Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What would you say is the best mite/tick killer on the market? My ball python has about 3 visible ticks so i tried to give her a bath and she went insane. She started thrashing around and trying to get out of the tub. I think they don't like the feeling of the slick porcelein. I would like to know what you guyz use or what you know for sure is most effective. Thanks for the help, Chris

I've use prevent-a-mite for the past 5 years with great success. Just pull the snake out of the cage spray the cage and let it air dry (I let it air dry for about 30 min.) then put the snake back. It has worked every time.

I use, and prefer Nix, the human lice remover for removing mites from my bp's. Firstly, it's not toxic if used incorrectly. Secondly, it can be used as a two-pronged approach to mite removal; the enclosure can be sprayed down, and the snake can be bathed in a diluted solution of Nix and water to remove mites from the snake. I personally prefer to stay away from the chemical treatments, less room for error.

Hi Chris –

I might not be understanding your question properly. But if you believe that the only external parasites afflicting your snake are three ticks, I’d suggest that you treat them the same way you’d treat yourself if you came back from a hike, climbed into that bathtub, and found some of those little suckers attached to YOUR skin. They hold fast, so you wouldn’t be able to wash them away. So take tweezers, forceps or just two of your fingers, grasp as far forward on the tick as you can, and pull it SLOWLY backwards and out. It might help (can’t hurt) to dab the now tick-free site with a little of whatever antibiotic ointment you keep in your medicine cabinet. It would be a good idea to wash out the cage and use paper substrate only along with non-porous cage furniture for a while until you’re sure the ticks are history.

I’ll leave the mite treatment subject mostly alone. There are a ton of posts to help you make an informed decision if you do a search on the Kinsgsnake site. Let me just shout from the top of my soapbox, however, that you should use your native intelligence when you see people claim that the application of any particular pesticide to a living animal is either totally idiot proof or the only way to attack the mite problem. And if you hear that Nix is not a chemical, well, its manufacturer would be stunned to know that.

The active ingredient in Nix is Permethrin
The active ingredient in Provent-a-mite (a popular snake mite treatment) is Permethrin

Permethrin is an insecticide. It is known to be quite safe when used AS DIRECTED. Any use of a product containing this compound is obviously a “chemical treatment.” Just try to be aware of your fact provider’s experience and competence.

-Joan