Mite Problem - Nix Solution?

Good day all,

I recently received a female lesser pinstripe yearling by air mail from British Columbia, which I intend to use for breeding to my male pastel banana in the fall. I recently found some mites - 3 or 4 in her eye sockets and two in her heat pits. My local reptile store recommended using the Nix solution that I have also found on numerous forums on the web: 1 4oz bottle of Nix mixed with 4 Liters of water; spray down all items and body back of the snake; q-tip of solution over eyes and pits. Water bowls were removed and will go back 24 hours later. The substrate was thrown out and they all now have paper towel. I've been told, and found through research, that this is a ten day process - treat everything again every 3 days. 10 days and the problem should be gone.

Has anyone else tried this method? Thoughts? Feedback?

The active ingredient in NIX is permethrin. I don't apply it directly to the snake as permethrin poisoning causes neurological damage or death in snakes, I would certainly keep it away from the heat pits, eyes, and mouth.

If kept out of direct sunlight the half-life of permethrin is 30 days. Spray the enclosure, hides, and paper you are using for substrate. Once the enclosure, hides, paper, etc. have dried you can set your snake's enclosure back up. DO NOT SPRAY THE WATER BOWL.

Keep a supply of treated and dried paper and hides on-hand so they can be replaced when your snake makes a mess. Re-treat the enclosure in 2-3 weeks.

Mites have several periods in their life-cycle where they leave the snake. When they come into contact with the treated paper and surfaces in the enclosure, the permethrin kills them.

To give your snake relief you can soak it in lukewarm water with just a drop of mild dish soap added so that the surface tension is reduced, and the mites drown quickly.

I'm confused. Everywhere, including the reputable store I frequent, has told me that the Nix mix (59 fl.oz to 4 Liters of distilled water) is far too weak of a concentration to cause any neurological damage. The store owner (as well as others on forums) have indicated to keep it away from their mouths to prevent ingestion, but that q-tipping the eyes and heat pits is totally fine. I know that Permethrin is toxic, but apparently not in such a small dosage. I've seen on a number of reputable breeders' sites as well that this particular dilution is THE go-to for solving a mite problem and that it is not harmful to the animals. Please provide me with your reasoning for the dangerousness of using such a small dosage of permethrin.

My method, lice medicine mixed with water, spray the snake, and use a q tip or your hand to get her eyes and heat pits, if you spray the snake and ypu put her in a small container (mine was a baby and i put him in a deli cup) so that all the mites get exposed its better, and i dumped his substrate, boiled his hide and water bowl, and bleached the cage. I did all of this the same day and after the bleach fumes were gone i put him back (after the treatment) and i never had to do it again, all the mites died

Thanks. That's basically where I'm at.

King snake treated for mites using the NIX treatment, mixed the same strength as yours (2 oz bottle in 2 liters of water), applied to the snake's face also. Seriously, the risk isn't worth it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pOywUU0cro

I don't know snakes as well as I know cats, but Hartz has a flea product labeled for them supposedly not a permethrin, but a different form of it that is supposed to be safe. Nope. Nadda. I have still seen cats with seizure-like tremors and have to be treated as a permethrin toxicity.

If snakes can't be exposed to it, it doesn't matter how low the concentration is, it will still be toxic.

If a big company can get away with it, even with thousands of reports of toxic exposures per year, then it isn't surprising that a single pet store must have had luck with it at one point with no problems, so they tell everyone. Do you really potentially want YOUR snake to be the one that is maybe a little extra sensitive and can't hack even the diluted version and dies?

I know people who use the nix solution with good results . I have only used Prevent a mite use as directed works very well.

Permethrin on the snake, especially eyes and heat pit is a big NO NO. Yes the nix solution is less concentrated than PAM or other similar product but still toxic to the snake.

Having had to deal with mites too I did a lot of research on the subject and the scientific agreement is that permethin is very toxic to all reptiles.

That said it's still the best solution to treat mites and safe if used as instructed: remove the snake and water bowl, treat the enclosure and wait for the solution to dry, put back the snake and 24hr later the water.