Mites on my baby ball python :(

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Originally Posted by Naom9Anne

What substrate are you using? My pastel got mites and I still have no idea if it came from the rep shop when I took her back in for help with a stuck shed or from her substrate I had recently changed.


I was using aspen and I have started to read that aspen can carry mites (not sure about other types of substrate) I switched to paper towels and have never looked back! You can bake aspen in the oven at 300 Fahrenheit and spray it well before use for complete peace of mind but I honestly swear by a paper towel substrate now and since doing so I haven't seen a single mite again!


I used something called Callington Mite Spray but I am UK based and no where stocks P-A-M so this is what I used, two treatments and they were gone!




Make sure you scrap all corners of the enclosure for stuck eggs and I'm sure you'll get rid of the critters I sometimes think dealing with these early on is helpful (looking back I realise I found it helpful) as you'll automatically know in future what to look for and what to do. Good luck OP

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I -was- using Reptibark. I tossed the substrate that was in the tub, and I'm currently freezing the rest of the bag. Right now, my BP is on paper towel and will probably keep it like that for the next 3-6 weeks.


Thank you for the tip on baking aspen beforehand. I still have two huge bags of aspen and reptibark so I'll probably freeze and bake them before I use them again in the future.


I am in Canada and I did not find any Reptile Spray, Provent-A-Mite or Callington Mite Spray at any of the shops.


Last night I scrubbed with hot water and soap, rinsed, then soaked in 10% bleach solution, and rinsed and I also bathed my BP in warm water. I'm planning to do a nix spray in one week.

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Originally Posted by kittymeow

I -was- using Reptibark. I tossed the substrate that was in the tub, and I'm currently freezing the rest of the bag. Right now, my BP is on paper towel and will probably keep it like that for the next 3-6 weeks.


Thank you for the tip on baking aspen beforehand. I still have two huge bags of aspen and reptibark so I'll probably freeze and bake them before I use them again in the future.


I am in Canada and I did not find any Reptile Spray, Provent-A-Mite or Callington Mite Spray at any of the shops.


Last night I scrubbed with hot water and soap, rinsed, then soaked in 10% bleach solution, and rinsed and I also bathed my BP in warm water. I'm planning to do a nix spray in one week.

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I would double check I was correct on the temperature to bake at as I was trying to remember the temp from another thread as I don't work well in farenheit! Don't let mites bother you, you've found out early enough and they'll soon be a memory :) I remember being panicked!

A way I was told to check they were mites was to pop them, if blood comes out they are mites. I found that helpful :)

Let us know how it goes :) You can always order one offline and just soak and scrub the enclosure with a bleach solution to try to kill any eggs until it arrives?

My juvenile Spider got mites right before she shed. I talked to the owner of a local shop about my concerns with spraying chemicals, especially during the shedding process. He taught me a little trick that I never heard before, so I gave it a try and it worked great!

Use 1-2 caps of DAWN dish soap (apparently Dawn is the only brand to provide results) and dilute it into 8-10oz of water. Use a spray bottle to spray down the snake in a clean tub. Obviously avoid spraying the snakes head. If you need to treat the neck area, run your fingers gently up the snakes body, pushing the solution towards the neck. After you've treated the snake with the solution, rinse in lukewarm water.

I was skeptical at first, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. It killed the mites and she shed without any issues. I repeated the process after she shed, treated both snakes' enclosures with PAM and I haven't seen a mite since. Both are currently doing exceptionally well; feeding aggressively and living comfortably. :gj:

Hope this helps!

For anyone that gets their bedding from the pet store, I strongly suggest freezing the bedding before using it. Reptile mites cannot survive in bedding, but they can lay eggs and travel in it. The bedding is usually kept near the reptiles who may have mites. Just my two cents on the matter.

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I had this problem with my corn snakes a few months ago. I have a herpvet that comes to our local expos and he recommended "Proventamite". That stuff works like a charm. Just make sure all that is in the cage are decorations and bedding. No hide or water bowl. He recommended either boiling those or scrubbing them like hell. Whichever is easier for you. The reason proventamite is actually pretty good is that it kills the larval, and egg stages of mites rather than just killing the adults. I highly recommend it.