Reptile & Amphibian Forums

With everyone's collective mass of experience... what is the absolute best way to eliminate mites? Has anyone tried Ivomectin or Selamectin? Ball python in need of help.

PS:already posted on ball python site, sorry if anyone reads this as a repeat.

Hello, I dont have too much experience treating mites but i have needed to treat them a few times. I have not used any of the products you have listed but I figured I would share my method. I went to the local CVS and bought a product called NIX. Its a product made to kill human hair lice. I mixed it with water in a spray bottle, put the snake in a smaller tank and sprayed him untill the bottle was empty. Then I just let him soak in it for about an hour. I also emptied his inclosure and cleaned and soaked the entire thing and all its contents in the same solution. I did this to a smaller snake that was given to me that was kept in a glass tank so it wasn't too hard but if your snake is kept in a larger tank it might be made out of something that might not work as well with this solution. Hope i could help. Joe

I have never had mites in my collection. Here is my opinion based on second-hand experience and vet clinic clients.

Nix, and other products may work well, but none of these are made for reptiles. Unless you have a huge backing on a specific product and in a specific protocol I would not use these. The risk of overdose may not be apparent to some, but it is there.

There is one or two products that are made specifically for reptiles. I believe they are American brands and are called Reptile Relief and Prevent-o-mite. I have heard many good opinions on these two products and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to someone.

The drugs that you mentioned are probably the best for getting rid of mites with a strictly controlled regiment. Ivermectin and salemectin are both veterinary prescription drugs and should not be used without a consultation with your herp vet. These drugs are possibly the most easy to overdose and should be left for infestations that the previous products do not appear to eliminate.

Snake mites in large numbers can cause some severe detrimental effects to your snake. If you are a beginner, or do not feel good enough to assess you snake for hydration and overall health, you should have it examined by your veterinarian before treatment. (any of the aforementioned treatments will be harsh and may kill a sick snake)

Good luck

Ian

Thanks for the advise. Yeah, I've never had to treat for mites before and knowing all the different recommendations, I thought I'd tap into everyone's knowledge. Living in northern Ontario, there really isn't much out there in the way of a true herp vet.

Thanks for the advise-we'll follow through.

wow, northern Ontario, you're as far north as I am

As for finding a herp vet, I've mentioned several resources before, but you may be in one of the few places where there is no recommended vet. Here's a few tips for finding a good herp vet in the making.
1)Most importantly, they should be willing to work with reptiles, and have some level of interest in them. This part is easy, calling your local vet will often get you refered to someone.
2)Almost just as important is someone who admits they don't know it all. If your prospective vet has the answer for everything and doesn't include "here's how we can find out", then you may be talking with one of the few vets that does more harm than good when working on herps.
3)Resources. A good herp vet should have plenty of references on hand. Books and journals are excellent, and the VIN, or veterinary information network is priceless.

Living in a rural area and/or far from any major city is something that affects more than just herp healthcare. I'm sure you have to travel to the city several times a year for one reason or another, and a sick herp is as good a reason as they get if you cannot find a vet that is closer. I don't know Ontario very well, but I'm sure a good herp vet resides in several cites along the trans-canada highway.

Good luck

I have a couple observations to share with the use of the above mentioned products. I used Reptile Relief for the first time a few months ago. I had recieved a couple snakes that had only a few mites on them. One was a baby green tree python and the other a 6' dumerils boa. I used the Reptile Relief as indicated on the label, and it took a few doses, about 6, before it looked like there were no more mites. About a week after the last treatment, the chondro started acting lethargic and wasn't coiling on the branches like normal. He also started staying on branches lower to the ground. He did still eat when offered food, so I figured I'd observe him for a little while. He seemed to be more up on some days and back down on others. About a week later, I found him dead. He was perfectly healthy and eating before all of this so the treatment is the only thing I could attribute it to. Unfortunately when he died, he did so on the warm side of the cage and when I had found him, he was already too far gone for a necropsy. The Dumerils boa on the other hand has faired quite well with no obvious ill effects.

I have also had experience with Provent-a-Mite. I had recently recieved a snake that was coated in mites by the thousands. I first tried the Reptile Relief, coating the snake and cage in it. I did this a few times over a couple days and did not notice any affects on the mites. So, I proceeded to give the snake a long soak in a tub of warm water. I set her up in a large rubbermaid container with a slight coating of Permectin dust (which is found in Feed Stores for use with horse lice and mites) underneather a couple layers of newspaper (to prevent direct contact), and sprayed the inside with the Provent a Mite. Over the next week a did supplimental sprays of the cage and followed with another good soak along with bleaching out the cage and setting it up the same again. I also used a coating of the Permectin dust all around the outside of the cage in the event of any run away mites. Another week later, after the snake had shed, I soaked her again, cleaned the cage again and not noting any signs of live mites, set her up on aspen bedding over a slight dusting of the powder. Thus far, I have not seen any more mites.

In the past, I have used an Ivermectin spray (it must be diluted in a solution of Propylene Glycol because it is oil based and will not difuse evenly in water) and found that it did work well, but was quite costly, took numerous treatments, and was a pain to clean off the cage later.

In conclusion, I would not recommend the Reptile Relief, especially on small or young snakes or heavy infestations.
The Ivermectin does work, but is pricey and difficult to clean up after.
And Provent-a-Mite has proven successful with no ill effects thus far, but be careful not to breath it in. Using this in combination with the Permectrin seems to be what has worked best for me.

Good luck.