Reptile & Amphibian Forums

okay I found a little friend on gabriel today....now how do I get rid of him and all his little buddies that I'm sure are lurking around? After doing some research this is my game plan...

1 Give gabe a bath in a tub of warm water to drown any living on him,

2 clean the cage and everything that goes in it with clorox water and then rinse well,

3 purchase prevent a mite(I think that's the suggested product) as well as flea powder

4 spray his substrate(aspen bedding) with the mite killer and let it dry before putting gabe back in,

5 spray all the bedding and put it in air tight bags until ready for use in case that's where they came from

6 treat the carpet with flea powder to kill any living there

7 wash all my bedding since that's where gabe hangs out most of the time

So that's the plan of attack, battle begins at 1200 tomorrow...I will take no prisoners, I will show no mercy.......any strategical suggestions? i.e. is prevent a mite really the best ect? I've had to fight off fleas before so I understand the complexity of parasitic warfare, I'm just wondering if I have all my facts straight. Thanks all and wish me luck

First off, ditch the aspen shavings for the duration of the treatment. Keep the enclosure as simple as possible. Try to make it so everything can be thrown away after each cleaning... hides, water dish and substrate. I also use two enclosures for the treatment. Your snake will have to live in a bare bones enclosure for a couple weeks but it will be fine.

Here is the procedure I have used with success....

1. Go to your local drug store and buy a product called Nix. It is used to treat lice on humans. Dilute the container of Nix 1/64 with water. That made about 4 liters of solution with the quantities I had. DO NOT use it full strength, it will kill your snake.

2. Day one; Set up a new, bare bones enclosure far away from the "infested" one. Take your snake and wipe it down thoroughly with a few paper towels soaked with the Nix solution. Wipe him down several times paying close attention to the face and vent.

3. Give the new enclosure a good spray-down and let your snake settle in for a day or two. Wash or discard all contaminated furniture from the old enclosure and keep it away from the new one. Mite eggs can live for up to two weeks (I think...).

4. Day three; Repeat step two switching from the "new enclosure", back to the old "clean" enclosure.

5. Repeat step 3....

6. Do this 3 times and then once a week for a total of two or three weeks. Be as meticulous as possible and the problem should go away with ease.

Good luck!
-----