what would you do?

[nick654377]

Well as you know i picked up a bcc at a show last week. he is around 4 foot. Well he has been soaking alot lately. he was in the water yesterday afternoon untill i took him out to handle him and he is in there again today. Would you go ahead and do PAM on the tank and mite killer from reptile basics on him? he does have specs on him but they do not look like mites. I am using repti bark and eco earth as substarte and in the water bowl has small black specs but i dont know if it is just repti bark or eco earth. he doesnt look like he has mites. the bottom of his head is clean and same with around his eyes. here are some pictures.

what you do guys think? should i just go ahead and do the PAM and mite killer?

[Rob]

I always pre spray enclosures with Pam when I get something new in.

[Daybreaker]

I always PAM whatever I'm to use for a new addition; regardless if they came from an expo or a trusted breeder. Preventative measures: so yes, I would PAM the enclosure/tub/whatever you have him in. Just follow the instructions on the can.

[nick654377]

would you also use mite killer on the snake as well too? how many times do you use the PAM?

[Rob]

Pre treat with Pam regardless if there are mites or not. If there are continue with the Pam exactly as it says on the can. Your also going to have to clean out the enclosure like a mad man until they are gone. Also it's a good idea to keep your snake one paper towels for the time being. Mites are a total PITA, but keep up with the cleaning and Pam and you will win the battle.

[Evenstar]

This is going to go against some of the advice you've already gotten and against what some others here might tell you, because most folks here are die-hard PAM users. And there's nothing wrong with that - PAM is a good product and quite effective.

HOWEVER, it can also be very dangerous if used incorrectly. Here is what I would do:

I would completely gut out Diablo's enclosure and thoroughly wash his hide box, log, and water bowl (and any other permanent deco in there). I would use the Reptile Spray from Reptile Basics http://www.reptilebasics.com/mite-killers and spay down/wipe out the enclosure (make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies). Replace the substrate with paper towels. Spray down your snake with the same Reptile Spray. Do the same thing with your Dumerils' enclosure (even if the mites haven't traveled yet, since they are housed one on top of the other, you have to assume that your Dum might also have them and better to be safe than sorry).

Problem 100% solved in one afternoon.

Here is my experience with mites and Reptile Spray and why I advocate this product over PAM.... I purchased a baby sunglow boa at the Tinley Park expo in October. Found mites on her that first night in the hotel room. Promptly went back to the expo the next morning intending to grab a can of PAM and nuke everything. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to speak with Rich from Reptile Basics before I did that and he gave me a bottle of Reptile Spray and told me how to use it. I sprayed down my baby in the hotel room sink and watched the mites die (and, yes, these were the little hard ones that squished blood and were active on the snake). My baby was instantly and completely mite-free! I sprayed and wiped down her small travel tub and put in fresh paper towels. Also sprayed the other boa I'd purchased the day before as well to be on the safe side. I didn't come home with a single one of these little buggers, the problem was solved in one morning after only 30 minutes.

There are tons of warning associated with PAM and there are some accounts of mites becoming resistant to the chemical. The Reptile Spray is much safer, easier to use, and every bit as effective. I treat every new arrival with this product and I've never had mites take hold in my collection.

[wwmjkd]

This is going to go against some of the advice you've already gotten and against what some others here might tell you, because most folks here are die-hard PAM users. And there's nothing wrong with that - PAM is a good product and quite effective.

HOWEVER, it can also be very dangerous if used incorrectly. Here is what I would do:

I would completely gut out Diablo's enclosure and thoroughly wash his hide box, log, and water bowl (and any other permanent deco in there). I would use the Reptile Spray from Reptile Basics http://www.reptilebasics.com/mite-killers and spay down/wipe out the enclosure (make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies). Replace the substrate with paper towels. Spray down your snake with the same Reptile Spray. Do the same thing with your Dumerils' enclosure (even if the mites haven't traveled yet, since they are housed one on top of the other, you have to assume that your Dum might also have them and better to be safe than sorry).

Problem 100% solved in one afternoon.

