Snake needs help

[Newbie Ball]

Little about my snake.

I got my ball python around January funerary he was about 5-7 months old? (he was still a baby when i got him). He eats great, 1 mouse a week. (Hasn't given up a meal yet.) He is well tempered, around everyone in my family. (no bites, or attempted bites.) he shed shortly after i got him, 2-3weeks after i got him, first shed didn't come off in one piece. (humidity problem, it is solved now.). now, lets fast forward April, he shedded again, it came all off in one piece, no problems. then end-beginning of march he got mites. (I got em from the pet store). I didn't have the mite medicine for him. So i went to my local pet store to see if they have any remeditys for him. The guy behind the counter suggested soaking him in mineral water. Without researching if it was a good idea, I soaked him. (march 4th?) fast forward a week, I noticed him not being well rounded, and some of his scales are falling off.

He use to be rounded (firm) but now hes triangle, and mushes, also I noticed some of his scales falling off, or I think they are. I still see the outline of the scales when they come off.



I'm taking him to a walk in vet on Tuesday. to see if I can do anything for him.
I'm just wondering what I can do for him now. his last feed was Monday, I'm thinking about skipping his meal this week, or until after the vet check up.

[martin82531]

For now I would quit the soaking, there is no need for it. For mites I would recommend http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile-relief-8-oz.


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[martin82531]

Also what are your temps/humidity and how are you measuring them.


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[Newbie Ball]

temps are 89-91 on hot side. (thermostat) cool side, around 80.
Haven't measured humidity in awhile, I figure it to be high. I keep a heat lamp over the lamp so it evaporates. (thus humidity). I guess the humidity could be too high?
I'll see if I could find the humidity gauge for my tank.

Also hes in a fish tank.

[FireStorm]

Do you have a thermometer in addition to the thermostat, to measure the hot side temps? If so, what kind (digital or analog)? Where is your thermostat probe? How long did you soak him for? How warm was the water? Keep in mind that if the water feels warm to you, it will feel hot to your snake.

[FireStorm]

Also, what kind of mineral water (plain "spring water" or something else) did you soak him in? I have never heard of that remedy before.

[Annarose15]

Pictures?

[Kaorte]

You need to get Provet-a-Mite: http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

Reptile relief is garbage and it won't get rid of the mites completely like PAM will.

Did you soak your snake in mineral oil? That is what it sounds like. That would explain why the scales are sloughing off like that.

You don't have to soak your snake in anything special to drown the mites on the snakes body. Plain old water and a drop or two of dawn dish soap will do the trick. But PAM (not to be confused with the cooking spray) is the only way to get rid of them for good and be done with it.

[martin82531]

You need to get Provet-a-Mite: http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

Reptile relief is garbage and it won't get rid of the mites completely like PAM will.

Did you soak your snake in mineral oil? That is what it sounds like. That would explain why the scales are sloughing off like that.

You don't have to soak your snake in anything special to drown the mites on the snakes body. Plain old water and a drop or two of dawn dish soap will do the trick. But PAM (not to be confused with the cooking spray) is the only way to get rid of them for good and be done with it.

Besides saying its garbage do you have anything to back up this claim, facts maybe? Here is the product description from the website, is there anything on the description that your saying is inaccurate?

Kills mites on contact! This Product does not use poisons or other toxins to achieve results, so mites do not become resistant, Thus, the product never loses effectiveness.
EPA registered
Highly effective on fleas, ticks, lice & mites
Unconditionally guaranteed
Contains no pyrethrins or similar chemicals
EPA approved label requires NO HAZARD WARNINGS!
Lowest possible toxicity ratings in all EPA categories
pH adjusted to minimize irritation
Reptile Relief can be applied directly on pet, with no need to remove water or feed dispensers from habitat!
The Science of Reptile Relief-
The active ingredients in De Flea products work together to soften the waxy exoskeleton of fleas, ticks, lice, mites and other insects. Once the insect's armor has been penetrated, its internal organs are saturated and the insect quickly bursts. De Flea products work for all stages of an insect's life cycle: eggs, larvae, pupae and adult - effectively eliminating all mites and eggs from the cage on contact.


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[Kaorte]

Besides saying its garbage do you have anything to back up this claim, facts maybe? Here is the product description from the website, is there anything on the description that your saying is inaccurate?

Kills mites on contact! This Product does not use poisons or other toxins to achieve results, so mites do not become resistant, Thus, the product never loses effectiveness.
EPA registered
Highly effective on fleas, ticks, lice & mites
Unconditionally guaranteed
Contains no pyrethrins or similar chemicals
EPA approved label requires NO HAZARD WARNINGS!
Lowest possible toxicity ratings in all EPA categories
pH adjusted to minimize irritation
Reptile Relief can be applied directly on pet, with no need to remove water or feed dispensers from habitat!
The Science of Reptile Relief-
The active ingredients in De Flea products work together to soften the waxy exoskeleton of fleas, ticks, lice, mites and other insects. Once the insect's armor has been penetrated, its internal organs are saturated and the insect quickly bursts. De Flea products work for all stages of an insect's life cycle: eggs, larvae, pupae and adult - effectively eliminating all mites and eggs from the cage on contact.


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It is my understanding that reptile relief is for use on the snake, to kill mites that may be bothering the animal. Soaking in plain old water will accomplish the same thing with ZERO chemicals on the snake.

Since reptile relief is only used on the snake (not on the enclosure like PAM) it does NOT address the entire life cycle of the mite. Mites migrate off the snake to lay their eggs. The eggs are quite resilient, even to products like PAM. You spray PAM on your substrate and it will continue to be active for up to 30 days. So, this product doesn't kill the eggs, but it sticks around until the eggs hatch, killing the mites right then and there and stopping the cycle.


I would not waste my money on reptile relief. For about the same price you can get PAM and know your mite problem will be long gone. With reptile relief, you might be struggling to get rid of them for months.