MITES!! Freaking out! What do I do??

Hi guys :(

My little girl from Petsmart has apparently brought mites in. I found a crapload of little black dots in her water and she had been soaking in her dish a lot yesterday. I thought she was just chilling but apparently she was trying to find some relief!! Checked my male's tub afterwards and he apparently has them, too. I don't use any real sub, just newspapers...

I have no idea what to do. I wanted to post to get a quick answer on the process to fight the mites...

I've heard about prevent a mite and reptile relief. Are those the two things I need?? I want to order these things ASAP to get this taken care of.

What is the process I need to follow for this?? I feel so bad for my babies :( I checked her over at the store but didn't see any on her then... Gah.

Natural Chemistry Reptile Spray (you can find it at Petco) is the way to go if you want quick relief for your BP. You can apply it straight on your BP as well as spray the whole enclosure. I'd also pick up Prevent-a-Mite (PAM) and spray your whole terrarium as a second line of defence.

Make sure you follow directions on PAM and make sure that after you treat the enclosure you wait at least an hour for the PAM to fully dissipate before putting the BP back in.

I just had mites and I used both treatments every two weeks for a month and no more mites. :) Good luck!

Do you spray the PAM on the plastic tub? I've been searching while waiting for responses and I've seen not to do that? To just spray the bedding?

I've been told on a facebook group for reptiles to use Nix... which is a lice treatment and really dilute it. I don't know if I feel comfortable with that. Harsh chemicals really kind of freak me out...

Ordering the reptile spray right now!

EDIT - The spray won't get here from Amazon until the 10th of April. That's the fastest shipping I can choose. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?

I'm battling them right now too. Altho I'm doing things a lot differently from what most people do. I had great success with my method today. Sasha is no longer soaking in her bowl after I moves her from.her old cage. What I did was as soon as I figured I had mites I went out and bought some betadine and soaked her until she wanted out. Which was around 2 hours of soaking. Half of the mites came off her with just that one soak. It only cost me 15 dollars and time. I'm doing another thing completely with my tank as it had 2 layers of substrate but I won my first battle. But the war is still going on

Yes, you do need substrate in the tub for PAM to be effective.

With Reptile Spray, it's pretty easy. You spray it on the snake (as long as it's not on the face) and then you just spray the whole enclosure with it.

If it was me, I wouldn't mess with Nix but that's just me.

The reason they scare me is because I'm afraid of doing it wrong and harming my snakes lol. It's not that I don't trust the product, I don't trust myself!

I've ordered the reptile spray. Hopefully they can hang on until the 10th.

From my personal experience, mineral oil bath worked because it suffocates the mites but your BP's scales are going to start falling off (not as scary as it sounds). I used one small cap of mineral oil to a gallon of water. After the next shed your BP's scales will be back to normal.

This is what I used. It was a few bucks:
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...7a4cd6e98c.jpg

I know the feeling I just finished up on my First Mite out break, I followed the care sheet on this forum and Im happy to report I won it was very Labor Intensive because I did the house along with the Snake Rooms. Go to Reptile basics and buy the gallon size Reptile Spray it will save you some Money, I ended up cleaning the walls and floors and every nook I could find a little over board probably. With 7 Snakes I could see this being really expensive so I took no chances. ON the PAM follow the directions to the T.

Sent from my SGH-T999

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

I've heard about prevent a mite and reptile relief. Are those the two things I need??

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My opinion is yes, that's all you need.

If I was you, I would get an extra bottle of Reptile Spray to have around. I would also get a can of Provent-A-Mite to keep on hand.

They both work well, they're both safe, and with those two products on hand, you be able to handle any future mite issues quickly and relatively easily.

Alright, both products are coming to me! I hope they get here soon.

Can I give them some type of bath to get some relief? I don't feel comfortable with mineral oil and scales falling off. I know with fleas, a tiny bit of dish soap kills them. Is that harmful for snakes?

I've been told on another forum to use Nix? A human lice treatment really diluted. Is that safe?? Everyone on there (10+ posters) is saying to use that...

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

I've been told on another forum to use Nix? A human lice treatment really diluted. Is that safe?? Everyone on there (10+ posters) is saying to use that...

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I would forget the Nix. Reptile Spray and Provent-A-Mite are designed for this problem, will work, and are safe.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

Do you spray the PAM on the plastic tub? I've been searching while waiting for responses and I've seen not to do that? To just spray the bedding?

