I posted this on another forum when it was suggested that somebody spray their GTPs with a 10% solution of Ivermectin. The original poster went on to say that Ivermectin is very safe because it is relatively benign. I thought it might be good to post it as sort of a heads up to anybody looking for an easy solution to snake mites.
Here it is:
I am not trying to be disrespectful to anybody but a 10% solution (w/v) would probably be fatal to any known vertebrate. Merck doesnt even sell it in that high of a concentration. I am a molecular biologist but I am going to talk off of the cuff here so you might want to do your own reserach before applying Ivermectin.
Ivermectin is a neurotransmitter agonist. It is about as far from being benign as they come. Specifically it upregulates gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA acts to block nerve impulses. In short, too much and your nervous systen stops, you slip into a coma and die.
10% solution (w/v) is many, many times too concentrated. Abrahams (1992) reported in the "Bulletin of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians", that a 1:2000 dilution of a 5 microgram/milliliter stock solution was effective in treating mites. That final concentraion is something like 0.00005% (w/v). If I remember right you can buy it in a concentrated liquid topical solution of around 1% (1 mg/ml) It is meant to be diluted. Some have suggested that diluting 1 ml (1 cc) of the stock solution with 1 quart of water is safe and effective. That is considerably higher than Abrahams test concentration and worries me a bit.
One drop of a 1% solution was given to bats externally and proved fatal. A couple ounces of a 10% solution applied topically would likely kill a horse. Merck, the manufacturer warns specifically against using it on reptiles for any reason. It does work and I have used it successfully to treat ticks on wild caught blood pythons but be very, very careful with concentrations and how much you spray on the animal. I have also heard several anecdotal stories about the deliterious effects of Ivermectin on arboreals specifically. The loss of one of my diamond x jungles as a result of using Ivermectin bears that out.
(just a note: my vet and I tried a solution to treat ticks on WC blood pythons. We got the concentration off by a factor of ten due to poor math on our part. Bloods showed no ill effects and ticks/mites were irradicated. My carpets suffered badly, with one dead and another sick for a long time. I also lost an alterna. Luckily I did not spray my GTPs)
Not just my opinion, it is all over the internet. I suggest you do your own homework.
Steve
