MITES! On a new guy

So I got a new male lesser may 8. E weighs about 230 grams right now. He has had two meals in him so far. I was holding him yesterday and some black things were crawling all over him and me. I put him back and filled his water bowl so he could drown them. Since I left for the weekend I am looking for guidance for when I get back. I know about prevent a mite and I plan to get that. But besides that should I change his substrate etc? Thanks in advance


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You should put him on paper towel substrate, and soak him twice a day in warm water (mid 80's) with a drop of dawn dish soap in it.

Yep as Aaron said, give him paper towels, use minimal objects in his cage (a plastic hide that is easy to keep clean, and a single waterbowl). Bath him twice a day till you no longer get that buggy feeling on yourself, and stop finding mites flittering about on him. Should be controlled within 3-5 days, make sure you get PAM in there ASAP to help control it from spreading!

Thanks! Will do! Also, can mites jump upwards? He is on the bottom of a metal rack but since his tub is the smallest there is space between him and my female pastel above him. Should I qt him?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by masonhall

Thanks! Will do! Also, can mites jump upwards? He is on the bottom of a metal rack but since his tub is the smallest there is space between him and my female pastel above him. Should I qt him?


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Why wasn't he QTed in the first place? :confused::confused::confused:

Once you get the PAM, treat all enclosures EXACTLY as directed on the can. Mites are like wildfire, and this is the exact reason all new snakes should be QTed, it's part of the point for QT besides the obvious sickness and such.

I had to leave immediately on a trip so all I could do was look at them and fill up his water bowl. If you mean when I got him, he was. For 2 weeks.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by masonhall

I had to leave immediately on a trip so all I could do was look at them and fill up his water bowl. If you mean when I got him, he was. For 2 weeks.


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QT is generally 3-6 (sometimes more) months...

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Originally Posted by LGray23

QT is generally 3-6 (sometimes more) months...

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Wow! I didn't know. That is surprising. Well i wont be making that mistake again.

Thanks! :P

No problem. Honestly, the longer the better when it comes to QT, especially if it's from a questionable source. Snakes can sometimes take a long time to start showing symptoms of sickness, also mites can take a while to start being noticeable too. You just never know with these guys, it's all a learning experience. There is WAY more to keeping reptiles than I originally thought when I started out, but like everyone else, you have to start somewhere.

Sorry to hear your problem. I learned the hard way about qting new reptiles. So now it is a strict 90 day minimum qt for any reptile coming into the house! I have a rack in the living room and for the newby. They never make it past the living room until that 90 day mark and if i discover any issues its 90 days from the time I think it is curred before it makes its way into the reptile room. as for mites i've only had one battle with them but it worked in 7 or 8 days. 2x a day soaked in warm betadine solution the color of weak tea, pick off and dispose of lose mites with a qtip. house all infected animals in glass or plastic with only paper towels for substrate and only decor should be a plastic hide and a plastic or glass water dish. be sure to sterlize and switch out the hide and water containers with each soak of the animal and thourghly clean the enclosure. with a rack system you may as well treat them all this way or it very well could turn into a vicious cycle. mites are like roaches if you dont get every last one and the eggs you wont get rid of them for good. I also think I would let the breeder know that your new addition has mites. Don't be rude because it maynot have came from him. You can get them from bedding or if you havent properly cured decorations that you brought in from outside etc. but a warning to be on the look out to the breeder wouldnt be a bad idea imo.
Good luck

So I totally washed out his cage and him, switched out one hide but kept the other in because it didn't have another but I had washed that one off too. Put him on paper towels, and gave him some good soaks. But I look at him today, an he is soaking in his water bowl. Surrounded by dead mites. I checked his cage for any living ones, couldn't find any. What should I do now? Can mites burrow in cardboard like hides? (don't have any plastic ones)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by masonhall

So I totally washed out his cage and him, switched out one hide but kept the other in because it didn't have another but I had washed that one off too. Put him on paper towels, and gave him some good soaks. But I look at him today, an he is soaking in his water bowl. Surrounded by dead mites. I checked his cage for any living ones, couldn't find any. What should I do now? Can mites burrow in cardboard like hides? (don't have any plastic ones)

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Trust me, if you haven't used PAM, they're there.

Ok will do! Thanks!


