Mites. Dang.

a lot of people suggest PAM, ive never used it personally. the Sevin Dust was easy to find and fairly easy to use. and i wasnt worried about hurting my girl with it because i got walked thru it by my reptile rescue friend so i wouldnt over due it and hurt her. im not saying PAM doesnt work cuz ive never known anyone who used it! just suggesting something i know works well :)

I'm going to suggest PAM. Follow the directions on the can. Switch to paper towels for substrate (easier to see the mites). Do not treat directly on the snake. Repeat in 2 weeks. No more mites.

I agree with Evenstar. I just got a trio of blood babies and they came with mites for free. Not wanting to wait for an order of PAM to arrive I went to Petco and bought what Evenstar linked in. It worked great.

Since all three were carrying mites and siblings I put them in a large tub and treated them with the spray. While that did its job I treated their tubs with the spray then scrubbed each and every piece the snakes had been around. I also treated the floor around the snakes area and then vacuumed. After replacing the snakes they all wanted to soak so I put them in look warm water (80-82) and let them soak for about thirty minutes. I found some dead mites in the water and only a few more Dead ones in their tubs. They seem to be rid of them but I will treat them again in two more days just in case.

Like stated above its important to removed the substrate and keep them on newspaper or paper towels for awhile. I prefer paper towel because the mites are easy see against the white towel.

While a pain and work intensive I do not see any reason to visit a vet about it. The vet isn't going to clean your snake cages anyways and treating the snakes alone will do nothing without clean cages. Take it slow and be thorough and you can rid your collection yourself. I would buy a few bottles since you have alot to treat.

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Originally Posted by Kurtilein

sounds very bad. sounds really like some nasty mites. If they like to be under the scales of snakes, they are bloodsuckers.

You need to visit a vet ASAP. Good luck! But this time, i think, this forum cannot replace a veterinarian. Consider anything i said merely as hints, except that you really need a professional now.

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A vet isn't needed for something as minor as snake mites...
Its easy to treat. Seeing a vet for mites alone is a waste of time and money. Not to mention the unnecessary stress of transporting the animal.

OP: I just suggest Provent-a-Mite. When I brought home an infested snake, all mites disappeared after one day of use. Its easy to use and very effective.




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Just picked up provent a mite. Time to start the cleaning

To the OP:
Buy a bottle of PAM (Provent-A-Mite, not cooking spray :)), follow the directions exactly. Do NOT put PAM directly on an animal, and allow the surface to dry 1-2 hours after spraying before allowing an animal to come into contact with it. Most people do not take their water dishes out of the tubs when treating for mites - I do, it is a personal preference, that I use to limit the chance of passing the chemical into water and being ingested.

You can also pick up some 'Natural Chemistry - Reptile Relief' spray, and this is safe to put directly on the animal. Do not use during shed, and avoid the face/eyes/heat pits. This will kill any live mites currently on the animal.

PAM - effective both on live mites, and acts as a long term preventative for any that may hatch out later
Natural Chemistry mite spray - Is not preventative, only kills mites currently active and not in egg form, but can be used directly on the animal.

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Originally Posted by Kurtilein

sounds very bad. sounds really like some nasty mites. If they like to be under the scales of snakes, they are bloodsuckers.

You need to visit a vet ASAP. I guess it will be a medication that is (more or less) harmless for the python but deadly for the mites, or the whole surface of the snake gets treated with something. And at the same time all substrate and everything needs to be replaced or cleaned to the point of being sterile. Good luck! But this time, i think, this forum cannot replace a veterinarian. Consider anything i said merely as hints, except that you really need a professional now.

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Kurtilein, while I certainly appreciate your desire to help, please take a moment to take a step back, and not provide definite advice that you have no experience with. I can tell you're not stupid by your other posts, but perhaps a little too eager. Being overly helpful and regurgitating information you've stumbled across but do not truly know, can be just as useless or harmful as incorrect advice.

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Originally Posted by Kurtilein

"Provent a mite. Follow the directions. The ones not on the snakes will either go back to the snakes or die. And the ones that go back to the snakes will get killed off by another treatment of provent a mite."

That might work. But i would still maybe cautiously advise to see a vet. Preferrably one with snake and/or reptile experience. Thats the safe way.

Best Regards

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No. Evidence of your inexperience with snakes, reptiles in general, and the reptile hobby as a whole. I don't mean to be offensive, I'm just pointing out the instability of your advice.

okay, i got it, suggesting to see a vet was maybe a bit too much ^^

im not claiming to be an expert, im here to learn before i get my first BPs. And the best way to learn is to actively participate. I also think im at a point where it gets increasingly hard to learn more just by reading books and forums and watching videos. The area where i feel most secure and comfortable is morph genetics. But when it comes to the step ahead of me, which will be to pick up rescued adults from my local reptile sanctuary, thats also the least important area unfortunately.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kurtilein

okay, i got it, suggesting to see a vet was maybe a bit too much ^^

im not claiming to be an expert, im here to learn before i get my first BPs. And the best way to learn is to actively participate. I also think im at a point where it gets increasingly hard to learn more just by reading books and forums and watching videos. The area where i feel most secure and comfortable is morph genetics. But when it comes to the step ahead of me, which will be to pick up rescued adults from my local reptile sanctuary, thats also the least important area unfortunately.

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Like I said, I can tell you're not stupid :P The easiest way to learn lots of these things, is to gain hands on experience. There is always learning to do in this hobby, but there are certainly very knowlegeable people here with sound advice, because they've seen it first hand or have been around the hobby long enough to seperate fact/fiction regarding husbandry. There are absolutely times when a vet visit is needed, but there are also times to take note of comments from members who have 'been around the block' so to speak (more time on the forums will help you realize who knows what they're talkin about/who can be trusted to provide sound advice).