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You spray the PAM on the tubs not on the bedding. Allow it to dry thoroughly before putting anything back in the cage. Keep the furniture minimalist for now, Take the furniture that you WERE using and either throw it out or boil it. I'd also suggest using paper for a substrate for the time being.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

EDIT - The spray won't get here from Amazon until the 10th of April. That's the fastest shipping I can choose. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?

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April 10th is too long to wait, you'll have a full blown infestation by then.
You might find reptile spray/reptile relief at the pet store, I believe that Natural Chemistry (the company who makes reptile spray) uses the same formula that they use in De Flea which they sell for dogs. I personally use Repel clothing and gear spray instead of PAM, it contains the same chemicals in the same strengths as PAM. You can find it at Walmart in the camping section though they may not stock it at this time of year.

There are other procedures that others may recommend that could help to lessen the mite load such as soaking your snake but they will likely NOT get rid of the infestation unless it's very light. I've even heard of a person solving his mite problem by brushing/plucking them off of his snake and squashing the mites with his thumb. It might be effective in killing individual mites but there is no way I would trust this method to rid me of a mite infestation.

The best and most surefire way of getting rid of a mite infestation is to use poisons. Since they ARE poisons, follow directions exactly and be careful in their usage. Use the minimum amount needed to do an effective job.

For OUR purposes there are three stages of mites, the egg stage, the feeding stage and the breeding stage. Mite eggs are pretty much impervious to anything but high heat. Mite eggs can be killed by boiling water or fire as long as the heat can reach the eggs. Female mites will lay their eggs in tight and tiny cracks as far back into the crack as they can reach.

The eggs hatching time is pretty much temperature dependent, shorter or longer times depending on how warm it is, though I believe 6 weeks is pretty typical. hatchling snake mites are clear white in color and have a very good sense of smell, they can walk long distances to find your snakes, this is their feeding stage. Snake mites don't infest lizards or other reptiles, only snakes. There are other species of mite that can infest your other reptiles. Here is where PAM and other permethrin sprays come in handy. Once sprayed on a surface and allowed to dry, they can be effective in killing bugs for a very long time, even months. They stick to surfaces so well that they can even remain effective after washing the cage. I've personally taken a plastic critter cage to the pet store to buy crickets and found all of the crickets dead by the time I got them home. I then remembered that I had treated that critter cage with PAM nearly a year before, it was still strong enough to kill off all of the crickets on the ride home.

Once a hatchling snake mite finds your snake it'll attach itself and start to suck blood. This is when they turn the reddish brown to black color we typically associate with snake mites. This is where you want to use the reptile spray or Nix solution. PAM is far too toxic to use ON your snake so spraying/wiping down your snake with reptile spray or a weak nix solution will kill the mites that are actively feeding on your animal. The problem with this stuff is that it does not stay effective on your snake for a very long time which is why you need to retreat more often then you do with the permethrin spray.

Once the snake mites have had their fill of snake blood and have grown into their adult stage, they will mate and the females will drop off your snake in search of a nice warm crevice to lay their eggs in, they will often leave the cage completely and travel long distances to find a suitable spot for egg laying, I once read that snake mites can travel over 10 yards in a day.

This is why effective mite treatment is two fold. Short lasting Reptile spray to kill the mites that are ON your snake, and long lasting permethrin sprays that will kill the newly hatched mites as they walk over it in search of your snake or the gravid females that leave your snake in order to find an egg laying site. It's the permethrin sprays that that will prevent you from being re-infested over and over again.

It's possible to get rid of mites using ONLY permethrin sprays, even after dry the permethrin will produce a vapor that kills mites in the environment but is 'typically' not dangerous to your snake. However be very careful with it. I've personally killed a bunch of hatchling day geckos merely by using PAM near them. I've also had hatchling bullsnakes start to exhibit some neurological issues when treating their cages even after they were completely dry. I personally won't use the stuff around hatchling colubrids anymore but I've had no problems using it around hatchling ball pythons.

The reptile spray isn't available here. I ordered it but it'll take time to get here. I also checked the Canadian walmart site and the repel stuff isn't listed.

The only stuff available locally is some zoomed stuff at the petstore and Nix, but ive read too many bad thigs abouy it to try it. Otherwise I have to wait for my stuff to come in :(

I'm gonna soak my two snakes tonight. I know that won't really help but I'm hoping it'll provide a tiny bit of relief to my snakes.

The active ingredient in NIX is permethrin. The active ingredient in PAM is permethrin. Used correctly both will eradicate mites without harming the snake. Used incorrectly both will kill your snake.

