2019 Snek Acquisition Plan

So I realize that I'm a bit anal but they say "the journey is the destination" and I sure am making it that. Just wanting any feedback as to my plan for my 2 boys and I in acquiring our first BP's.

1) Attend the NH show January 6: This is just going to be an exploratory show to get the "lay of the land". See what the BP world is all about. Meet some breeders and suppliers. I'm betting this will help all of us bring into focus what we want and how to get there.

2) Attend the Spring show in White Plains, NY: The would be to further learn about different breeders and suppliers and to pick up our rack/caging system and all heating/other accessories to set up the future home for our BP's.

3) Attend the Fall show in White Plains or NH: This would be to acquire our 3 new BP's and a supply of f/t.:snake::snake::snake:


This should also allow more time for my boys to get more involved with the process, especially after seeing everything in person. We also home school our kids so this can be an ongoing science project. My boys love adventures and especially Daddy adventures where Mom and their sister are not involved. What say you?

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

So I realize that I'm a bit anal but they say "the journey is the destination" and I sure am making it that. Just wanting any feedback as to my plan for my 2 boys and I in acquiring our first BP's.

1) Attend the NH show January 6: This is just going to be an exploratory show to get the "lay of the land". See what the BP world is all about. Meet some breeders and suppliers. I'm betting this will help all of us bring into focus what we want and how to get there.

2) Attend the Spring show in White Plains, NY: The would be to further learn about different breeders and suppliers and to pick up our rack/caging system and all heating/other accessories to set up the future home for our BP's.

3) Attend the Fall show in White Plains or NH: This would be to acquire our 3 new BP's and a supply of f/t.:snake::snake::snake:


This should also allow more time for my boys to get more involved with the process, especially after seeing everything in person. We also home school our kids so this can be an ongoing science project. My boys love adventures and especially Daddy adventures where Mom and their sister are not involved. What say you?

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Wow! You have it all thought out!

Much discipline you have, grasshopper!

Sounds good to me.

Let me know about the shows in NH and White Plains as I am virtually the same distance from both and often attend them. It would be nice to meet if you are up to that and let me know if I can help in any way. Feel free to PM.

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Originally Posted by dakski

Wow! You have it all thought out!

Much discipline you have, grasshopper!

Sounds good to me.

Let me know about the shows in NH and White Plains as I am virtually the same distance from both and often attend them. It would be nice to meet if you are up to that and let me know if I can help in any way. Feel free to PM.

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Meeting up would be great! Let me ask you a question since you have attended both. It looks like the NY show is much bigger than the NH. Is this true and is my thinking that husbandry items acquisition would be better in NY better because there would be more suppliers?

You'll come back home with something on the 6th, lol.:)

I'll be at the NH show in January.

Your plan sounds well thought out. Just be prepared to quarantine all three separately.

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Originally Posted by rockonjp76

You'll come back home with something on the 6th, lol.:)

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That's what I'm afraid of!

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I'll be at the NH show in January.

Your plan sounds well thought out. Just be prepared to quarantine all three separately.

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How is that best done if all three will eventually live in the same rack?

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

How is that best done if all three will eventually live in the same rack?

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Ideally they'll all be in seperate rooms for 90 days or longer.
Once healthy and out of quarantine they can go into the same rack.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Ideally they'll all be in seperate rooms for 90 days or longer.
Once healthy and out of quarantine they can go into the same rack.

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So individual tubs with tops in 3 different rooms? How much handling do you do during this time?

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

So individual tubs with tops in 3 different rooms? How much handling do you do during this time?

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Ideally, yes. I've (knock on wood) never had any mites or other illnesses in any of my snakes, so fortunately haven't had to treat any. But, from all I've read, it's much easier (and cheaper) to treat one than all of them. And, as keepers, it's our responsibility to keep our animals healthy. So following proper quarantine is a must.

