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How do I treat snake mites?

sullman May 19, 2004 04:07 PM

I noticed a little tiny bug in my snakes cage the other day and figured it might be a mite. I checked my snake and didn't see anything but I dont wanna take a chance so I figure I will treat him anyway. I heard of a few different methods to treat the snake,one taking him 2 the vet for a shot,some sprays,biostrips and even other insects to eat the mites.

I was looking for a spray that I can use to treat the snake and his enviorment. I really dont want to use a bio-strip and heard there is a new type of spray that kills the mites and is safe to spray even on the snakes head and eyes(where mites like to hang out).You can also spray this stuff on any decorations you have in the snakes cage. I plan to clean his tank with vinegar and water and some of that mite spray. Rinse it off with boiling hot water then spraying the snake before I place him back inside.

My question is...what is the name of the spray? Or does anyone have any suggestions?

Replies (2)

MartinWhalin1 May 20, 2004 02:19 AM

I reccomend a product called Provent-a-mite. It's available online. It is not safe to spray on the snake but there is no need to if used correctly.
Take all of your snakes out of their enclosure. Remove everything from the enclosure, throw it in a trash bag and get it as far away from your house as possible. Clean the crap out of the enclosure. Place nothing but paper towels back into the enclosure and give it a quick zap with the spray. I think they reccomend 1 second for every square foot of floor area. Let this air out for several hours if not an entire day. Now the enclosure is mite free and any mite that gets close will die.
It would be ideal to soak the snakes in shallow tepid (about 80F) water for about an hour while treating the enclosures. This should get rid of most of the mites on your snake. Put the snake back in the enclosure with a fresh water dish. Change the water every day. If you have mites, there are probably eggs laid all over your house. In order to catch these when they hatch, repeat the entire treatment again one month later. There have been reports of snakes (especially neonates) showing adverse reactions to this spray which is why it is important to let the fumes air out for several hours before returning the snake to the enclosure. Good luck.
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Snakesunlimited1 May 30, 2004 10:25 PM

There is a easy way to treat for mites. Go to walmart in the pharmacy and loook for the lice treatments. The Equate brand "bedding spray" that is used to spray on your bed and pillows when you get lice is the same stuff big time bredders have been using for their cages for years though some have been using it under a different name that cost about $20 dollars this stuff will cost you about $4.00.
Simply take the animal out of the cage and also the water dish and sray the rest of the cage down for about 1-2 seconds per ten gallons allow to dry for about 5-10 minutes(I usually wait about 5) and reintroduce the snake and water bowl. The snake should have spent his or her time out of the cage soaking in water cuz that is the best natural mite killer out there. The only problem I have had is when the mites are around the eye, the spray works so well that all the mites die in the space around the eye and can cause infection or hard sheds so have someone who knows how sho you how to squeeze those out.
After you get rid of your mites you can re-dose your cage every other month or so. If you are feeding live I have been told and believe that mice can transport mites from your pet store to your house

Good Luck, Jason Hood
Snakesunlimited.com

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