Two ounces (a bottle) of the 1% permethrin NIX diluted in a gallon of water makes an effective mite spray. Use it as you would use PAM - spray the enclosure, paper you will be using for substrate (if you have cypress or aspen throw it away), hides, rack, floor, walls, etc. Allow surfaces your snake comes into contact with to completely dry before putting your snake back into its home. DO NOT SPRAY THE WATER BOWL or you snake with the permethrin product, if your snake ingests permethrin it may suffer neurological damage or perish.

You can soak your snake for 30 minutes or so in warm (not hot, about 85*F) water with a small drop of dish soap to break the surface tension of the water so the mites can't float, and they drown.

You can use Reptile Spray on the snake to kill mites. My vet suggested spraying a paper towel with it and then wiping the snake, as most snakes hate getting sprayed and get stressed out when you do it. Plus you use less Reptile Spray per treatment since more ends up on the snake and not on the floor, the tub, the rack... Do the wipe treatments twice weekly until you stop seeing mites on the paper towel, then weekly for four weeks after that to make sure you don't get hit with a re-infestation because you missed an egg.

Well, I'm going to try the Nix. I'd hate for this to get worse. I'll just make sure to follow the steps exactly so I don't hurt my snakes. When my PAM comes, I'll switch to that.

Wish me luck... I'm nervous lol.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

Alright, both products are coming to me! I hope they get here soon.

Can I give them some type of bath to get some relief? I don't feel comfortable with mineral oil and scales falling off. I know with fleas, a tiny bit of dish soap kills them. Is that harmful for snakes?

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Yes, the brand to get imo, would be the "Dawn hypoallergenic" dishwashing liquid. Any "Dawn" dishwashing liquid would be good however. I would also not wait until the 10th for the other products bc this is really a emergency. The bp's and you need to immediately begin the decontamination process! It's only going to get worse! These mites continue to infect and lay eggs that hatch over and over again. You need PAM and REPTILE RELIEF overnighted to you! Try any of the online reptile stores and stress that you need it overnighted. Save the previous order as a backup. Stay in peace and not pieces. Good luck. :gj:

I've tried that :( The reptile spray is only available on amazon.ca and it's coming from the states so there's no way it can be overnighted. There wasn't even an option. The PAM was shipped today so fingers crossed it doesn't take long...

I don't think I have a choice but to try the Nix diluted mixture, at least until the PAM and reptile spray gets here. I know I need to start fighting this right away and that's my only option right now.

Americans are lucky with their easy access to stuff! lol

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

I've been told on another forum to use Nix? A human lice treatment really diluted. Is that safe?? Everyone on there (10+ posters) is saying to use that...

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Only use Nix if you can't get PAM. Nix is the same stuff, basically, but not dosed for snakes. You can get a can of pam, and some nix, and figure out how to dilute the nix to the same strength then follow the pam directions for applying the nix. You save money, but you should only do this if you have experience mixing things, and already know how to use Pam. The cost of pam is higher than nix and it is harder to get, but I recommend it over nix, since it is easier to use and has instructions for treating snakes.


David

It's not the cost. I ordered it but it'll probably take 2 weeks to get here. It's not just available to purchase in Canada. Neither is reptile relief spray, which is going to take until at least April 10th to get here.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

It's not the cost. I ordered it but it'll probably take 2 weeks to get here. It's not just available to purchase in Canada. Neither is reptile relief spray, which is going to take until at least April 10th to get here.

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Do you have Walmart or the equivalent? If so buy some Nix bedding lice spray and use it just like you would PAM

You can also make your own home brew but it has it's risk if you do not know what you are doing.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

It's not the cost. I ordered it but it'll probably take 2 weeks to get here. It's not just available to purchase in Canada. Neither is reptile relief spray, which is going to take until at least April 10th to get here.

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You can take other steps while you wait till the tenth. Take all of the bedding out of the cage everyday. This will remove any eggs in the bedding. Use a 5% bleach solution to clean the cage. Remove all of the bleach and dry. This will kill any newly hatched mites. Put the new bedding in. Bathe the snake every day. Watch for mites. Use a q-tip with olive oil on it to smother mites you find trying to escape during the bath. Do not coat the snake in oil. This is spot application only. This is a time consuming and stressful way to deal with mites but if you keep up on in it, it will work. It just takes about a month of cleaning to get rid of them. Don't be surprised if this causes a hunger strike. I hate this method but it is effective.

Of course once you get the Pam you are out of the woods. Pam kills mites and stops them from coming back.


David

I recommend using paper towels or newspaper as a temporary substrate - it has to be changed daily. A warm bath for your BP will bring instant relief......let her soak for 20 minutes in a tub of warm water with 1 or 2 DROPS of Dawn or other dishwashing detergent. Be sure to check the temperature of the water - no warmer than 82F. You don't want to scald your snake! You'll drown the mites (probably not all of them).