As for handling, I highly recommend following the "3 meal rule". Basically, no handling until the snake has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal.
Handling is solely for us. So it's important to put their health above our desire to handle.
These snakes live 20+ years in captivity, so there will be plenty of time f9r handling.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Ideally, yes. I've (knock on wood) never had any mites or other illnesses in any of my snakes, so fortunately haven't had to treat any. But, from all I've read, it's much easier (and cheaper) to treat one than all of them. And, as keepers, it's our responsibility to keep our animals healthy. So following proper quarantine is a must.

As for handling, I highly recommend following the "3 meal rule". Basically, no handling until the snake has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal.
Handling is solely for us. So it's important to put their health above our desire to handle.
These snakes live 20+ years in captivity, so there will be plenty of time f9r handling.

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Thanks for the advice Craig. I'm wondering, when purchasing from a breeder at a show, should there be a concern with mites?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Ideally they'll all be in seperate rooms for 90 days or longer.
Once healthy and out of quarantine they can go into the same rack.

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

So individual tubs with tops in 3 different rooms? How much handling do you do during this time?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Ideally, yes.

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hey craig! i just wanna jump in here (not to step on your toes :)): i quarantine snakes i got at the same time in the same room together. my two new animals' tubs are literally right next to each other. for animals you get from separate shows, you should QT them separately as any new additions to QT resets the "QT clock" for all animals back to 0.

but just a reminder that QT is not something to take lightly; it is a very important part of keeping multiple snakes. the best time to start practicing QT is when you only have one animal. ;)

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Thanks for the advice Craig. I'm wondering, when purchasing from a breeder at a show, should there be a concern with mites?

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me and the breeder i got one of my new animals from joked that we'd bet our life savings there were mites at the show. you should just assume there are and follow QT when you get home: immediately strip out of your clothes, toss them in the wash and hop in the shower! that's what i do after every show.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

hey craig! i just wanna jump in here (not to step on your toes :)): i quarantine snakes i got at the same time in the same room together. my two new animals' tubs are literally right next to each other. for animals you get from separate shows, you should QT them separately as any new additions to QT resets the "QT clock" for all animals back to 0.

but just a reminder that QT is not something to take lightly; it is a very important part of keeping multiple snakes. the best time to start practicing QT is when you only have one animal. ;)


me and the breeder i got one of my new animals from joked that we'd bet our life savings there were mites at the show. you should just assume there are and follow QT when you get home: immediately strip out of your clothes, toss them in the wash and hop in the shower! that's what i do after every show.

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That's much better if we buy 3 snakes from the same show I can QT'em together.

And can't a visual inspection of the snake at purchase determine if there are mites?

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

That's much better if we buy 3 snakes from the same show I can QT'em together.

And can't a visual inspection of the snake at purchase determine if there are mites?

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yes and no: they could have one or two, and maybe those one or two lay eggs; the eggs don't hatch right away, then a week goes by and you have a full-blown infestation. (everything you've ever wanted to know about snake mites [PDF warning]).

there's plenty of examples on here where people bring home a new animal, a week later they find mites and they seem baffled as to where they came from lol. it happens, but it's not the end of the world.

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Meeting up would be great! Let me ask you a question since you have attended both. It looks like the NY show is much bigger than the NH. Is this true and is my thinking that husbandry items acquisition would be better in NY better because there would be more suppliers?

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There are plenty of husbandry suppliers at both. However, depends what you are looking for husbandry wise. You have a lot of time, assuming you stick to your plan :). You might want to consider ordering what you need from reptile basics, for example, and getting cages or racks made by Boaphile, AP, etc.

Just a thought.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

hey craig! i just wanna jump in here (not to step on your toes :)): i quarantine snakes i got at the same time in the same room together. my two new animals' tubs are literally right next to each other. for animals you get from separate shows, you should QT them separately as any new additions to QT resets the "QT clock" for all animals back to 0.

but just a reminder that QT is not something to take lightly; it is a very important part of keeping multiple snakes. the best time to start practicing QT is when you only have one animal. ;)


me and the breeder i got one of my new animals from joked that we'd bet our life savings there were mites at the show. you should just assume there are and follow QT when you get home: immediately strip out of your clothes, toss them in the wash and hop in the shower! that's what i do after every show.

