Pleas help! Can I use NIX lice shampoo for mites on ball pythons?

Hi,

I am am very new to owning and caring for snakes. Last month I bought my son a ball python at the pet store. I have been taking care of her while he is at his dad's for the summer. She is in a 20 gallon long tank and was eating live hopper mice when we got her and last time I fed her the next size up. Well, before I got him the ball (the guy at the pet store said that would make a good first time snake) but I wanted a scarlet king snake and they didn't have one. So I was on craigslist last week and ran across an ad for a Pueblan Milk snake hatchling and I went and met the guy and he had a female ball in a pillowcase and she looked skinny and he said he'd give her to me for $20 and I didn't really want to but she was all skinny and wrinkly looking. I told him I didn't have a tank to put her in and he said oh you can put her in there with your ball so I did and the very next day I went out and got her a tank. First thing the poor thing did was drinking water and stuff and she's in a 10 gallon now and ate a small mouse and now is just balled up under a log.

Day before yesterday I noticed when me and my friend tried to get Ozzy (my son's snake) out and handle her she was grumpy and even striked at my friend and I thought well maybe she is about to shed or something. I ran some water in the bath tub and let her swim around a bit and had done a few nights before with the new one. I do not think Ozzy likes my friend bc she was all tensed up in the water mad looking straight at him and then I told him get a paper towel roll in case she tries to strike so as soon as he walked out of the room she started swimming and stuff. I do not want her biting my son when he gets home and my friend was making me scared that was going to happen so I thought I'm gonna have to handle her alot more to get her somewhat tame or at least not afraid to be held.

Yesterday I watched some YouTube videos and found a great one and did exactly what the guy said and it worked like a charm she hung out on my son's bed and we went outside together and stuff and she did not get in her grumpy "S" position at me and so I learned how to put her back in her cage and all was great until this morning when I turned the lights on the 3 tanks. I opened up the door that leads to the shower to let some of the steam get in there for a little humidity and went in there and Ozzy was unusually moving around at 5:30am when she is usually sleeping so I looked at her and this little black bug was on her face and I'm like OH NO!!!! NOT MITES!!! My dogs got those mange mites last summer when a mange dog squeezed in thru my fenced in back yard and now I'm freaking watching videos about snake mites. Well I came across one video that is a 3 part video of a guy from canada that put a bottle of NIX lice shampoo in with a gallon of water and made a really diluted mixture and put his carpet pythons in a ice cooler while he sprayed that stuff all in the aspen and on every inch of the enclosure and showed how he got the snakes out and towel dried them and had put newspaper in there and sprayed it all again before he put them in this enclosure. He said it wouldn't hurt them but...his snakes were very large mine are all small.

Has anyone ever tried this? I just read on another forum where a girl poisoned her king snake and had a youtube link to it and it looked like my little Pueblan Milk Snake except hers was a little bigger. The 2 10 gallon tanks that house my milk snake and the new ball are on a stand where they are one on top of the other and the 20 long that houses "Ozzy" is on top of my son's entertainment center. All are in his room right now. I am thinking that the ball python the guy off craigslist gave the mites to Ozzy bc I didn't have a tank for her and so I have gone to Walmart and bought the NIX, a rubbermaid tub, a gallon of water, a spray bottle, a funnel, some 20 mule borax to put all over the carpet, clorox to clean all the decor and paper towels to line the tanks with. I held the smaller ball python and milk snake also last night for a few minutes and it didn't look like it had anything on it. It mainly stays buried in the aspen bedding. I had tried to feed him a pinky Friday but he wouldn't take it but wondered if he would eat crickets when I buy some for my 7 year old leopard gecko. Both ball pythons I noticed the other day has a few little white specks on them & I was hoping that was just from the aspen bedding I'm using.

Can my Leopard Gecko get these mites from the snakes if her enclosure is not in the same room as the snakes? I haven't handled her since I got the new snakes. And can dogs, cats and humans get them too? Like if I petted my dog after handling the snake. Sorry for all the questions I am new at this and I do not want to kill our snakes. I really only got the other ball python mainly to see if I could save her life bc she was so scrawny.

