Augh!! My new BP has mites...

Yup, I saw one crawling on him last night. :( I immediately ordered some Provent-A-Mite, so that's on its way. What can I do for him now, before treatment?

Clean the tank with diluted bleach, as well as ALL cage furniture. If your bp has mites on him, give him a soak in warm water about half the depth of his body. Line the cage with paper towel or newspaper so the mites have no where to hide and keep the decorations/fake plants out of the tank until you get the PAM.

Thanks for the help Missi...I will do that. :)

No problemo ;)

Are mites a common occurence with new BPs? Or is it just my luck (and my snake's luck)? :P

Vincent had Mites when we got him. Jules, we don't know because we used Vincent's Prevent-A-Mite before putting him in his new home.

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Originally Posted by physalia

Are mites a common occurence with new BPs? Or is it just my luck (and my snake's luck)? :P

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Sadly they are very common with new bps purchased from pet stores or not-so-great breeders, it is not common or o.k to leave the mites to infest but sadly some uniformed owners often do. The best way to ensure you don't have this issue again is to pre-treat with PAM, practice thorough quarantine, and make reptile purchases from trusted breeders :).

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Originally Posted by physalia

Are mites a common occurence with new BPs? Or is it just my luck (and my snake's luck)? :P

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Mites can be common depending on the source of the snakes you purchase. Although I wont say all, many pet store snakes end up having mites, at the same time, I've purchased snakes from reptile shows and brought home mites as well. The best way to avoid this problem I've found is to make sure to check the breeder out with the BOI and always quarantine your snakes. As it's your first I'd soak the snake in lukewarm water for a while to get the mites off and when the PAM gets there clean out its tub/tank and follow the directions on the can to treat the tank. Always make sure to QT whenever you get any other snakes so that if this happens again the snake you currently have won't catch the mites as well.