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The dead ones you are seeing are the adults. Juveniles are almost unnoticeable to the naked eye. They are really tiny and brownish red in color. So I can bet they're still in the tub. Not to mention the Nymph stage of mites are airborne.

Once your PAM arrives, don't forget to treat the rest of the tubs in the rack. :)
Good luck!

I have not personally had mites before, but I just want to point out that even after you think they are gone, continue with your practices until you are 110% sure.

Do not stop treatment and resume normal caging just because you don't see them. Maintain this procedure for a fair amount of time to ensure that you do get every last one.

I've heard too many stories about people stopping treatment early only to come back in a month or two with: "I have mites AGAIN! But I didn't add anything new to my collection...?!" No, that means they STILL have mites. It just took a while to become noticable in the larger quantities.

Also: Be sure to check carpet in the area your animals have been in, your clothing, immediately throw out any substrate (don't just put it in a bag and leave it in the house for any amount of time).

Pretty much treat mites like a highly contageous disease. In a way, they are. Treat it seriously. Don't cut corners. Don't rush it. If your other animals were near him, consider them 'infected' too. Don't wait until they show black spots. Switch their substrate over to paper towels.

You're pretty much in a warzone at this point. No mercy on those buggers!

Also: I don't know if you have reptile friends that come over and whatnot, or if you go and hang out at people's houses that have reptiles, but I want to point out....

Mites can hitch a ride on clothing. If you have any friends coming over with reptiles, warn them that you have mites. In fact, I'd probably ask any friends not to come over until I was in the clear for at least a month. If you go over to someone's house who has reptiles, it is a good idea to be honest with them as well.

This sounds mean, but if I caught mites in my collection because someone visited and they KNEW they had mites at their house, I would be very, very upset.

Again, not trying to be mean, but we don't want to spread these guys anymore than they already spread.

I've had to deal with these little buggers twice now on new purchases. This is what I did, and it works.

Go to Walmart or a drug store. You'll need a gallon of distilled water, a 2oz bottle of Nix(for head lice), and a spray bottle. Poor out a small amount of water from the jug. Then poor the nix into the water. SHAKE WELL. Poor solution into spray bottle. Keep whatever you don't use in a dark area or covered.

Remove the snakes water bowl. Clean out any substrate. Wipe everything down. Burn all paper/paper towels used. Put new substrate down. Spray EVERYTHING in the cage, including the snake. Also spray around outside of cage. Go scrub water dish with soap and hot water. Go take Shower, then wash clothes in hot water. Wait 24hrs and put the cleaned water bowl back into the cage with the snake. Repeat every 5-7 days for 3-4 times.

Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vasiliki

I have not personally had mites before, but I just want to point out that even after you think they are gone, continue with your practices until you are 110% sure.

Do not stop treatment and resume normal caging just because you don't see them. Maintain this procedure for a fair amount of time to ensure that you do get every last one.

I've heard too many stories about people stopping treatment early only to come back in a month or two with: "I have mites AGAIN! But I didn't add anything new to my collection...?!" No, that means they STILL have mites. It just took a while to become noticable in the larger quantities.

Also: Be sure to check carpet in the area your animals have been in, your clothing, immediately throw out any substrate (don't just put it in a bag and leave it in the house for any amount of time).

Pretty much treat mites like a highly contageous disease. In a way, they are. Treat it seriously. Don't cut corners. Don't rush it. If your other animals were near him, consider them 'infected' too. Don't wait until they show black spots. Switch their substrate over to paper towels.

You're pretty much in a warzone at this point. No mercy on those buggers!

Also: I don't know if you have reptile friends that come over and whatnot, or if you go and hang out at people's houses that have reptiles, but I want to point out....

Mites can hitch a ride on clothing. If you have any friends coming over with reptiles, warn them that you have mites. In fact, I'd probably ask any friends not to come over until I was in the clear for at least a month. If you go over to someone's house who has reptiles, it is a good idea to be honest with them as well.

This sounds mean, but if I caught mites in my collection because someone visited and they KNEW they had mites at their house, I would be very, very upset.

Again, not trying to be mean, but we don't want to spread these guys anymore than they already spread.

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Don't worry, I know no one who owns a reptile in my area central city philadelphia. I'm surprised, because the population is so dense. Thanks everyone for all the tips!


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