Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My work has been talking about getting a N. Water Snake. I was told that they have mites and in captivity the mites take over there body and kill the snake. This sounds unlikly to me. Has anyone had this problem? How would I go about correcting this problen if the snake did get mites?

Thank you for your help. Im just trying to get as much info as possible from experanced keepers so that I can bring the best info to our disscussion of the exibit.

Tom

Hi,Hey Iv'e caught literally hundreds of northern water snakes when I lived in Virginia.Just for fun as a kid,for sport and to scare the hell out of folks there as most people there believed them to be copperheads or water moccosins.I have never seen any mites on them or ticks for that matter and they do have ticks in the woods there.I caught all sorts of snakes there and none ever had mites.I'm not an expert.The first mites I ever saw were on a cylonese python.What I'm driving at is I dont think these guys normally get mites so if they did it might not be so great.I have been told that NIX head lice killer safely wipes them out,a dilute solution in water.I can not remember the mix so you better ask someone else that.or maybe a few folks its something like 1oz nix to either a quart or a gallon of water,someone here will know.dont let em drink it.i.e.take out the water bowl.I personally dont use poison and dont recomend it at all.I've gotten rid of mites on lots of imported snakes just by keeping them in easy to clean tanks.Keeping them on terry-cloth and a tub they can soak in.Mites drownd,all the time feeding them as much as they will eat.This helps make up for lost blood and hopefully gets them to shed thier skin quickly.All the mites come off then,if keep an eye out you can remove the snake from its house just before it sheds to a damp pillowcase,thoroughly clean it's house and return the snake after it sheds-mites GONE.Good luck jenni/

Thank you Jenni.

Thats alot of what I was thinking. I have tried to do many searches on mites and water snakes but have cone up with nothing. The guy who brought this up likes to take the notion that if something happens once it will always happen in every case. I am looking for someone to back up what he is saying and, so I dont sound foolish disagreeing with him in a meeting, if he is right about it. I also like hearing what the long time keepers of these animals say about working with them. Thank you again for all any help

Tom

I have never introduced mites in my collection from wild caught snakes I have captured myself. I think it would be hard for water snakes to harbor them to due to their aquatic natures. Mites drown easily in water, and water snakes spend a large amount of time swimming above and below the water in search of food. Still, if you suspect mites you can always do a quarantine treatment. The best product on the market is Provent-A-Mite. Stuff works great. You can spray the inside of the cage and bedding before putting the snake in. Follow the directions and spray lightly. Do it outside as the vapors are dangerous to the snakes. Allow the cage to COMPLETELY dry and fluff the bedding around to make sure it is COMPLETELY dry and no moisture or vapors from the provent a mite is left on any cage surfaces or the bedding. This will kill any adult mites on the snake and the baby mites when any eggs hatch.

Hey Tom,After reading my reply I thought I should make things a little clearer.First mites will KILL your snake in short order if left unchecked.In the wild they're constantly falling off,in a tank them and all their eggs are not going anywhere.This will turn into an epidemic quick.A snake is like a fish in that they don't have very much blood to begin with.A small glass tank is best for the infected animal.This should be cleaned every day,and at least every three days.This should be cleaned with hot water and DAWN soap or windex and again with clean water.Also the surrounding area.Animal also should be kept far away from other animals(seperate room).Use toilet paper to clean with and flush it right away.Use terry-cloth,washcloths for substrate,the mites get caught in it.Toss them in the wash with liquid detergent and wash them right away,dry on high heat.It helps alot if you wash the snake off also.Feed the snake alot,those water snakes dig fish(goldfish work).Northern water snakes eyes go very blue when they're in shed.When their eyes go clear again you can put them in a damp pillowcase,this moistens the skin and makes it more likely the skin will turn inside out and trap any remaining mites,this part isn't absolutly nessisary but it usually works well.I all this does not work the first time be vigilant and try again.Like I said before I DO NOT USE POISON and DO NOT recomend its use.And also as I said before just doing these easy things a I have cleaned up all infected animals I have ever recieved.hope this helps jenni/

That does help thank you a ton.

Tom