Mites?

So I’ve read a lot about mites and that just freaks me out. I’ve had Phleg for over four years now and he’s never had them (praise the gods!).



My question is, how exactly do snakes get mites? How do you prevent it best?

Snakes in captivity have been known to get mites from prey items.... (read on.. :) )

You drop the mite carrying rat in the cage, and it drinks the water and/or poops in the water. The snake drinks the water, and the mite eggs come out when the snake deficates. The snake crawls over its own poop, and whammo....

That's just one way... :)

You can prevet mites with a product called Provent-A-Mite. (We all call it PAM)

It can be purchased directly from the factory that makes it at http://www.pro-products.com

Its good for infestations or just preventative use. It'll take care of the eggs, and prevent mites from becoming a problem.

Hope this helps...

Glad I don't feed him in his cage then. Can mice carry mites?

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Originally Posted by Styx

Glad I don't feed him in his cage then. Can mice carry mites?

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Oh boy, can mice carry mites!?!?!? NASTY little buggers! Hurts and itches like crazy when they bite! (Rats, too) But, they are different mites than snake mites. The mites that rodents carry can and will get on you and bite you. I don't know if they will bite a snake. I recently discovered the source of the mites in my rodent colony when I was assist feeding a mouse to one of my snakes. Mites were crawling all over that mouse after it died. The snake does NOT have mites.

Steve

Rodent mites and snake mites are completely different creatures.


If you are concerned about your snake getting mites, you just need to keep your snake away from other snakes. Thats it... :D

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

Rodent mites and snake mites are completely different creatures. :D

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I've gotten rodents that had what looked like mites but they were brown instead of black. I've asked a few differen't people if they are the mites I'm worried about and they said no. The ones I would have to worry about are black...Anyways, I still don't like the thought of anything crawling on my snakes.

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

Rodent mites and snake mites are completely different creatures.

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So what you're saying is that a snake mite can't get into a rodent's water bowl, then get ingested by the rodent, to later be ingested by the snake?

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

If you are concerned about your snake getting mites, you just need to keep your snake away from other snakes. Thats it... :D

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Kind of interesting to believe that no other animal is capable of carrying the parasite around to wait for a host.... including PEOPLE. Cross contamination is not just snake to snake.

Ken, mite eggs really don't work like intestinal parasite eggs. If they were in the rodents system when the snake at the rodent, they would get digested and expelled out the other end. Mite eggs are dependent on the environment to hatch them out and have a thinner shell. Intestinal parasite eggs have a much thicker shell and aren't affected by digestive tract.

hmm... I had read and been told something different....

Steve, fleas? Or an actual mite thing? Nasty though. ^^; I buy mine from petco. I'll be sure to take a closer look at them from now on.

I've just never known how snakes actually get mites in captivity. Just now thought to ask.