Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was skimming through some forums, and I saw someone ask how to eliminate mites. I liked the responses, and I figured I would add one I have used for many years. I have owned many species, pythons, boas, anacondas, ratsnakes, milksnakes, hoggies, and a few others. One thing I never really liked is chemicals. I know many guys who use nothing but, and they have great results. Because of the SIZE of some of the animals I have had (some adopted....and these were the worst for mites!), I use EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL. The way to do it is simple, regardless of the size. For example, if I was treating a small adult Sinny, I would put about a quarter of an inch of olive oil in an 8 or 12 inch deli dish or a small rubbermaid w/holes. Put the snake in it for about an hour or so, checking every 20 minutes to make sure all is well. I let the monster snakes soak longer (Burms, tics, etc). After their oil bath, the mite problem is taken care of. Because the oil stays under the scales for a few days, no more mites will attach themselves. This method has yet to fail for MITE treatmeant. It is safe, non toxic, and relatively cheap. Just thought I would share with you all. Hope it helps!
Dewey

I've used veggie oil in the past and the snake gets immediate relief as the the mites suffocate. Trick is to notice the buggers when they're unpacked and before they're added to the collection! Nice touch with the olive oil -que ricco!
Good advice my man. Jeff

I used veggy oil on my python and it worked great. It don't take much. Just a thin layer on the bottom of a tank and when the snake moves about it gets the oil all over him. Then I rinsed my python off under a faucet and picked off the mites. Haven't seen any since.