If you have any advice on what to do I would sincerely appreciate your help.

i heard some success stories with NIX but PAM (Prevent-A-Mite) is your best bet! http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

There's a HUGE debate as to whether NIX and the sorts is safe, I however would NEVER recommend it. My best advice is to buy Provent-a-mite. You use the Provent-a-mite (PAM for short) on the ENCLOSURE when it arrives. Until then, switch the substrate to newspaper or paper towels, be sure to clean it out first. Leave out any decor you have and only keep a water dish and hides. Once the PAM arrives, be sure to read the directions EXACTLY. Soak him daily in luke warm water with a drop of Dawn dish soap to help drown any mites on him....

Just hang in there, if you use PAM they'll be gone within days. I don't believe your gecko can get them as they only really affect reptiles with scales.

I would not recommend homebrew remedy to someone that is not experienced with such treatment, even if experienced this product was not manufactured to used with reptiles and long term effects are not known.

Provent a mite is what is needed and was designed to be used with reptiles.

Finally mites are species specific.

Thank you! I had read about provent a mite and that it has the same ingredients or something like that but I don't want to take that chance of what I saw that poor little king snake acting like its nervous system was messed up. I actually read the article she was referring to and the guy said put it with 4 liters of water and she had said on her post that she did 2 liters of water. Do you actually spray this on the snake or just in the enclosure? Ozzy hates to be sprayed even with just water.

Does the Petco's and Pet Smart's carry this product or do you have to order it online? The Wal-Marts around where I live do not carry anything for reptiles!! I couldn't even find the accurite thermometer I read you guys talking about on another thread the other day so I could get those while I'm there. I'm not supposed to submerge their heads am I? because I really don't want to do that. :confusd:

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Originally Posted by KEG22

Does the Petco's and Pet Smart's carry this product or do you have to order it online? The Wal-Marts around where I live do not carry anything for reptiles!! I couldn't even find the accurite thermometer I read you guys talking about on another thread the other day so I could get those while I'm there. I'm not supposed to submerge their heads am I? because I really don't want to do that. :confusd:

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They don't sell PAM so you'll have to order it online. They do sell MITE OFF, but don't waste your money! I was told it's basically water mixed with soap. At the mean time, soak your snake in warm water and put a few drops of dawn liquid soap. It should get some mites off until you receive your PAM.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KEG22

Thank you! I had read about provent a mite and that it has the same ingredients or something like that but I don't want to take that chance of what I saw that poor little king snake acting like its nervous system was messed up. I actually read the article she was referring to and the guy said put it with 4 liters of water and she had said on her post that she did 2 liters of water. Do you actually spray this on the snake or just in the enclosure? Ozzy hates to be sprayed even with just water.

Does the Petco's and Pet Smart's carry this product or do you have to order it online? The Wal-Marts around where I live do not carry anything for reptiles!! I couldn't even find the accurite thermometer I read you guys talking about on another thread the other day so I could get those while I'm there. I'm not supposed to submerge their heads am I? because I really don't want to do that. :confusd:

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NO it doesn't go on the snake, remove the snake and water dish completely actually until it dries in the enclosure. The directions are very straightforward once you get it. The only place you can get it is online with the links we sent you, or some reptile specialty shops carry it. Don't waste your money on any petco/petsmart products.

When you soak her, she can be fully submerged. Don't worry she won't drown.

Thank you guys so much!!!! I am getting this stuff ASAP!!!

*knock on wood* never personally had to deal with mites, but from what I have seen Prevent-a-mite (Pam) is the way to go. Just follow directions exactly! I wouldn't use nix near my snakes. Then again its so nasty, I wouldn't use it on my kid either.

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I figured I'd add that I dealt with mites after recieving 3 new snakes with mites. I had to treat my whole collection. As soon as I noticed them, I ordered the PAM. I got one can within a week, and within about another week after treatment there were no signs of mites. One can will last a while, and it's a great preventative too. If you ever add a new snake (or 15 like I did :rolleyes:) it's great to treat the new enclosures. Good luck.