Reptile & Amphibian Forums

after handling my female, i found 3 really small little bugs on me that looked like pillbugs. they were extremely small and grayish black in color. can anyone help? if these are mites what can i get that can stop them?
thanks. any input would be apreciated.

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1.3 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
1.1 columbian BCI

there are quite a few ways to get rid and quite a few products on the market.

But the one key factor with all methods is cleanliness.. When I have had them I have found daily scrubbing the viv with houshold detergant or bleach almost eradicates all of them then you just have to kill the ones on the snakes.

For this I use a product called 'frontline' it is an alchohol based mite killer that I get from the vets over heere in the UK. I use this as its easy for me to get hold of - a method I would prefer to try is using 'predetary mites' (another type of mite that live off the first mites and die once they are gone) but by the time you have noticed mites I have found it takes too long to order them and recieve them - again this may be easier in the US. I have heard vegatable oil been used but not too sure on this method - obviously the snake cannot be in too much heat whilst using this method and sounds too stressfull for my snakes to go through.

Hope my opinions help

Sam

Sounds like mites. Get yourself a can of provent a mite, you can buy it at www.beanfarm.com Spray the cage, substrate and all while you give your snake a bath. giving your snake a bath and cleaning the cage will reduce the amount of mite until you get your provent a mite spray. Avoid the veggi oil as this may not work as well and may cause other skin problems. spraying you snakes cage every 2-4 weeks should keep them from comming back and regular cage cleaning will also help. Act fast as mites can multiply very fast and also kill your boa if it get out of control. Good luck
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True Redtails

If I were you i would try "Reptile relief" It is all natural and safe for your snake...It works just follow the directions. Any of your reptile specialty pet shops or i think petso sells it.

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1.3 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
1.1 columbian BCI

Get yourself a can of Provent A Mite. I had mites last year and ever since I used it, I've never seen anymore mites. If you don't want to get them again, I recommend getting yourself a freezer and only feeding them F/T. Feeding live or freshly killed rodents, will mostly likely pass mites to your snakes. After using Provent A Mite and switching to F/T, I've been mite free for over a year now. Good luck!

Frank

well i wiped her down twice with wet paper towels and cleaned out her entire cage. tomarrow i'm gonna go get provent a mite. i couldn't clean the cork bark because it has a trillion little crevases but i'll spray that down good.
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1.3 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
1.1 columbian BCI

I dont think pets mart will carry it, I have never seen it for sale at a petco or petsmart. you may have to order it unless there is a local pet store that carries allot or good reptile supplies.
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True Redtails

we have gotten it from the Bean farm...cheap, with fast shipping. I know some people that use Rid for head lice(found at your local drug store). They have a spray that has the same active ingredient as the Provent a Mite, just make sure that you air things out REALLY WELL before replacing the snakes. Also make sure you treat all your snakes enclosures. Soak the animals in a mild soapy water and wipe them dry before returning them to their enclosure. Make sure to remove the water bowl before treatment and remove and treat the hides and do not replace them until you are sure all the mites are gone(usually a couple weeks). Hope this helps. Oh, do NOT spray the animals with the stuff, the Provent a Mite or the Rid!!! Good luck and keep us posted.
Kathy

>>well i wiped her down twice with wet paper towels and cleaned out her entire cage. tomarrow i'm gonna go get provent a mite. i couldn't clean the cork bark because it has a trillion little crevases but i'll spray that down good.
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>>1.3 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
>>1.1 columbian BCI

Goodluck with this product the 1 time I had to use it a few years ago!I also keep a bottle handy an use it to clean my cages every 7 or 8 months just for saftey precautions!You need to follow dorections on the back of bottle!Hope this helps!Eric[Hypoboa]
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E&C's Exotic House of Reptiles

soak in boiling water or boiling water with a mild bleach solution, I used to do this regardless of weather or not I had mites, ablout once a month - but stick to plastic hides now - they dont look as attractive but are far easier to clean - hope they go away soon

sam

okay, i'll do that. the cork bark was mainly for looks and to help them shed. i think it helps wonderfully for that.
thanks
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1.2 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
1.1 columbian BCI

n/p
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1.2 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
1.1 columbian BCI

All of this advice is good but there is a much better way (and cheaper) alternative to ridding yourself of these mites.

Go to your local Walgreen's and head to the hair aisle where they will see creams etc for treating lice. You will find a box of lice killer that contains 2 2ounce bottles of 1% permethrin. It will be around $14 or so. Take one bottle and mix it with 1 gallon of water. You can spray this directly on your animals without any negative effects. When I had acquired these nasty little bugs I simply took a couple of hours and a large cardboard box to get rid of them. I placed each boa into the cardboard box and sprayed the mixture on them directly. I then shut the box and proceeded to clean their enclosure. Once clean, the animal went back into their enclosure and my mites were gone. I use this spray now about every 3-4 weeks as a preventative. There are numerous people on Fauna that use this and it has been wonderful given that a gallon of this will last me about 6 months! Good luck!

Griz

wow. i think i'll do that.
thanks a lot!
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1.2 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
1.1 columbian BCI