Ok... what is going on??

[boclcown]

I got my baby ball this saturday. I went to pull it out of its cage to change its water and his eyes are milky white. His skin also seems faded a bit. I assume he is going into shed, but I didn't notice it until suddenly, and was handling him yesterday.

I wouldn't be worried at all, but there are two BIG problems. One... I definitely saw a mite. Little black speck that moved around in the substrate. I googled some photos... so there is a mite problem.

TWO... he is breathing very heavily and quickly, almost like a pant, and he is barely moving. I haven't installed a thermostat and the cage might have fallen to like 70 degrees, but the heating lamp was only off for a couple of hours, and it is definitely warm enough during the day.

Is he sick? I'm worried the milky eyes are a symptom of something different than a shed...

[llovelace]

I got my baby ball this saturday. I went to pull it out of its cage to change its water and his eyes are milky white. His skin also seems faded a bit. I assume he is going into shed, but I didn't notice it until suddenly, and was handling him yesterday.He is going into shed

I wouldn't be worried at all, but there are two BIG problems. One... I definitely saw a mite. Little black speck that moved around in the substrate. I googled some photos... so there is a mite problem. Order a can of PAM
or treat enclosure with a lice bedding spray.

TWO... he is breathing very heavily and quickly, almost like a pant, and he is barely moving. They do that when they are scared. I haven't installed a thermostat and the cage might have fallen to like 70 degrees, but the heating lamp was only off for a couple of hours, and it is definitely warm enough during the day.

Is he sick? I'm worried the milky eyes are a symptom of something different than a shed...

[Munizfire]

The heavy/fast breathing might prolly be because he is scared.






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[Herpking]

If I were you I would take the substrate out, let him soak in the tub, spray cage with Prevent A Mite ( Can be picked up at most pet stores), and put paper towels down as the substrate.

[Herpking]

Since they are new ilovelace, I would just specify with pam in case of misunderstanding

[decensored]

If I were you I would take the substrate out, let him soak in the tub, spray cage with Prevent A Mite ( Can be picked up at most pet stores), and put paper towels down as the substrate.

do not do this.. It says right on the can not to spray the enclosure just the substrate. You also want to keep the snake on a proper substrate. Paper towels are a good thing to use as a bedding when you first get a new snake because you can tell if they have mites easily - once they have mites, you need to move them onto treated substrate ASAP to start killing the bugs.

Yes, treat for mites - but do it properly. Once he sheds, remove the shed immediately, and make sure to PROPERLY treat the enclosure. Read the can VERY CAREFULLY and if you have any questions, post them. A lot of people on here have experience with mites and treatment.

Cheers.

[Lolo76]

do not do this.. It says right on the can not to spray the enclosure just the substrate.

I sprayed it directly on the snake tubs (when I had an outbreak last year), actually at the recommendation of nearly everyone here on BP.net. As long as you give it ample time to air out/dry - which only takes about 20 minutes - there's nothing wrong with spraying the enclosure. Just make sure to remove the water dish first, and don't spray the snake himself.

P.S. To correct the earlier post, it's called Provent-a-Mite, and usually cannot be purchased at a pet shop... best place to buy is here: http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

[decensored]

P.S. To correct the earlier post, it's called Provent-a-Mite, and usually cannot be purchased at a pet shop... best place to buy is here: http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

I like to pick up a can every year at the Expo (if I am out) just to have it in case of an outbreak. Saves shipping costs . Depending on your location you can pick it up at some reptile stores. Call around - I know there is two places in Toronto that carries it.

[Herpking]

They had it at our pet supplies plus when I started collecting snakes. They gave me stuff to kill the mites, they said spray it on the snake, and the cage, then put the snake in the tub and wipe out the cage.. I no longer listen to pet supplies plus seeing as how we got the snakes from them the day before and both snakes were covered in them.

[ogdentrece]

do not do this.. It says right on the can not to spray the enclosure just the substrate. You also want to keep the snake on a proper substrate. Paper towels are a good thing to use as a bedding when you first get a new snake because you can tell if they have mites easily - once they have mites, you need to move them onto treated substrate ASAP to start killing the bugs.

Yes, treat for mites - but do it properly. Once he sheds, remove the shed immediately, and make sure to PROPERLY treat the enclosure. Read the can VERY CAREFULLY and if you have any questions, post them. A lot of people on here have experience with mites and treatment.

Cheers.

Paper towels is a decent substrate. And its not just about killing the bugs but also preventing it from breeding, and any eggs from hatching at all. So having him on paper towels during this period of treatment is great because it is hard for mites to breed there, and replaced cheaply, easily and quickly every few days to once a week which is one of the things you need to do with a mite problem.