Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my ball goes for a dip and i see tiny black dots in the water ! also there are little black spots around his vents. anyone know what it could be and what should i do to help ??? can this kill the snake ?

thanks for any help !!!

sounds likes mites.

Sounds like mites alright. I also have one baby ball that has them...what I get for buying a mass produced cheap female, but it is not the end of the world. First I would suggest checking your other snakes if you have any. Mites migrate and will search out new sources of food. Yes, the mites are feeding off your snake, sucking it's blood...nice huh! I know there are a few remedies out there and the one I am using is probably not the best choice, but it does work on mites and ticks. I picked as many mites off my BP very carefully with a dull knife, getting under her scales where I could see the little buggers, then destroyed them. Next, I gave her a good soak in warm water to drown as many more as possible. I got more doing this because I could see some floating in the water after the 20 minutes or so. Remove all substrate and hide from the container. Sterilyze everything in a weak water and bleach solution. I would use paper towels as a new substrate because you will need to keep the cage as clean as possible. Now, I have placed a commercial fly strip in the cage, inside a small disposable container, with holes in it to let the poison out. Make sure the holes are too small for the BP to get into it or you will have one heck of a mess. Remove the water bowl when you do this as well. You can alternate the fly strip in and out every few days and clean the cage, then put the water bowl back in to give the snake a drink...keep up your feeding to! It will take a couple weeks to get rid of them in this way (and I know there are other methods that may be safer as well), but if you don't have access to other meds, this method will work in a pinch. I hope this helps. It is only what I am doing. It is not the only way to get rid of mites. Maybe someone else will have some better advice for us both. Good Luck!

There are also some commercial sprays you can use (Black Knight & Provent a mite)

They are not the end of the world, especially in a small collection, but they are a B!tch to get rid of. It takes a good 6-8 weeks of constant vigilance to make sure they don't pop back up.

It does sound like you have mites! You need to get rid of them fast!
Do not use pest strips as the other post suggests, they have been known to be very harmful to reptiles.

Here is what has worked for me......

What you will need:
- Rubbermaid tub to soak the tank.
- 10% Bleach/Water Solution to clean water bowl
- Provent-a-Mite Spray, Repel Permaone, or Sawyers Tick Spray.

1. Remove the snake and water bowl from the tank.
2. Place the snake in a rubber maid tub with approx 1/2" to 3/4" luke warm water (warm to the touch) and let the snake soak. Be sure to check on the snake frequently to make sure that the water is not cooled down too much.
3. Wash the water bowl in a 10% bleach solution and then leave it off to the side until the rest of the process is done.
4. While the snake is soaking in the tub and the bowl is drying... spray the cage with one of the above listed sprays. Spray everything in the cage including the substrate. Stir the substrate up and then spray again. Then put a towel over the top of the cage or close the doors and leave the cage closed (sealed) for 15-30 minutes.
5. After the 15-30 minute waiting period open the cage up and let it air out for 30 or more minutes.
6. While the cage is airing out give your snake a nice "bath" under running water. Make sure the water is warm, but not hot, to you.
7. After the bath and the 30 minute waiting period you can put the snake and the water bowl back in the tank. All should be good after this, but keep a close eye on the snake and the tank for any more mites. If needed repeat the entire process.
If you have other snakes that are in the same room you will need to do the above with every one!

Good luck!

can i soak the snake's head under water ? cause i see some black stuff around his vents (where he breathes) .

thanks for the help

Mites will squeeze in around the eyes too (at least they did with burms, I've been lucky enough not to have them since I switched to balls). Soaking is good for temporary relief but to get rid of every last one you will need some sort of chemical treatment like the others mentioned here.

Good plan, EXCEPT ... I woulden't spray and stir and spray, I would COMPLETELY empty the cage and wash the cage with the same bleach solution and then spray the cage and use papertowls for a substrate. (Still letting it air out)
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~~~ Krystal - Future breeder of Pythons, Geckos, we'll see what else later! Specalizing in Ball Pythons and Leopard Geckos ~~~ www.geocities.com/krystal19_85 ~~~

im with kyrstal, i would destory the substrate in a fire or throw it in the trash.

