Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, MY cage is being overrun by mites! I have a pair of ball pythons, both about a 2 years old..Lately, they have been getting more and more mites...I have "Natural Chemistry DeFlea, Reptil Relief..." but it's not working good enough..I'm soaking everything in their cage in boiling water..But I seriously need to get rid of them before they hurt my babies..If anyone has any info on better products or methods on getting the mites out, please let me know..their cage is about 2ft by 4ft and 3 ft tall..astroturf for substrate..the back is a type of sheetwood that has holes in it, i did this for extra air flow..but i'm thinkin the mites are gettin in through the holes so i might cover it with another sheet of plywood, the top has mesh cage stuff on it where i put their heat light..someone please help me out
Kris
1.1 Ball Pythons - Nina and Monty
1.0 Leopard Geckos- Shorty
1.0 Russian Tortoise- Peaches

I would say use BLACK KNIGHT ...but you can't use that right now.

2 things that have used or seen used that work very well.

1.) NO PEST STRIPS...get them at home Depot. Cut a small piece and put it in a contanier that the snake cannot get into and leave it in the cage for a few days. Repeat in 2 weeks.

2.) 7 dust. Poor it into a pillow case...put the snake in the pillow case and shake it lake shake and bake...leave it on the snake for a day and then clean it off...mites will be gone.

I have used the 1st method...the 2nd a friend of mine does it and he has no problems with mites or the snakes.
-----
Michael Enriquez

Thank you sooo much! I'll try to get some of the pest strip stuff sometime today or tomorrow...Right now I'm soaking everything in water with mite killer on it. then putting it back in the cage, i sprayed the whole cage with the mite killer, hopefully that will work until i can get the pest strips...thanks again so much
Kris

n/p

provent a mite works really good, I never had mites but my friend use to get them often and had great luck with this.
http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html

also need to take out the water dish for a few days, as the water helps them multiply.

go to the vet and tell them that your snake has mites. they can give you some medicine called "Invermine" or something like that. it will completely wipe them out. all you have to do is give your snake a small dosage orally, and then... bam! no more mites! thats what I did and it worked like a charm.

--max

Has anyone tried the "Mega-mites" yet ??
-----
3.9 Ball Pythons
1.1 Thayeri Kings
0.0.1 Viper Boa
1.1 Felines

IVERMECTIN

This is a medicine designed to work on cows. Some vets will use it sparingly becuase there are side affects...I would not recommend it.
-----
Michael Enriquez

If everything else false, you could try using lab mites. Mites that eat snake mites and when there done they die off because there is no food. I don't know how well it works, but its one option.

www.biconet.com/biocontrol/hypoaspis.html

Good Luck.

.
-----
3.9 Ball Pythons
1.1 Thayeri Kings
0.0.1 Viper Boa
1.1 Felines

NIX. Sold in drugstores as a hair lice treatment for kids, and adults who can't keep clean. Two ounce bottle costs about
$10. Mix one ounce per qt. water or less if needed.
Remove water dish only. Give the entire cage, incl. the occupant, a light spritz. Replace water dish in 15 minutes.
I've never had to do a repeat treatment. Unless you keep bringing the little monsters into your collection, you'll never see them again. Used twice in 10 years; once on my corns and once on nigritis.

Good luck.

Mike

You need to treat the area/room where the cage is also. If you don't, they'll just keep on getting back into the cage. Also, until you get rid of the mites, it may be a good idea to move the snakes temporarily into something that's easier to clean than wood and astroturf. I had mites with my first snake some years back, and I used an aquarium and white paper towels because you can see the mites and it's easy to clean. Rubbermaid bins would work well also.

Rep-Rinse seemed to work for me when I had the problem. As a check I'd suggest giving your snakes a few hours' soaking in a tub of water (shallow enough for them to park in) with a drop of detergent. Be very careful with the water temperature. The first time you're likely to have a mess to clean up in the water. When you take each snake out look for mites that have drowned in the water.

Seven dust. You may also find it called just Garden Dust. You can get it at a nursery (plant) supply store for about $5-7 dollars. It is a mite powder. It is also sold as a flea powder for puppies/kittens, but it cost a lot more if purchases at a pet shop when labeled this way. It even used to be used as an inhalant for finches that had lung mites years ago, and if it is safe for a bird to breath this powder into it's lungs, it's safe for you snake to crawl through! You are looking for a drug called Carobyl (spelling) and I think you will find that it is about a 5% concentration in this powder form. Just sprinkle a small amount (1/4-1/2 teaspoon) over the surface of the substrate in your cage. Mites will be gone shortly, and if you leave it in the cage for about one month, all the mite eggs will have hatched and died by then also. Then clean the cage thoroughly, and you will never have mites again--unless you bring some in from somewhere else! It's also a good idea to sprinkle a small amount on any tables, rack ledges, etc. as mites will walk out of the cage, and then return after treatment is completed.

Change your snakes water frequently when doing this, because while the drug is very safe, you still don't want your snake drinking it's water if it has entered and left the water a few times, so the water is fouled with the powder. Or, better yet, remove it's water dish so it can't foul the water, and only supply water for a few minutes every other day or so, until the month is up.

I have used this on many baby snakes (that had mites when I bought them at an expo.) and have never had a problem doing so.

Rodney