Help!!!!!!

[Timbuktu]

Ok I need some help I just discovered that a corn snake we bought from a questionable pet store(stupid I know now) has mites. what do I need to do? I know nothing about this. can they live on me? what do I need to spray around the house? anything I need to know please help I am woorried about the snake but am also worried there going to ba in my house I want them gone? any help would be great.

[Chuck]

First off they are call snake mites because they feed off of snakes so I wouldn't worry much about them harming you. That said they will lay eggs in carpet and rugs so your home can become a breeding ground for mites. To give the snake some relief drown the mites on the snake in water submerge the snake but be careful not to drown the snake if the snake is already soaking it self give it a big enough water bowl so it can soak its whole body. Then clean the tank and replace the substrait with newspaper and keep using news paper for a while gives the mites less places to lay eggs. Get the prevent a mite ASAP and teat the snake.

http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_...of_snake_mites

This is the product I would recommend IMPORTANT: read and follow the direction very carefully.


I hope this helps

Chuck

[Schlyne]

When you get the pam, I would recommend that you treat the floor around the cage as well. Mites can travel long distances.

[FloridaHogs]

Here is how I control mites the one time I got them from two new animals, and it worked great. Get a sterilite bin and fill it with warm (80 F) water so that it will just barely touch the top of your snake. Now add just enough Listerine to slightly color the water. The listerine will steralize any mites that do not drown, and works as an antisceptic for the bites. Put your snake in and let it soak. While the animal is soaking, completely sterilize and clean the cage and all furniture. Once the cage is clean, I would place paper towels down so it will be easier for you to see any mites. Gently pat the snake dry. Now for the fun part! Get some mineral oil and put a good amount on your hands. Let the snake crawl through your hands until it's body is coated. Use a Qtip to get it around the eyes really good. The mineral oil will smother any remaining mites. Repeat in a week. This worked great for me. I saw no mites after the first treatment, but repeated the second treatment just because. Never had mites again.

If you have a canister vaccum cleaner, place a fela collar in the canister before you vaccum. This will kill any mites you vaccum up when you are cleaning. Good luck.

The treatment sounds out there, but I got it out of a vet book, and my vet also recommended it. I was treating hognose, which there are reports of them being very sensitive to Provent-a-mite. This is a poison free alternative.

[Timbuktu]

thanks for the info.

[Timbuktu]

Here is how I control mites the one time I got them from two new animals, and it worked great. Get a sterilite bin and fill it with warm (80 F) water so that it will just barely touch the top of your snake. Now add just enough Listerine to slightly color the water. The listerine will steralize any mites that do not drown, and works as an antisceptic for the bites. Put your snake in and let it soak. While the animal is soaking, completely sterilize and clean the cage and all furniture. Once the cage is clean, I would place paper towels down so it will be easier for you to see any mites. Gently pat the snake dry. Now for the fun part! Get some mineral oil and put a good amount on your hands. Let the snake crawl through your hands until it's body is coated. Use a Qtip to get it around the eyes really good. The mineral oil will smother any remaining mites. Repeat in a week. This worked great for me. I saw no mites after the first treatment, but repeated the second treatment just because. Never had mites again.

If you have a canister vaccum cleaner, place a fela collar in the canister before you vaccum. This will kill any mites you vaccum up when you are cleaning. Good luck.

The treatment sounds out there, but I got it out of a vet book, and my vet also recommended it. I was treating hognose, which there are reports of them being very sensitive to Provent-a-mite. This is a poison free alternative.

just an update I followed your suggestion while waiting for my provent a mite to arrive and it has worked great the snake is acting better and I cant find any mites. thanks do much for this suggestion.