Here is my experience with mites and Reptile Spray and why I advocate this product over PAM.... I purchased a baby sunglow boa at the Tinley Park expo in October. Found mites on her that first night in the hotel room. Promptly went back to the expo the next morning intending to grab a can of PAM and nuke everything. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to speak with Rich from Reptile Basics before I did that and he gave me a bottle of Reptile Spray and told me how to use it. I sprayed down my baby in the hotel room sink and watched the mites die (and, yes, these were the little hard ones that squished blood and were active on the snake). My baby was instantly and completely mite-free! I sprayed and wiped down her small travel tub and put in fresh paper towels. Also sprayed the other boa I'd purchased the day before as well to be on the safe side. I didn't come home with a single one of these little buggers, the problem was solved in one morning after only 30 minutes.

There are tons of warning associated with PAM and there are some accounts of mites becoming resistant to the chemical. The Reptile Spray is much safer, easier to use, and every bit as effective. I treat every new arrival with this product and I've never had mites take hold in my collection.

that's about the best advice one could ask for. I am an staunch supporter of using PAM, but it is perhaps overused and almost certainly not always used properly. to the OP, everyone should READ the damn label on the can. DO NOT use PAM or any other mite-control product in, around, or directly on any living animal, unless specifically directed to do so. provent-a-mite is meant exclusively to treat the substrate in an enclosure, not an animal.

I might've missed it, but also make sure you actually have mites. it's a good idea to pre-treat enclosures as a prophylactic measure, but you should probably be aware that boas are speckled. the question is whether those black specks move around, wind up in the water bowl and feed off their host.

[wwmjkd]

would you also use mite killer on the snake as well too? how many times do you use the PAM?

since this point is important if you're too lazy to read instructions, I will re-iterate: no, do NOT use provent-a-mite directly on your snake, near your cat, or next to your dog's water bowl. use it sparingly on the enclosure only in a room with adequate ventilation, and, only as often as the instructions specify until you have eliminated the problem.

[WifeOfSlasher]

Considering the soaking i think its a pretty safe bet that there are mites. You don't always see them on the snake or in the water. Its just how it goes. The only and only occurrence of soaking with my boa was because of mites. The only occurrence with our BP was mites and when the hot side of his enclosure got too hot because the thermostat was dislodged. I would assume that anytime you see soaking there is a problem. Now.... here we go!

We placed a tub of warm water with enough water to submerge the entire body and a towel that sat about 1-2" below the surface of the water on a heating pad set to low checking the temp with a temp gun making sure the water temp was good. Once it appeared to be stable at around 80 we started our clean. First up - snake in the tub, lid on, brick or other heavy object. I would not advise soaking for more than 30 minutes.

Totally clean out the tank.

Wipe down inside and out and the stand.

Scrub the water bowl and other washable items with hot soapy water.

Wood, rocks, etc in the oven at 250 for at least 30 minutes. Be sure to check for potential smoking. We never had a problem.

PAM according to instructions. (I am going to add that spray to our arsenal.)

We also spray the paper towels in an x pattern.

Once the enclosure and paper towels are dry put everything back together, make sure your baked items are no longer hot. They cool rather quickly but I would rather have a furniture free enclosure than a too warm snake so I wait at least an hour before putting these items back.

Remove snake from the water and dry off. Treated with reptile relief. Put snake back if all cleaning is complete and dry. Hang out for awhile if not. We always ran our guys from mites. I kept a qtip handy and the reptile relief. If you apply it directly to the mite it was back out, you can get it on the qtip, then SQUISH IT!!!!

When I was spraying paper towels I also did enough for 2-3 more changes and stored these in a ziploc bag to change the "substrate" every three days.

We stayed on paper towels for a month. Ranjan was NOT thrilled with this idea but you can see the mites crawling on the paper. I knew what our mite source was because we fought them for weeks. Everything would appear clear, add substrate back to the tank and BAM!!! mites

Now, NEVER buy substrate form a store with reptiles! We always buy ours from the grocery store.

[nick654377]

I wasnt talking about using pam on the snake. I know its for tank only. If you read i was talking about mite killer from reptile basics for the snake.

since this point is important if you're too lazy to read instructions, I will re-iterate: no, do NOT use provent-a-mite directly on your snake, near your cat, or next to your dog's water bowl. use it sparingly on the enclosure only in a room with adequate ventilation, and, only as often as the instructions specify until you have eliminated the problem.