Mites

ok. So I dont have the snake yet but I will this next week. Say the snake has mites....I do not have PAM and will likely order it first of June. I have JurassiMite that I got on sale for $4. The pet store said that you can soak the snake with dishsoap or some sort of soap as long as you don't cover the head and you go light on the soap.

Also..when I pick out the snake what should I look for? I know to look and see if they eat or not. But how can I tell if they are healthy? Will I be able to see mites? The pet store gets the snakes from some breeder (lucky me they showed documents!!!) and they have 20 hatchlings from beginning of the month. Thanks!!

Hmmmm?

When I first got my snake, she had mites. It took me a couple months to get rid of all of them (not to mention a very time-consuming thing!). I got this cheap-o stuff from Petco called Natural Chemistry Reptile Relief. I'm not sure if it works, but I use the tank cleaner by the same brand and I love it. I also cleaned out the tank on a weekly basis (this is where the time comes in) or anytime I found some mites.

The female mites are easiest to see. They have big rounded bodies and can be seen crawling around on the snake. Also look on the head around the nostrils and mouth to see any burrowing under the scales. My snake would go into the water bowl as she finds them irritating, and I would soak her often. Drowning them works wonders, but you also need to clean the tank to get rid of any eggs they lay.

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Originally Posted by cartman89

ok. So I dont have the snake yet but I will this next week. Say the snake has mites....I do not have PAM and will likely order it first of June. I have JurassiMite that I got on sale for $4. The pet store said that you can soak the snake with dishsoap or some sort of soap as long as you don't cover the head and you go light on the soap.

Also..when I pick out the snake what should I look for? I know to look and see if they eat or not. But how can I tell if they are healthy? Will I be able to see mites? The pet store gets the snakes from some breeder (lucky me they showed documents!!!) and they have 20 hatchlings from beginning of the month. Thanks!!

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If the pet store is one of few that do know how to care for herps, enough to feel comfortable buying from, mites should not be present. Mites are about this size . and can be hard to see on some snakes if the problem is yet bad. Takie a white towel and have the snake crawl through. If you see what looks like specks of pepper, it probably has mites.

Look for a snake that flicks it's tongue when exploring or checking you out. Look for eye-caps, skin at the tip of the tail, or patches of skin, which would indicate poor shedding. Visually and with a towel look for mites. Look around the facial pits and eyes for mites. Look at the cloaca region for swelling or crusted waste. Snake should not be thin and backbone not pronounced, Feel for lumps or skin abnormalities and look for any other skin problem. Belly should be firm.

Best of luck