Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ivermectin comes in injectable form and is readily available at almost any farm store. I have used it to treat WC animals for parasites as it is effective against a very wide range of organisms and it seemed to work well without ill effects. CAUTION!!!! PLEASE keep in mind however that Ivermectin can be extremely toxic at dosages beyond the therapeutic range and there are no scientifically validated reptile dosing or saftey guidelines that I am aware of. The dose required for a ball python adult is EXTREMELY small. So small in fact that I would not recommend injection unless the ivemectin in significantly diluted (>10:1 or more)using appropriate technique prior to injection in order to allow more precise injectable dosing. For this reason I would NOT recommend the injectable route and why I personally chose not adminsiter it by injection.
Ivermectin can also be administered topically and comes in a liquid formulation for that purpose in cattle that is absorbed through the skin. You can also dilute the injectable ivermectin with water for topical application.
How I used Ivermectin
I diluted .75cc injectable ivermectin in one quart of water then used a spray bottle to mist the snakes to be treated avoiding the head area. Don't worry that you might miss mites around the head area - in addition to directly, ivermectin works systemicaly entering the snakes bloodstream so that when a mite feeds they ingest the ivermectin and are killed.
You can also use the spray to mist the tub and substrate the animal is housed in. Used this way the spray will kill existing mites and also provide residual protection for a prolonged period.
While the ivermectin spray techniqe above seems to have worked well for me with no ill effects on the animals treated, I will confess that I have been reluctant to use it on valuable breeding animals in my collection to this point. I have only used it as a treatment for new animals before they make it in the main snake room.
Grant Whitmer

Not sure how, but my post was meant as a response to the Shots for Mites post below
Grant

I’ve used ivermectin on multiple occasions from treating mites on snakes to mites on rats (ear mites). The product that I use is the paste form that comes in tubes for horses and cattle (usually apple flavor works best), I believe it’s a 2oz tube. The method that I prefer to use is by dilution. I dilute the entire tube into 20L tank of water. I then provide this solution to all the feeders and snakes as the main source of drinking water. By the time the 20L tank is empty all the mites have been long gone.

The key to prolonging the solution is to keep it in a dark cool place, as sunlight will deteriorate the active ingredients. This process is so simple as to just change out the drinking water. Quick and easy…

Pitoon

>>Ivermectin comes in injectable form and is readily available at almost any farm store. I have used it to treat WC animals for parasites as it is effective against a very wide range of organisms and it seemed to work well without ill effects. CAUTION!!!! PLEASE keep in mind however that Ivermectin can be extremely toxic at dosages beyond the therapeutic range and there are no scientifically validated reptile dosing or saftey guidelines that I am aware of. The dose required for a ball python adult is EXTREMELY small. So small in fact that I would not recommend injection unless the ivemectin in significantly diluted (>10:1 or more)using appropriate technique prior to injection in order to allow more precise injectable dosing. For this reason I would NOT recommend the injectable route and why I personally chose not adminsiter it by injection.
>>Ivermectin can also be administered topically and comes in a liquid formulation for that purpose in cattle that is absorbed through the skin. You can also dilute the injectable ivermectin with water for topical application.
>>How I used Ivermectin
>>I diluted .75cc injectable ivermectin in one quart of water then used a spray bottle to mist the snakes to be treated avoiding the head area. Don't worry that you might miss mites around the head area - in addition to directly, ivermectin works systemicaly entering the snakes bloodstream so that when a mite feeds they ingest the ivermectin and are killed.
>>You can also use the spray to mist the tub and substrate the animal is housed in. Used this way the spray will kill existing mites and also provide residual protection for a prolonged period.
>>While the ivermectin spray techniqe above seems to have worked well for me with no ill effects on the animals treated, I will confess that I have been reluctant to use it on valuable breeding animals in my collection to this point. I have only used it as a treatment for new animals before they make it in the main snake room.
>>Grant Whitmer
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