Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have some pythons that have mites, and I live out of the country, so I can't get all that fancy mite treatment. Does anyone know what I could do instead, because my snakes are crawling with mites!!!!!!!!! Please Help!!
Thanks
Wes

Soak them in regular water for about ten minutes so they drink. Then soak them in soapy water deep enough to cover about two thirds of their body thickness for a few hours. You will see all the dead mites in the bottom of the water. A few tips are to use a mild dish soap, laundry soap is really bad. If they take a crap, change the water. And after a couple hours of soaking wipe them down with a paper towel or white wash cloth to see if there are any survivors. A soapy bath right before a shed does the most damage to mites. Also alot will try to crawl to the head to escape drowning just wipe them off with a paper towel and drop it in the water to kill them. Repeat every few days because it doesn't kill the eggs. Also wash down your cages with really soapy water and let it sit in their for a while. This won't cure your mite problem totally but it will make a major difference.

I heard you should take the water dish out for a few days as water is how they keep living. Not sure if that is true or a snake/mite myth, but it might help.

If your snake is soaking alot...that is a good sign that you have mites...it may not be a bad problem...it could be mild and that is why you may not have noticed it. The mites drown in the water when the snake soaks. All the water a mite needs comes from the blood they suck. Look for dead mites in your water bowl...do not totally remove it unless you are treating for them with a poison of some sort.
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Michael Enriquez

I read this in a snake handling book and it worked for me. You get one of those no pest strips (like for flys). Put it in something plastic that you can punch holes in. Put that in the tank and take out after 3 days. In ten days put it back in for 3 days to kill any eggs. The reason it must go in the plastic is that the snake cannot touch it. It won't hurt your snake and it worked for us.
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Veronica

Ben Seigal Himself actually let me in on this secret. Go to Walmart and get NIX. Humans use this for hair lice. Dump the entire bottle into a 1gallon jug. Fill the jug completely with water. Mix it up real well then pour some into a spray bottle. Next Spray the Animals and the cage. The only time I've ever had mites was when a few retics I bought came in with Mites. I had a horriable case (I keep all of my animals in my bed room. I woke up with mites on me and my desk!) which cleared up quickly (1 week) using this method.

Sincerely,

John Light
Pristine Pythons
(954) 691-5489

NIX on mites is like NUKING them.
Great stuff and cheap. Used twice in 10 years. Never had to repeat a treatment. Just removed water dish, spritz the entire cage, incl. the occupants. Replace water dish in 15 minutes. Never saw a mite again.

Mike Perez

I totally Agree!!! I did forget to say remove the water bowl! Anyways Like we said great stuff!

John Light
Pristine Pythons

do you need to wash the animals off after a little while when using nix? or is it safe enough to leave on?

before you do this see what a few more seasoned herps say about my comment,

if you boil up tea, say 5 -7 teabags in a pot let it sit for an hour after brewed to cool, you may be able to bath your bp in there, i know TANIC ACID in tea will kill mights, but how it will affect your snake i am not sure, please wait for other post on my suggestion for your snakes sake, i cant think of any negative effects the tea could have on your snake, but double check

LOL SORRY ABOUT THE SPELLING OF MITES,,