Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi
my little baby snow corn has ticks and/or mites...
i know this because 1. i saw something small and black move on him
2. i see something black a bit under his scales just behind his mouth

p.s. he also has a bit of black inside him but i hope those are his internal organs and/or recentley consumed pinky because his very young and lack of pigments gives him a "transperant" look

what do i do?

I would take it to a vet if you do not know what it is for sure. I know there are sprays for mites on lizards, maybe that would work on snakes. At least call a vet, and see what they suggest. Yes, you can see the food inside a snow or blizzard corn. Good luck
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------Misty-------

The little black moving things sound like they may be mites. I've used provent-a-mite in the past and it works well, but follow the directions to the letter. You'll need to break down the entire setup and wash everything (except the snake!)in very hot soapy water or a 10% bleach solution. Really scrub it out paying close attention to any crevices. Rinse well then rinse again. Spray the enclosure with the provent-a-mite and let it dry out completely. Some people also spray the bedding too, but I'm a bit leary of that since it's possible for the bedding to get wet and possibly "reactivate" the p-a-m. Soak the snake in room temp water, that may help get some of the mites off him. This isn't a one time thing either, you'll need to repeat this probably 4 or 5 times over the next month to get rid of them completely so you'll want to minimize the how much stuff you have in the enclosure. Mites are tough little buggers and they've probably traveled outside the enclosure by the time you discover them! Some p-a-m sprayed around the outside area around the enclosure would help with the traveling mites, but again, follow the directions on the can.

Cheryl