Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got my BP a couple days ago from a pet store and they said they had mites a while ago but were treated and they might come back but i forgot what they said to get rid of them, can mites hurt your snake and how do i get rid of them forever

They probably used something like no pest strips... I used them many many years ago on my first ball python that I got from a pet store, they worked... the problem with them is they can be toxic to your bp.

If I were you I would order a bottle of Black Knight or Provent a Mite (ProExotics has Black knight and Beanfarm has provent-a-mite). As long as you follow the directions they are very safe.

And to answer your question... yes mites can be harmfull to your snake.

Good luck.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, W.Hognose and Screaming AFT's

Mites can hurt your snake. They carry blood borne diseases just like fleas and ticks do. Mites also weaken your snake and make it uncomfortable so you do need to get get rid of them for good. There are a number of products on the market that will get rid of snake mites. I recently bought a can of Black Knight based on the vpi web site information. It worked very well and didn't seem to bother the snakes too much.

http://www.vpi.com/9VPITipsAndTechs/TheWarAgainstSnakeMites/TheWarAgainstSnakeMites.htm

Some people have had good results from Provent-a-mite also. You can't just treat a cage and snake once as mites do lay eggs that will hatch after the first treatment and re-infest your snake. Making your enclosure easy to clean is the first step. Any wood in a cage (like hides, branches or wood chip substrate) makes it very difficult to get rid of mites as they can really hide in those materials. Totally clean out the cage and use paper for substrate until you are sure all the mites are gone. Pick the product that will work best for you and follow the instructions on the vpi web site. Good Luck!
Lora