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Scale Rot and Mites

reptilesrock Feb 04, 2012 12:07 AM

Hey Everyone,

I work in a pet store in the reptile section and we have quite a few ball pythons as well as plenty of other snakes. First of all, a problem I've been having for quite a while is scale rot. I will treat it, and when the snakes shed, it is gone, but only for a little while, then it will come back. Their substrate is not too moist, in fact it stays quite dry as the cages dry out easily. They have moist hide spots to help them shed, but even that has been a problem to. I have tried many different substrates including zoo med reptibark, zilla jungle mix, and zoo med forest floor cypress mulch. Just can't seem to keep it away. Any suggestions on the scale rot?

Another thing that I will treat, but keeps coming back is mites. If a snake or snakes are infected, I use nix and I spray the snake with a very dilute solution of it. I works very well and kills the mites almost instantly. I make sure to strip their cages, spray the cages with nix and wash their cage furniture thoroughly. I do this treatment over a few days, after I notice there are no more mites, I re-decorate their cages with new bedding and everything. Eventually, the little buggers keep coming back to haunt my snakes and the process needs to be re-done at least once every month. I spoke to another person, and he recommended the same treatment, but when you put new bedding down, spray proventamite and wait 30 minutes before you put the snake back in and then another 30 minutes before you put the water dish back in.

I want to keep these mites away for good, I am so sick of dealing with them. Any helpful hints and tips anyone has to help me be rid of them for good would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Replies (2)

ssnakes Feb 04, 2012 12:16 PM

>>I want to keep these mites away for good, I am so sick of dealing with them. Any helpful hints and tips anyone has to help me be rid of them for good would be greatly appreciated.
>>

The eggs that mites have left behind when you kill them with Provent-a-mite or Nix will hatch in 14 days and then you have many more mites. You have to do the treatment every two weeks for several rounds to really get rid of them.

You will also get reinfestations in a pet store because of so much handling by customers...it happens at trade shows too....you never know where they have had their hands and what other snakes they have been handling.

Good Luck!
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Susan Sentman
SSNAKES Reptiles
susan@ssnakes.com

kingofspades Feb 04, 2012 02:33 PM

Provent-a-mite. Expensive, but amazing. I used Nix...mites came back. Treated all my tubs with POV...no signs of mites at all.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

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