mites!

[westherocker]

I think my snake has mites, he was soaking with his head out only when I got home from work... and tonight when i was changing his water there were two specks in there...are there any inexpensive ways of exterminating mites?

[Noek]

Provent-A-Mite

'nuff said

[Kara]

Provent-A-Mite is good when you follow the instructions it comes with. A thorough disinfecting of the enclosure & all cage furniture is beneficial as well, as is a thorough vacuuming of the room, and disposal of any loose substrate where mites could hide. Getting rid of mites on the snake itself is the easy part. Ridding your snake room of them is where it can become tricky. Fortunately there's a lot of good info on this forum about mite eradication.

First off though, have you *positively* identified the flecks in your snake's water bowl as mites? As they could be bark from a log hide, bits of substrate, etc. It's good to be tuned in to your snake's behavior & his environment, but also look at other factors - i.e. could he be soaking in the water because his other hide is too warm/cool? Or maybe, the snake is just soaking. It's OK for them to soak, you just want to rule out all other factors (i.e. hides, heat, mites) in the event that it becomes excessive. For example, a snake soaking for a few hours here or there usually isn't a worry. If you observe repeat visits to the water bowl, then it's time to really key in on the cause.

Again, it's great that you're being so observant, especially as a new keeper...that's a really good habit to get into! Just remember to check up on all the simple causes of a specific behavior before you just focus on one big one. i.e. when you hear hoofbeats, rule out horses before you go looking for zebras.

Good luck!

K~

[rabernet]

Just remember to check up on all the simple causes of a specific behavior before you just focus on one big one. i.e. when you hear hoofbeats, rule out horses before you go looking for zebras.

Good luck!

K~

I LOVE it!

[Jonny2184]

With my corn snake, I took him out, put him in a bucket of luke-warm water and disinfected every inch and corner of his tank and accessories.
Then went and cleaned him off really good, and tried my best to get the mites off his head, and I think I did that porcess twice and they were eventually gone.
With my BP I used the Provent-A-Mite stuff....
Dang Pet Stores and there mite infestations!!!!!

[herpmajor]

If you want something cheap that works great go to Walmart and buy some of the spray you use to get rid of lice. It used to kill lice and mites on your floor, bed, and other furiture. Take your snake out and put him in a pillow case or something. Clean the aquarium out and put in new substrate. Then spray everything in the cage including water dish and hide even substrate. Let it sit for 24 hours and then let him back in. The small amount of spray that did not evaporate in those 24 hours is enough to kill the mites that are still on him. This works better than most products that you can order for herps and is a lot cheaper, not to mention you can get it at your local department stoor.

[littleindiangirl]

Is it a pymethrin based product? Provent a mite has had extensive testing specifically for herps... I wouldn't choose less then that.

[elevatethis]

If you want something cheap that works great go to Walmart and buy some of the spray you use to get rid of lice. It used to kill lice and mites on your floor, bed, and other furiture. Take your snake out and put him in a pillow case or something. Clean the aquarium out and put in new substrate. Then spray everything in the cage including water dish and hide even substrate. Let it sit for 24 hours and then let him back in. The small amount of spray that did not evaporate in those 24 hours is enough to kill the mites that are still on him. This works better than most products that you can order for herps and is a lot cheaper, not to mention you can get it at your local department stoor.

I know you are trying to help, but making a general recommendation for a newbie to buy an unspecified insecticide to use for their snake isn't very responsible, especially one containing toxic chemicals.

Instead, recommend a product that has been designed specifically for use for herps (provent-a-mite). I think it is sad that there's people out there that would risk their herps health/life to save $15.

[herpmajor]

It actually has been tested on reptiles and proven to work. Many Zoos, Aquariums and breeders use it. It alot easier to come by, cheaper, and works just as good. I use to use prevent-o-mite too. But then a friend of mine that is a curator at zoo told me about the spray. I tried it and it worked great.

[herpmajor]

I also checked with my vet to see if it was safe and he said yes.