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This is very helpful http://youtu.be/4CX0Dki0yAA


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Originally Posted by pbyeerts

This is very helpful http://youtu.be/4CX0Dki0yAA


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I wouldn't be spraying PAM inside the terrarium with the snake in the same room... [emoji51]

I used Nix and was successful. I was very careful with it and made sure to dillute it correctly. I also made a batch that was extra extra dilluted to rub on the snake. Cleaning out the entire enclosure VERY well is so important as it only takes a few to start the whole process again.
Nix can be used safely if used correctly for those who cannot purchase provent a mite

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Originally Posted by nightrainfalls

Only use Nix if you can't get PAM. Nix is the same stuff, basically, but not dosed for snakes. You can get a can of pam, and some nix, and figure out how to dilute the nix to the same strength then follow the pam directions for applying the nix. You save money, but you should only do this if you have experience mixing things, and already know how to use Pam. The cost of pam is higher than nix and it is harder to get, but I recommend it over nix, since it is easier to use and has instructions for treating snakes.

David

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PAM is 0.5% permethrin according to the label, which is a high concentration. Since it's applied lightly as an aerosol only a little bit of the product is used.

Two ounces of NIX (1% permethrin) mixed in one gallon (128 oz) of water yields a 0.015625% permethrin solution. It's applied using a spray bottle until the paper substrate is wet. So, even though it's a weaker product, enough permethrin gets applied to the paper to do the job.

Permethrin-10 is another option, available at farm & feed stores like Tractor Supply, and usually some sort of concentrated permethrin product is sold for agricultural use outside of the US. It's 10% permethrin so a little bit goes a long way. Diluting 3 milliliters in 2 liters of water is equivalent to the NIX solution, but the problem as Deb pointed out is that it's way too easy to make it too strong.

I've used the No-Pest strips in the past but had read that the insecticide has a high affinity for water and BRB's are particularly susceptible to problems from it, so I just pulled the water bowls for a day while using the strip, then put the bowls back after airing out the room, so my critters wouldn't risk ingesting it. Repeat treatment weekly.

So, last night I bought a bottle of Nix and used it. I ended up watering it down a bit more than necessary because I was afraid. I think it might have been too much :(

I put each snake into a bath with 1 drop of dawn. I then cleaned their tubs out and dried them, then sprayed a piece of paper towel with the Nix mixture and let it dry. I rinsed the snakes off, then sprayed them a tiny bit with the Nix. Once they sat for a bit, I put them back in their tubs. There's no hides or anything in there but the piece of treated paper towel. They aren't very happy with me, lol.

Good news! My PAM came today. I guess the seller expedited it for me after all :) Needless to say, he'll be getting my business again!

Anyway, how long should I wait before using the PAM? I'm still waiting on the reptile relief spray and it won't be here until April 10th. Should I treat with the PAM and then give daily baths for relief until the reptile spray gets here?

Since your enclosure has already been treated there's no need to re-treat, permethrin has a half life of 30 days if kept out of direct sunlight, and 7 days in sunlight. Just treat some paper (outside), put it in a shady place to dry, and keep it on hand to replace any soiled paper with treated paper when a snake makes a mess.

So, that's it? I'm good for a month? What if I still have loads of mites when I check the papertowels?

That reminds me... I treated the feeding tub and both tubs I bathed them in and left them outside overnight to dry and woke up to a crapload of snow haha. Awesome.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

So, that's it? I'm good for a month? What if I still have loads of mites when I check the papertowels?

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Not quite. You're good for two weeks. In two weeks, repeat the fumigation of the enclosure with PAM and treat your BP with the Reptile Spray. Then in two weeks do it again. After that you should be ok but that's not a guarantee.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

Not quite. You're good for two weeks. In two weeks, repeat the fumigation of the enclosure with PAM and treat your BP with the Reptile Spray. Then in two weeks do it again. After that you should be ok but that's not a guarantee.

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Exactly this. And pre-treat paper towels and allow them to dry so that you can replace soiled ones with treated ones when your snake makes a mess.

ETA: you can use the reptile spray every 3 days. I spray a white paper towel and wipe the snake, which gives me an idea of how quickly the infestation is being killed off since the mites show up on the paper towel. I also keep treating for 30 days after I found a mite, since eggs can lay dormant for that long.

Maybe this thread should be a sticky? So many questions about mites.....


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Congratulations on your battle with the mites, I had the same thing Happen to me it turned out to be expensive for all 7 snakes and a lot of extra work.


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