Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wondering if it was at all abnormal for a cali king to bath for a few hours after a successful shed? Are the conditions not right for her? I just rescued her a couple of weeks ago...she seems super happy with her new living arrangement???
Thanks

Make sure there are some tight hiding quarters on each end of the cage, as well as a way for it to thermoregulate itself from say...mid 70's to mid-high 80's on ONE END ONLY!(under tank heat). As well as making sure the ambient humidity is not too low, then that part is okay. Then CLOSELY inspect the snake for tiny dark dots(mites) that are moving around on it. Look very closely around the tiny gaps around the eye lenses and in between the chin/throat scales for these. Also get a white paper towel or tissue and hold it in your hand while rubbing down the entire length of the snake to see if there are any black dots(mites) that are about the size of a grain of pepper.

Snakes often soak if they are naturally trying to eradicate mites or if temps are too warm, but it is also very normal for them to soak once in a while. Bottom line is you need to thouroughly check all of these factors to determine which it is, if anything...

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

thanks Doug...i thought i saw a little "dot" crawling on her yesterday...i will inspect her closely.
Dan

if indeed she does have mites...what should i do?
thanks in advance.
Dan

To be honest, I haven't had to deal with any mites in decades, but there are many different ways to get rid of them. Some are FAR safer than others too. Other's can chime in with some new products and how to safely use them for you. You definitely have to follow the instructions VERY carefully, and remove the water bowl, dispose of all the bedding substrate, and treat everything in the nearby proximity of the enclosure initially, and also later on to kill any eggs that will later hatch and were resistent to the treatment as they later emerge.

If you see just ONE mite, guaranteed there are countless more!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

You said the mites are black? Not sure if what i saw was a mite?

Yes, reptile mites are round, dark gray/black, but there are LOTS of other bugs that are tiny that many folks see that are not harmfull to snakes, but can easily get into the substrate. Mulch from the outside garden area of stores are renowned for harboring many tiny bugs in it unless it is in completely sealed bags and has been kiln dried to kill off anything. Lighter colored wood mites are often found in bags of moist bags of garden mulch, etc...

Here is a VERY useful link for you to look at and take note of about snake mites.....

snake mites

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

....see if this will work when you copy/paste it into the URL bar.

http://[ban]tv.ning.com/group/boas/forum/topics/snake-mites

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

D'HO!!..LOL!!,..anyway, just do a google search on "snake mites" and you will see all sorts of good methods to get rid of them...

Sorry for the link not working, because it was a good one.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

,
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Good info, but I prefer Back Heat instead of Under the Tank heat.....
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...