Maybe Mites?

[Rhapsody]

I took my ball python out of his tank to get a couple pictures of him, and I noticed very tiny flecks moving quickly on his body. But I would have never noticed them if I didnt see them reflected by the sunlight. No matter how hard I stare at him (now back in his tank) I cant see anything. Arent mites visable to the human eye?

I know prevent a mite is the best thing to prevent/get rid of mites, but I dont want to wait for it to come in the mail while he's infected.

There's some stuff at my local herp store called mite-off does it work?

He also struck out at me when I picked him up to get him back in the tank...just thought he was kinda grumpy

[Aza]

has he been soaking much? a month ago i had to deal with a mite problem and we successfully used mite-off. it worked very well, just emptied out the tank, washed it out, mite-off enclosure and Aza, substrate change to paper towels, repeat in 3 days to get the whole life cycle, non-feeders that weren't killed in the first round. it worked well and she is clear of all mites. i always sprayed some mite off surrounding the enclosure so there was no chance for stray mites to aimlessly reinfect and they starve in a short time if not on a reptile.

[Rhapsody]

has he been soaking much? a month ago i had to deal with a mite problem and we successfully used mite-off. it worked very well, just emptied out the tank, washed it out, mite-off enclosure and Aza, substrate change to paper towels, repeat in 3 days to get the whole life cycle, non-feeders that weren't killed in the first round. it worked well and she is clear of all mites. i always sprayed some mite off surrounding the enclosure so there was no chance for stray mites to aimlessly reinfect and they starve in a short time if not on a reptile.

I got him and he stayed in his hide for two days. I brought him out today, and when I put him back he poked around a little. I noticed he had his tail in the water for maybe five minutes, started moving around again, went back in his hide.

I hate to say it, but I'm a little afraid of picking him up again after he struck at me...Hopefully he'll have a better temperment tomorrow when I pick up the mite off...

Do you spray the snake directly with the mite off?

[Aza]

i did while avoiding the face with the spray. the inside of the enclosure had a good amount in there that i knew it would rub onto her neck which is a favorite hiding place for mites. i have heard some conflicting views on spray treatments such as belief that long term effects are unknown though i believe after researching that they are safe. i haven't seen any negative side effects, she's been feeding great, friendly (for a snake), and no more soaking. there are so many techniques to getting rid of mites but that is how i personally did it and it worked great. hopefully he won't be so touchy when you go in, maybe try the evening because they're nocturnal or just catch him when he's out of it? either way it should be fine. good luck with it all. i know what its like to know your snake has mites but the feeling that you took care of it and they're gone plus the knowledge to prevent for the future is great.

[Rhapsody]

Well, I did catch him while he was out of it today (less than an hour ago) and the whole time he was on the towel he was in a defensive pose. I thought he would relax a little, but he never did.

[Aza]

i'm sure you could get some good advice, with dealing with a currently aggressive snake, on here. i would just take a thick magazine and lower it into the enclosure in front of him, see if he strikes (make sure there is not way you can get tagged) and if he doesn't strike or if there is an opening, grab him behind the head and take him out with another hand supporting the body. That's how I put stuff back in my girlfriend's rtb enclosure when she is in her feeding instinct and mice smell is everywhere.

[hoo-t]

Rhapsody,
I know that you just got Sharky. Is he a baby? If so, he won't hurt you if he bites. I guarantee you that even a small dog could hurt you much worse. I was bitten twice in the same night by two of my bps that were in the 750 - 850 gram (about 1.5 - 2 lbs) size range. The smaller one drew blood. Even then, it didn't hurt as much as when I get a shot at the dr's office, and my Chow/Lab does more damage when she's playing! Oh, and rats, those things HURT when they bite!!!! Just saying all this to hopefully ease your mind about getting bitten by your bp. The more you handle your snake, the more comfortable he will be with you. He should quit striking at you within a week or so if you handle him every day. I have about 40 snakes, and don't handle them all every day. One of those two that bit me is a total sweetheart now. The other hasn't bitten me since either.

When you pick him up, reach down from behind his head, not in front of him. If he's in a defensive position, like Aza said, you can use a magazine or book, or even your feeding tongs to gently touch him on or near his head. He will probably recoil and tuck his head in. Then you should be able to pick him up without him striking.

Having a feisty little ball python is a good thing! Usually it means he won't be timid come feeding time!

Mites - You've already gotten good advice there too. One thing you can do to provide temporary relief is give him a bath. Put just a couple inches of 80 - 85 degree fahrenheit water in a plastic tub, and put him in there for about an hour. Watch closely! Most of the mites that are currently on him should drown. If you use a white tub (or a clear one placed on a white surface), you should be able to see little black dots on the bottom of the tub (drowned mites). After his bath, then treat him with the Mite-Off or Provent-A-Mite. I haven't used Mite-Off. Provent-A-Mite (with an "O") came highly recommended, and I've used it a couple times with great effect. Be sure to treat Penguin too as mites like to travel. I don't know about the geckos with mite treatment, but you should probably find out. At the very least, treat the area around the outside of the enclosure. Mites are nasty, nasty creatures and you MUST get rid of ALL of them! If the room where Sharky lives is carpeted, put a couple moth balls in the vacuum bag, and vacuum the room. The moth balls will kill any mites sucked into the vacuum.

One more thing, and I'll quit. Make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you wash your hands and arms very, very well after touching Sharky or his enclosure!
(edit -) It wouldn't hurt to change clothes as well. (- end edit) Remember, mites like to travel, and they won't mind hitching a ride on YOU!

(edit again -) Put your "taming" plans on hold until you get rid of the mites. No sense spreading the little buggers around. (- end edit)

Hope this dissertation helps somewhat!
Steve

[Rhapsody]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I'm going on a mite killing spree tomorrow. I ordered the prevent a mite, but I'm still going to buy the mite off tomorrow.


I'm not taking any chances, so I'm just going to treat all six tanks I have for mites.

Now I'm glad I didnt throw out all those cosmo magazines lol. Hopefully sharky gets a little more friendly the next couple of days.

He was sold as an "adult" but he only seems two feet long (havent weighed him yet, scale is being shipped).

I really hope those stupid things dont travel too fast. I put a long towel down on my bed and put sharky on that while I was taking pictures...I dont want to sleep with these things...

Ugh I cant wait til tomorrow

[Rhapsody]

Okay, so I took sharky out using the magazine trick (he didnt strike, but always stayed in a defensive pose, even after i touched his head a little with the magazine) and I put him in my bath tub (very shallow warm water). He sat there in his lil defensive pose and I sprayed his body down with the Mite-Off (he jerked every time he got spritzed). I got a little close to his neck and he started swimming around.


I waited til he calmed down a bit and scooped up a little water to rinse off his back. I put him in a plastic tub with a towel in it and set it in a warm area while I got to work on his tank.

I removed all the substrate (after spraying it) and tossed it. Sprayed down both his hides, his water bowl, and his shark decoration. Sprayed down his entire tank and wiped it clean. Right now I've just got paper towels in there (I'm going to repeat the process in three days) and set all his furniture back. I'm waiting for it to air dry a bit more so there's absolutely no fumes.

I also sprayed around all the other tanks

Hopefully this does the trick.