MITES! On a new guy

So I got a new male lesser may 8. E weighs about 230 grams right now. He has had two meals in him so far. I was holding him yesterday and some black things were crawling all over him and me. I put him back and filled his water bowl so he could drown them. Since I left for the weekend I am looking for guidance for when I get back. I know about prevent a mite and I plan to get that. But besides that should I change his substrate etc? Thanks in advance


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You should put him on paper towel substrate, and soak him twice a day in warm water (mid 80's) with a drop of dawn dish soap in it.

Yep as Aaron said, give him paper towels, use minimal objects in his cage (a plastic hide that is easy to keep clean, and a single waterbowl). Bath him twice a day till you no longer get that buggy feeling on yourself, and stop finding mites flittering about on him. Should be controlled within 3-5 days, make sure you get PAM in there ASAP to help control it from spreading!

Thanks! Will do! Also, can mites jump upwards? He is on the bottom of a metal rack but since his tub is the smallest there is space between him and my female pastel above him. Should I qt him?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by masonhall

Thanks! Will do! Also, can mites jump upwards? He is on the bottom of a metal rack but since his tub is the smallest there is space between him and my female pastel above him. Should I qt him?


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Why wasn't he QTed in the first place? :confused::confused::confused:

Once you get the PAM, treat all enclosures EXACTLY as directed on the can. Mites are like wildfire, and this is the exact reason all new snakes should be QTed, it's part of the point for QT besides the obvious sickness and such.

I had to leave immediately on a trip so all I could do was look at them and fill up his water bowl. If you mean when I got him, he was. For 2 weeks.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by masonhall

I had to leave immediately on a trip so all I could do was look at them and fill up his water bowl. If you mean when I got him, he was. For 2 weeks.


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QT is generally 3-6 (sometimes more) months...

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Originally Posted by LGray23

QT is generally 3-6 (sometimes more) months...

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Wow! I didn't know. That is surprising. Well i wont be making that mistake again.

Thanks! :P

No problem. Honestly, the longer the better when it comes to QT, especially if it's from a questionable source. Snakes can sometimes take a long time to start showing symptoms of sickness, also mites can take a while to start being noticeable too. You just never know with these guys, it's all a learning experience. There is WAY more to keeping reptiles than I originally thought when I started out, but like everyone else, you have to start somewhere.

Sorry to hear your problem. I learned the hard way about qting new reptiles. So now it is a strict 90 day minimum qt for any reptile coming into the house! I have a rack in the living room and for the newby. They never make it past the living room until that 90 day mark and if i discover any issues its 90 days from the time I think it is curred before it makes its way into the reptile room. as for mites i've only had one battle with them but it worked in 7 or 8 days. 2x a day soaked in warm betadine solution the color of weak tea, pick off and dispose of lose mites with a qtip. house all infected animals in glass or plastic with only paper towels for substrate and only decor should be a plastic hide and a plastic or glass water dish. be sure to sterlize and switch out the hide and water containers with each soak of the animal and thourghly clean the enclosure. with a rack system you may as well treat them all this way or it very well could turn into a vicious cycle. mites are like roaches if you dont get every last one and the eggs you wont get rid of them for good. I also think I would let the breeder know that your new addition has mites. Don't be rude because it maynot have came from him. You can get them from bedding or if you havent properly cured decorations that you brought in from outside etc. but a warning to be on the look out to the breeder wouldnt be a bad idea imo.
Good luck