Mites?

[Quacking-Terror]

I noticed our baby RTB has been soaking a lot lately, like constantly in her water bowl. Tonight I pulled her out and on impulse decided to check the water. Little black specks that I wasn't sure about were present. I thought maybe it could be dirt, because we use cypress mulch. My girlfriend checked the girl over and saw absolutely nothing actually on the snake. However, when fishing one of the "specks" out of the water bowl and squeezing it between her nails, she saw what looked to be blood. Could this be mites, or since they are not on the snake itself that we can see, just some bug in the mulch considering we forgot to bake it? Thanks.

[dragonboy4578]

It very well could be mites. I would recommend ordering some PAM. It is better to be safe than sorry...

[Alexandra V]

Sounds like mites to me too. My boa had mites when we got her, and I wasn't able to get PAM here so I did the next best thing, which was one tube of Nix headlice treatment in one gallon of distilled water, take the water bowl out, spray the snake and all the furnishings, keep the water out for 24 hrs so the snake doesn't soak the solution off, then leave it for 2-3 days and repeat for a couple times.

It worked like a charm for me, and the mites never came back. Since then I've gotten into the habit of spraying down any new bedding and furnishings with mite spray just to stave off any potential infestations from that.

The tricky thing is that you might not see them on the snake because they tend to get under the scales and are super hard to see. But if you're finding them in the water bowl and the snake is soaking, then they're clearly there.

[mpkeelee]

Ya its prolly mites. Doesn't sound too bad yet so get some PAM and start treating. A bad case of mites is when u can see them crawling on ur snake and on ur hands when not holding any snakes. Check on the snakes face. They like the eyes and heat pits. I find mite-off on a q-tip directly on the snakes face and heat pits works great. Good luck and let us know if u need.help

[meeistom]

First thing throw out all the bedding the snake has been in contact with. Put the snake on newspaper or paper towel or the like. Get some mite killer ASAP. I use Reptile Relief and it works great and it's safe. Pam is good too just crazy expensive. Next if the snakes cage is near a carpet vaccum it really good everyday for till the mites are gone for 5 days. Mites can lay eggs in carpet and after they hatch they can reinfest the snake and you have to start all over again.

You can read some more about mites if you'd like here.
http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_...of_snake_mites

[Quacking-Terror]

Thanks everyone. Getting some reptile relief in the morning and some PAM asap. figure the RR will work until the PAM arrives.

[Quacking-Terror]

Okay, we went and got some Zoo Med Mite Off this morning (temporary until we get some PAM). We treated her and her tank at about 10am this morning. Removed the water bowl before treating, replaced the water bowl a little while after treatment. Now, she is soaking in her water bowl. Is it safe for her to drink that water or do I need to find another water source for her in a smaller dish so she can't soak in it?