Well Steve and I Clean the tanks once a month with the Provent a mite. We have never had an outbreak but we like to error on the safe side. Once a month we remove all the snakes from all the tanks and give everything a good cleaning.. The snakes enjoy a nice rub down with this solution we got, its in a tan bottol i just can't remember its name. but we wipe it on and then wait 20 minutes then put the snakes in the bath for 20 minutes, then you change the water and put them back in the bath for 15 more minute.. All the while we take out everything in the cage and wash it with a solution of about 10% bleach and let it sit for a few minutes before washing it off and letting it air dry while you complete the rest of the process. While im doing all the washing Steve is busy setting the cages back up with substrate and washing out the actual tanks. After the tanks are washed and the substrate is back we spray the Provent-a mite and then after the hides are clean we spray the provent-a-mite again. From this point of the second spraying we start the time or an hour to let it "Air out" the snakes usually get out of there baths about 15 minutes to 30 minutes before the tanks are done so they usually just stay in there rubbermaids until everything is aired out, now according to the directions on the back you shouldnt put in a water dish until 24 hours after because the provent-a mite can contaminate the water supply... it takes us about 4 hours to do all the tanks. We can only do about 3 at a time sooo it takes a few run throughs but we always feel better when the process is complete.... hopefully someone will know what that tan stuff is to tell you what its called but i like the fact that it lets me wipe it on the actual snake... good luck with those guys i heard they are a touch thing to get rid of... good luck..

Sincerely,
Rose

Ha its called...Reptile Relief... Perfect...

When using Provent-a-mite, Sawyers, or Repel one of the keys to the treatment is the residual effects of the spray. When you leave the substrate in and spray the cage it will leave a residue that will continue to break the life cycle of the mites for up to two weeks. That way you don't have to waste the time cleaning the whole cage and the snake itself will get treated as it moves through the cage.
You may want to check your snake after the first 5-7 days in the treated cage to make sure that no dead mites are stuck in "strange places"

The company that produces Provent-a-Mite (I cannot recall their name off-hand, but I called them once for clarification on the need for spraying the old substrate) recommends that you NOT put your animals back into the enclosure until at least 8 hours after you spray it. They said that there is a small chance of neurological damage from the residual airborne particles that might remain. They also said that the spray is more effective if you spray the old substrate because the mites will actually feed off of their dead, so the poison has a better chance of being passed on to mites that remain on your snake. Also, if you happen to keep tarantulas or other invertabrates, DO NOT spray the enclosure in the same room you keep them.

Although I had used the pest strips in the past and WAS currently using one, I did some research and decided against it. It is just not worth the risk so I purchased some Reptile Relief online. This stuff looks to be great because you can spray it right on the snake and it is not harmful to the herp. Since I only have the one snake that is infected, and my collection is not that big, I figured this product should do just fine, plus it is more affordable than the Provent-o-mite. All testimonies say that it works great so I shall see.

...for what it's worth, I have used No-Pest Strip in practice with great success, but it must be used carefully particularly with juvenile snakes. One advantage over sprays is that dichlorvos vapors can get to anywhere a mite can get. Dosing for FRESH strip is about 1"x1"/5 gallon tank overnight, and a water bowl large enough for soaking IS provided. Dichlorvos does NOT concentrate in water and being able to soak and drink is ALWAYS a part of mite treatment no matter the method used. Scott J. Michaels DVM

I was just thinking, mites can escape the cage, so why not do the sprays in the cage and the strips around the cage to kill the escapies before they get to your other snakies? Would that work? I am TOTALLY new to these strips.
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~~~ Krystal - Future breeder of Pythons, Geckos, we'll see what else later! Specalizing in Ball Pythons and Leopard Geckos ~~~ www.geocities.com/krystal19_85 ~~~

I found a tick in the water bowl of a female who recently laid. Thing is, both her and her mate are captive bred so I have no idea where it came from and was very surprised.

Now I'm rotating pieces of strip through my cages but I'm wondering if they are as good at getting ticks as the mites I used them for years and years ago. Where do those ticks hide waiting for eggs anyway? I guess they have to breath.

OK, so if my Balls are in a 10 Gal tank, i use (2) 1X1's or a 1X2 inch stripe? Seems like you say to leave the water bowl in while you do this, is that true?

OK, overnight, is that 8 hours? Does it matter at night or day? Seems like in the day you can better watch the balls. Just asking thats all.

Also, could i like do the whole room? My balls(20 of them) are in a 11X10 foot room with about 7 foot ceilings, could i like just hang 10 or 12 stripes overnight(or 8 hours)? Or just do the math, if 1X1 stripe is for 5 gallons, then figure out the rooms volumn and figure out the pest stripes sq inches(each) and then use that number of stripes. Would that work? I ask because i have some carpet in the room and think that mites could be there too.

Also, what brand of stripe do you recommend? Any help on what i asked would be great. Thank you...

John