Worried about my bp!!!!

[aksledneck907]

So i noticed lately that my bp has not been as active as it normally is since the last time i gave him food. i have not noticed any poop in his cage and i feed him like a week and a half ago and is was a adult mouse. and i noticed small black dots on his belly but i cant tell if its substrate or not and some disformed scales right behind his head. i am kinda worried i have been trying to keep his humidity up since it is winter and i am in alaska. and the temp is at about 75-85 but at max 90 and is it normal when they get older to be less active? i am worried if he has mites? and any advice would be helpful

[cody2004]

switch over to newspaper, soak him/her is some warm water for bout 15 mins, and if you got a local reptile store, you can get wats called Mite Off, My Ball Python was a Wild Caught, and she came to me with mites, was a pain but a month later, mite free. If thats your issue, but yea make sure that the temp where your BP is hiding is the temp of the reading your getting. As far as activity, mine is a bum. haha. I dont know how old yours is, mine eats two adult Mice. to get full. Might try and feed it again. The reason for the newspaper, allows you to clean the cage easy if you have mights, and allows you to see them alot better rather than them hiding in the bedding. Let me know if this helps. good luck. best wishes.

[PythonWallace]

If he is older as you say, he should be eating a lot more than 1 mouse every week and a half. It also sounds like your temperatures are off. I'd suggest reading the care sheet on this site and following it so the husbandry and feeding are correct, then see if his condition improves. You should be able to tell if the black specks are mites. If they are you should order some Prevent-A-Mite and follow the directions on the can. If he isn't eating or seems lathargic, take him to a vet to see what's going on.

[Reptilian]

You should have a temp gradient of 90-94 on the hot side and 80-84 on the cool side. You can achieve this by using to UTHs controlled by two separate thermostats/rheostats/dimmers. Or you can use those red heat lights (again controlled by two separate thermostats/rheostats/dimmer), but if you do, it will effect your humidity.

Also what type of substrate are you using?

Finally if your bp does have mites, you can use a product call Reptile Relief to kill the mites that are on the snake. Be sure to change out all the bedding and switch to newspaper (this way you can see the mites easier). You then may need to buy a product called Prevent a Mite (PAM) which is to be used on the bedding, cage, and furniture only. Be sure you read all directions on both bottles. If you Google Prevent a Mite you'll be able to find who sells it.

Best of luck.

[Reptilian]

*double post*

...sorry...

[aksledneck907]

i have been using cypress mulch for substrate but today after work i am going to switch over to newspaper. and i am going to try and feed him again today. is there any particular signs that i should watch out for if he has mites? and would i even be able to tell if he has mites besides just seeing little specks of black that look like small pieces of dirt? humidity stays at about 60% and last night i was handleing him and put him back in his cage and he stayed active for quite a bit of time. if i knew how to post an image i would but i cant figure it out.

[Ginevive]

Please just cut to the chase (if your BP has mites) and buy Provent A Mite. It is readily available online, and is the professional's choice. Anything less merely might kill a few mites, but does not solve the problem.
By the time you can see mites on your snake, it could be a pretty severe infestation. My best advice would be to look into the snake's water dish and check for any dead mites.. you might have to let the dish sit for a few days unchanged. But the switch from cypress to paper will help immensely; once you see mites, you'll know.

[Bojangles37]

Please just cut to the chase (if your BP has mites) and buy Provent A Mite.

Reptile Relief is actually really effective, especially while waiting for PAM to come in. You treat the snake with it and it kills live mites. If the OP uses that first and then uses PAM even just once, it's likely to kill them all off. Plus it will provide immediate relief (even if it's not total relief.)

To the OP, try gently scraping the specks off with your fingernail. If they're mites, they will be crawling on your finger. They're tough like ticks but really small, you can just squish them between your fingernails (just so they don't stay on you) but they don't generally bite humans, they're just a little gross.

[aksledneck907]

ok so today after work i went the the petzoo closest to me and they had this stuff called jurassi-mite it says all natural mite,flea and tick control for reptiles. i could not find any PAM but i am going to order some. i removed all his substrate and put in newspaper. i sprayed the cage down and all the decorations too. like the logs and fake plants. so how long do you think this might take to get rid of the mites?