help , i think it was a mite!

[DarkSmoke]

i was holding my ball python tonight and suddenly i saw a round black dot walking on my hand, i don't know if it was a mite but it looks like every describes them altough i dont know the actual size of it but it was small like double the size of a fullstop. when i got the snake i washed t he new container with antiseptic as usual to kill micro organsm like bacteria and such wich i do every month to my other snake too. i never saw anything like this on the snake in the whole 3days it has been here neither in the viv, i check the snake well and there was nothing on him :S should i be alarmed?

[Royal Morphz]

If something walked off your snake and was black it was a mite and believe you me you dont just have 1 mite you have many mites

[flynn]

Personally, I would be very alarmed. Keep a close eye and if you see anything the next day treat for mites. In fact for the low cost of mite treatment, just go ahead and treat for mites. I have had mites show up after a week with an animal in qt.

Be sure to keep this animal away from any established snakes that you have.

[DarkSmoke]

ok i heared there is this thing called provent-a-mite but i dont think there is in my country, where can i buy it from ? :S

[DarkSmoke]

also if i throw away the bedding and the hides(they are made of cardboard) and wash the tank with antisceptic , is it enough if there are none on the snake? btw im changing his tank tomorrow cause his shelf viv should be ready.

[DarkSmoke]

If something walked off your snake and was black it was a mite and believe you me you dont just have 1 mite you have many mites

i don't know if it walked of the snake, i just saw it walking on my arm towards the snake, but i never saw an insect like it in my room or in my country so i dont know what it was.

[Boanerges]

Give your snake a soak in room temp water and see if there are any at the bottom of the container in the water. Water should only go about half way up the thickness of your snake. I would also keep an eye on him while he is soaking to make sure everything is okay

[Quiet Tempest]

Just throwing out another thought.. Do you keep rodents? I remember having a problem with rodent mites a long while back and when I first saw one it was on one of my snakes I assumed I had a snake mite problem. I treated all the tubs in our snake rack and pulled every snake out to check for any creepy crawlies. Later, however, I found that the problem originated from a group of mice I was keeping. Apparently one of the newer additions to our mouse colony brought some "friends" with her and they multiplied and were in my snake room... Once we knew what was going on, it was just a matter of treating the rodent cages and the carpet in the room. It makes me itchy just thinking about it. Whatever it is, I hope you get it taken care of soon.

[DarkSmoke]

Just throwing out another thought.. Do you keep rodents? I remember having a problem with rodent mites a long while back and when I first saw one it was on one of my snakes I assumed I had a snake mite problem. I treated all the tubs in our snake rack and pulled every snake out to check for any creepy crawlies. Later, however, I found that the problem originated from a group of mice I was keeping. Apparently one of the newer additions to our mouse colony brought some "friends" with her and they multiplied and were in my snake room... Once we knew what was going on, it was just a matter of treating the rodent cages and the carpet in the room. It makes me itchy just thinking about it. Whatever it is, I hope you get it taken care of soon.

yes my girlfriend had a hamster wich just passed away and she has a dwarf hamster

[Crazy4Herps]

Yep, that's a mite. Imo, if you hear a wheeze from a snake, give it some time before treating with baytril for an RI. With mites, it's different. If there's a single mite in your house, your snake will have many mites. I'm not exaggerating. They are things of nightmares!! And if the infestation really settles in, you're in big trouble.

In short, spray down the enclosure with Provent-A-Mite asap. I use PAM in the snake enclosures every six months or so even if I haven't seen any mites. No risks involved if you follow the instructions. Even if your snake doesn't have mites (which I highly doubt), a preventative spray of PAM will be a good thing. And then you'll have a bottle of it on hand just in case you have further troubles.

ok i heared there is this thing called provent-a-mite but i dont think there is in my country, where can i buy it from ? :S

PAM is the only way to go. I spent well over six months fighting a mite infestation with other sprays and daily baths and cage cleanings. It did nothing. I owe so much to PAM.

http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59
^ Only place it's available to my knowledge. They've got wonderful customer service, too. I've emailed them a few times with some Qs and they answered promptly and thoroughly. Great people, great stuff!