I want to do is deal with giving them shots.
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Ball Pythons:
1.2 Normal
1.2 Pastel
0.1 Black Pastel
2.0 Het Orange Ghost
0.1 Orange Ghost
1.1 Mojave
1.2 Spider
1.1 Albino
0.1 Het Albino
1.0 Piebald
0.1 Double het, Albino Pied
Other:
0.1 Irian Jaya x Jungle Carpet python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Tiger Retic
1.1 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
3.3 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 American Alligator
1.0 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Argus Monitor
1.0 Chinese Water Dragon
0.1 Brown Basilisk
1.2 Crested Gecko
0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
1.1 Sugar Gliders
1.1 Puppies

Why don't you just get rid of the mites.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

Herp Medicine does not equal a bottle of Baytril - Dr. Scott Stahl

I am getting rid of the mites, but it is never an immediate eradication, it takes a while.

I am more curious to see if there is a change in the texture/thickness/color of his scales.
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Ball Pythons:
1.2 Normal
1.2 Pastel
0.1 Black Pastel
2.0 Het Orange Ghost
0.1 Orange Ghost
1.1 Mojave
1.2 Spider
1.1 Albino
0.1 Het Albino
1.0 Piebald
0.1 Double het, Albino Pied
Other:
0.1 Irian Jaya x Jungle Carpet python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Tiger Retic
1.1 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
3.3 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 American Alligator
1.0 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Argus Monitor
1.0 Chinese Water Dragon
0.1 Brown Basilisk
1.2 Crested Gecko
0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
1.1 Sugar Gliders
1.1 Puppies

It is indeed a waste of time, and a moot point. Mites don't feed on scales, or through scales. They feed on the skin flesh points between the scales. You could coat the scales in Adamantium and you would still have fat and happy mites.

Balls scales can be pretty deep, making it tougher to see the embedded mites, as compared to some other snakes. Scales are even deeper on Blood pythons...
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

I was more of thinking that thicker scales would be a bit harder for the mites to get in between. Obviously I am not looking for a way of magically making mites disappear, but if I knew of something that helped detour them from swarming albino snakes, it wouldn't hurt in the eradication process.

Surely if it did have any effect on the scales, it would not effect young mites and their ability to get in and feed, but if it makes it harder for the adults, than that would be cool.

Also, lets just pretend for a minute that I had never mentions mites. I still want to know if adding extra beta-keratin to the diet effects their scales in any way, just out of curiosity.
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Ball Pythons:
1.2 Normal
1.2 Pastel
0.1 Black Pastel
2.0 Het Orange Ghost
0.1 Orange Ghost
1.1 Mojave
1.2 Spider
1.1 Albino
0.1 Het Albino
1.0 Piebald
0.1 Double het, Albino Pied
Other:
0.1 Irian Jaya x Jungle Carpet python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Tiger Retic
1.1 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
3.3 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 American Alligator
1.0 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Argus Monitor
1.0 Chinese Water Dragon
0.1 Brown Basilisk
1.2 Crested Gecko
0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
1.1 Sugar Gliders
1.1 Puppies

i would stop trying to make thicker/harder scales and focus of getting rid of the mites. the longer they are on the snake the more the snake is stressed out.

quickest way in my opinion is invermectin diluted in water and spray everything...water, snake, hide, tub, floor, walls....everything

you will be gone of mites within a month.

and if you have breeder rats introduce some invermectin to their water supply so that the feeders can get it in their system. when you feed the snakes it will get in the snakes system thus helping to kill any mites that try to suck on the snake.

Pitoon

Thanks but I am really not looking for suggestions on how to get rid of mites. I haven't actually seen any mites on any of my snakes in the last week, but I am still treating them all the same.

As I said before, forget about the mites. They are unimportant, and being taken care of. I am just curious if people think extra beta-keratin will effect the snakes scales at all. That is it. I really, really regret ever posting anything about the mites. It was just a side thought that if albinos had thicker scales, mites might have a harder time getting to their skin. That is all.
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Ball Pythons:
1.2 Normal
1.2 Pastel
0.1 Black Pastel
2.0 Het Orange Ghost
0.1 Orange Ghost
1.1 Mojave
1.2 Spider
1.1 Albino
0.1 Het Albino
1.0 Piebald
0.1 Double het, Albino Pied
Other:
0.1 Irian Jaya x Jungle Carpet python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Tiger Retic
1.1 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
3.3 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 American Alligator
1.0 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Argus Monitor
1.0 Chinese Water Dragon
0.1 Brown Basilisk
1.2 Crested Gecko
0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
1.1 Sugar Gliders
1.1 Puppies

Your idea is an interesting one and a nice little experiment that I can definitely appreciate. But the concern here is to eradicate mites from your collection because over time you may experience more problems from the mites, like respiratory infections that will make managing your collection difficult when that spreads around. What method are you using to attack the mite problem? Have you tried Provent-a-mite? Using this product is quite fast, safe and easy when used as directed.

Susan
SSNAKES

You do bring up some interesting questions. Hopefully it really is too late in the mite cycle to answer them.

1. Are there really more mites on the albinos for some reason or is it just that you can see them better?

Maybe you could develop a more scientific test like wiping down similar age species and caged albinos and non down weekly with a white cloth and counting the mites on the cloth rather than on the snake.

If there are more on the albinos does it have to do with:

a. The texture of the albino skin?

b. The color of the albino skin?

Some insects are more attracted to certain colors than others for no doubt good and interesting reasons. It would be hard to prove which but maybe you could develop colored mite traps to test the color theory.

2. If 1a above are both true could it be changed by diet?

BUT it's hard to get past the seriousness of the mites. Years ago when I raised boas and Burmese pythons I got mites in with an order somewhere and they where hard to get rid of. I ended up doing it with the dilute Ivomectin spray, 7 dust, and the pest strips. Given what I've heard now about boas and IBD (that they can live for years with it and it’s prevalent in boa collections) I'm very cautious about even getting a python from someone with boas much less someone with boas and mites. I guess the good news is that if your pythons live more than a few months past the end of your mite infestation then you can probably have more confidence than most that your boa doesn't have IBD.

That is why I was more of thinking along the lines of just seeing if extra beta-keratin changes their scales at all.

As far a treating the mites go, I generally do a powder treatment that is followed by pest strips and a mite killing spray. Usually totally takes them out within 2-3 weeks.

The main thing is that my girlfriend and I have our collection, and we also work in a pet store. Being two of the main reptile specialists in our town, we get all manner of sick snakes, and sometimes, despite our best efforts, the little buggers hitch a ride home.

I have considered keeping a bucket of water mixed with lice killing shampoo outside my house and just throwing my clothes in it every time I come home from work, or just straight into the washer.

Anyways, I do not plan on seeing mites again for a while. few dead ones pop up here and there. So I will just go on with my question of whether there will be a palpable change in the scales from adding beta-keratin
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Ball Pythons:
1.2 Normal
1.2 Pastel
0.1 Black Pastel
2.0 Het Orange Ghost
0.1 Orange Ghost
1.1 Mojave
1.2 Spider
1.1 Albino
0.1 Het Albino
1.0 Piebald
0.1 Double het, Albino Pied
Other:
0.1 Irian Jaya x Jungle Carpet python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Tiger Retic
1.1 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
3.3 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 American Alligator
1.0 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Argus Monitor
1.0 Chinese Water Dragon
0.1 Brown Basilisk
1.2 Crested Gecko
0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
1.1 Sugar Gliders
1.1 Puppies