Getting over aversion to water

So I will be giving my baby a "bath" every day for the next 30-50 days. This is due to a mite eradication effort. I gave her the first of many last night and she really, really really didn't like it. She was flailing around and trying to get as much of her body out of the water as possible and I felt so bad about putting her in there.
Do they ever start to calm down when you put them in there? If not, these "baths" are going to take their toll on me.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

I suggest picking up a can of PAM, it would make your life a lot easier in terms of getting rid of mites.

Heres the link: http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

Just putting your snake in water won't get rid of mites...

I read you other thread about your BP's Vet visit and you issue with the mites. I'm sorry for your BP has mites, but I have to say the advise your Vet gave you is not the best.

What you really need to do is go online and purchase some Provent A Mite (PAM) and use as directed.

Soaking your snake in Dawn every day for the next 50 days is complete crap advise. It's going to stress your snake, cause the most screwed up sheds you can imagine, and might not get rid of the mites....it's certainly won't kill the eggs that are being dropped in the enclosure.

I don't want to trash on your Vet too much because I'm sure he or she means well, but they just have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to getting rid of mites.

If you do a simple search on the word 'mites', you will know more about the subject than your Vet in about 30 minutes.

THIS is a very informative article about how to deal with them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slim

I read you other thread about your BP's Vet visit and you issue with the mites. I'm sorry for your BP has mites, but I have to say the advise your Vet gave you is not the best.

---

I apologize for my botch job of the English language. I failed to do a proper proof read before hitting submit. Really wish we could extend that 10 minute edit time a little bit…

They do not like being in water typically. I agree with everyone else, not the greatest advice from your vet. Order some Pam, it is supposed to be the best. Reptile basics also carries a Reptile relief that is supposed to work. The only reason you should soak your snake is every few days with a drop of dawn, to provide your snake relief until the Pam arrives. Soakng is not good for them. Make sure you follow the directions on the pam. Good luck on your battle.

That sounds like way, way too much bathing and I'm confused as to why a vet would "prescribe" that method. Like Slim said it's going to cause really bad sheds and who knows what other health problems, while not solving the mites.

Definitely recommend PAM instead.

Some snakes (and MOST ball pythons, it seems) absolutely despise being put in water. They don't need them except to remove stuck shed.

I don't think your vet gave you good advice on your mites. More like, "I don't know what I'm doing but I can't let this person know that." advice.

The tank doesn't need any "medicine" to wash it with. Your snake is going to be done a lot of harm and very little good with daily baths. Worst of all, if you subject her to all of this, you are STILL going to have mites!

Please reconsider the advice on treatment you were given. I have had mite outbreaks before, and believe me if one snake is bad, 25 is a nightmare!

What I do is this :

Bag all of the snakes in individual snake bags and put them somewhere safe while I work. Completely empty the tubs, scraping out any bedding if necessary. Wash each tub with soap and hot water and dry them thoroughly. Take the tubs outside on the lawn to finish air drying the cracks and crevices a towel cannot reach. Once the tubs are completely dry, spray a light mist of Provent-a-Mite into each tub. Let the tubs air dry for 30 minutes. I add a layer of bedding to each tub, then spray the bedding lightly with Provent-a-Mite and let dry for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, I spray the racks, walls and floor around the rack for a minimum of 24" around the racks with the PAM and let dry for 30 minutes. If possible, I open a window in the snake room because the stuff is strong and will give you a headache if you breathe it in too long.

Once the rack has dried for 30 minutes, I put the clean, treated tubs back in the rack, minus the hides and water bowls. Those get run through the dishwasher while I'm spraying tubs.

I take each snake out of it's bag and give them a bath. ONE bath. I use room temperature water and a few drops of baby shampoo. I soap each snake like it was me in the shower and rinse each one thoroughly. I dry them gently with a towel, then spray each snake with Reptile Relief spray, wetting each one completely. I put the snake back into the treated tub and leave them to dry. The water dishes and hides go back after 3 hours.

I've only had to take this extreme measure a few times. In between I just use PAM on a monthly basis as a preventative measure.

Gale

The link I gave you on your last thread was very informative and has helped me solve mite issues a couple times....
Being soaked everyday is going to be very stressful as I had mentioned before.