Mites?

My two gtp's came with mites :( I'm going to use PAM on the cage/perches, but what should I do for/with the actual snake itsself? I have never dealth with mites before.

I've never had to deal with mites, but it is my understanding that the PAM will kill all the mites in the enclosure and on the snake when used as directed. The residual pyrethrins will be enough to kill and prevent further mites from hatching.

Also, you mentioned GTP's. Is this in the right forum, or are they not Green Tree Pythons like I'm assuming?

Do not use PAM on the snake. pam will kill mites but doesnt kill the eggs. LLL reptile has a pretty good way of dealing with mites. Both of these items work great.

http://lllreptile.com/info/library/c...h-snake-mites/

As a "newbie" to snake world, Where do the mites come from?? If your snake comes home and is ok- no sign of mites. Can you still get them from somewhere else??

They have been known to come from rodents you feed to your snake or even holding an animal that had mites. They are tiny so its easy to not notice them until they have infested.

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Originally Posted by Reptilecam

pam will kill mites but doesnt kill the eggs.

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Are you sure about PAM not killing the eggs?

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Originally Posted by Reptilecam

They have been known to come from rodents you feed to your snake or even holding an animal that had mites. They are tiny so its easy to not notice them until they have infested.

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This is incorrect, unless the rodent has recently been in contact with a different snake infected with mites. Snake mites (and reptile parasites in general) are different than mammalian mites and parasites. Here is more information on the snake mite.

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Originally Posted by xdeus

This is incorrect, unless the rodent has recently been in contact with a different snake infected with mites. Snake mites (and reptile parasites in general) are different than mammalian mites and parasites. Here is more information on the snake mite.

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So if Im lucky and our new ball doesn't have any. And Im feeding F/T, and she's not going to be around any other snakes or reptiles. Am i pretty safe against them??

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Originally Posted by TheWinWizard

Are you sure about PAM not killing the eggs?

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Whether it does or not is irrelevant. Mites can lay their eggs anywhere, not just in the enclosure. As per the instructions on the can you need a second application of PAM after about 10-14 days (I think). The purpose of this is to prevent any mites that have hatched from feeding on the animal and reproducing.

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Originally Posted by Lisn123

So if Im lucky and our new ball doesn't have any. And Im feeding F/T, and she's not going to be around any other snakes or reptiles. Am i pretty safe against them??

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So long as you never go to a store where there are reptiles or reptile feeders or go to a herp show, or go to a friend's house where they keep reptiles... You're probably pretty safe. Sometimes mites can come in on bedding, but I think it's pretty rare. Usually the only kind of mites bedding brings in are wood mites which while annoying won't harm your snake.

Get yourself a can of PAM anyways, just in case something does happen. Then you'll have it on hand and if you get mites your snake won't have to be uncomfortable waiting for it to arrive.

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Originally Posted by xdeus

I've never had to deal with mites, but it is my understanding that the PAM will kill all the mites in the enclosure and on the snake when used as directed. The residual pyrethrins will be enough to kill and prevent further mites from hatching.

Also, you mentioned GTP's. Is this in the right forum, or are they not Green Tree Pythons like I'm assuming?

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No they are gtps. I misposted in the wrong section, but I guess the treatment would be the same. Still, ill be more careful which forum I post to.

The LLL method seems to be a good one. I have used a very similar method successfully.

I'd just like to add some notes, since I've dealt with mites several times having some snakes that are strictly lizard feeders, picking up w/c animals at shows, and purchasing (not knowingly) infected bedding.

While soaking the snake, it isn't so bad to add some betadine to help sterilize any open wounds as well. Always make sure to put the snakes back on paper towels as this is much easier to see if more mites are still there.

I have also used the "Nix" method which seems to work just as well... creating a mixture using a 2 ounce bottle of Nix shampoo and 1 gallon of water and spraying it on everything (aside from the water bowl - which gets soaked and dried) allowing the snake and enclosure to dry for 24 hours before adding the water bowl back. The substrate gets replaced with paper towels once again (paper towels get sprayed as well).

The advantage to the Nix treatment is it will kill the mites and eggs and has shown not to be harmful to my collection (baby to adult ATBs, BPs, Boas, Pythons, mussuranas, other colubrids). The disadvantage is it is not a lasting effect similar to the Reptile Relief suggested in the LLL method. The PAM will continue to work longer but needs to be reapplied since it does not kill eggs.

Just some of my $0.02 :D

I havnt tried the Nix method because Pam is what I normally use. Does anyone remember the yellow cheese pest strips you would cut and put in a container inside the cage? I think they stopped selling that but have a newer kind of same deal cheese looking method. anyway good luck with the mites they are a pain.

Reptile spray worked for me!! I took a group of six snakes from a guy who totally neglected his snakes and they were covered with mites. I just sprayed them with it and wiped them down and cleaned their cages with it everyday! And changed the bedding! Got rid of them just fine! That was over a year ago and haven't had a single problem!

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Originally Posted by bioteacher

The LLL method seems to be a good one. I have used a very similar method successfully.

I'd just like to add some notes, since I've dealt with mites several times having some snakes that are strictly lizard feeders, picking up w/c animals at shows, and purchasing (not knowingly) infected bedding.

While soaking the snake, it isn't so bad to add some betadine to help sterilize any open wounds as well. Always make sure to put the snakes back on paper towels as this is much easier to see if more mites are still there.

I have also used the "Nix" method which seems to work just as well... creating a mixture using a 2 ounce bottle of Nix shampoo and 1 gallon of water and spraying it on everything (aside from the water bowl - which gets soaked and dried) allowing the snake and enclosure to dry for 24 hours before adding the water bowl back. The substrate gets replaced with paper towels once again (paper towels get sprayed as well).

The advantage to the Nix treatment is it will kill the mites and eggs and has shown not to be harmful to my collection (baby to adult ATBs, BPs, Boas, Pythons, mussuranas, other colubrids). The disadvantage is it is not a lasting effect similar to the Reptile Relief suggested in the LLL method. The PAM will continue to work longer but needs to be reapplied since it does not kill eggs.

Just some of my $0.02 :D

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Do you spray the snake with it also it soak it in it? I get that you spray it on the cage and perched etc, but what do you do with the actual snake if I use the Nix method?

I sprayed all my snakes with the nix. I would suggest doing it, letting it dry, and then wiping down the snakes with clean water. Definitely don't put the water bowl back in until a day later to ensure that none of the nix gets in the water bowl. This method worked for all of my snakes with no visible harm at all - just make sure to use the diluted solution, never something concentrated. Either method should work for you though.

Best of luck! :)