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Thanks, Taylor. I've never had more than one animal in QT at a time, so I could be going into overkill mode. But I do think I would personally still want them in seperate rooms, especially if they came from different breeders. But hey, that's just me and coukd be overkill.

OP, like Taylor said, plan on there being mites somewhere at the show. Unfortunately, expos and mites often go hand in hand.
Follow Taylor's advise on post-show washing, etc...

Think of it this way:
- table X has mites
- Person A handles snakes at table X.
- Person A then moves on to table Y
- Person A now handles snakes at table Y, table Z, etc...
The mites could have traveled very easily from person A from one table to another. Now think of hundreds of people all handling snakes all over the room...

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Thanks, Taylor. I've never had more than one animal in QT at a time, so I could be going into overkill mode. But I do think I would personally still want them in seperate rooms, especially if they came from different breeders. But hey, that's just me and coukd be overkill.

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nothing wrong with overkill, and this is good advice! to OP: if you can QT every animal in separate rooms, then go for it! if you're like me and have only a few spots where you can tightly control the husbandry, it's not the end of the world but you will need to pay closer attention to any behavior changes in the animals.

sidenote: if i bought different species at the same show, i'd QT them separately.

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Originally Posted by dakski

There are plenty of husbandry suppliers at both. However, depends what you are looking for husbandry wise. You have a lot of time, assuming you stick to your plan :). You might want to consider ordering what you need from reptile basics, for example, and getting cages or racks made by Boaphile, AP, etc.

Just a thought.

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Do they not attend either show? I was hoping to see their products up close.

Just some tips from my experience......

1. If you have a particular morph in mind to buy, seek them out first at the show. The amount of animals will be overwhelming and you don’t want to spend a lot of time talking to a breeder that doesn’t even work with the morph you’re interested in.

2. Look for the breeder with a smaller display of maybe 50 or less snakes, preferably 25. From what I’ve found in my short time in the hobby is the mega breeder with 200 snakes for sale doesn’t know what the snake you’re looking at is or where it came from. (Some don’t even keep up with hatch dates)

3. The biggest one....if you’re planning on breeding in the future, have a plan before you buy. Find your absolute favorite morph on Morph Market and start your breeding plans with the goal of producing that morph at some point.

You sound like you have a rock solid plan! That’s a good thing. Stick to it and enjoy the shows. They are a blast to attend!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Jbabycsx

Just some tips from my experience......

1. If you have a particular morph in mind to buy, seek them out first at the show. The amount of animals will be overwhelming and you don’t want to spend a lot of time talking to a breeder that doesn’t even work with the morph you’re interested in.

2. Look for the breeder with a smaller display of maybe 50 or less snakes, preferably 25. From what I’ve found in my short time in the hobby is the mega breeder with 200 snakes for sale doesn’t know what the snake you’re looking at is or where it came from. (Some don’t even keep up with hatch dates)

3. The biggest one....if you’re planning on breeding in the future, have a plan before you buy. Find your absolute favorite morph on Morph Market and start your breeding plans with the goal of producing that morph at some point.

You sound like you have a rock solid plan! That’s a good thing. Stick to it and enjoy the shows. They are a blast to attend!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Thanks for the sound advice. And as for #3, believe it or not I spend almost as much time on MM as I do here! I have always wanted to plan on owning the right morphs so if we ever want to breed we'd be a bit ahead of the curve. So many sneks, so little time....

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Thanks for the advice Craig. I'm wondering, when purchasing from a breeder at a show, should there be a concern with mites?

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Ya, you betcha! Even from what appears to be a great breeder, their snakes could conceivably pick up a mite from being in proximity to others that brought them, or
the mites could be transferred on someone's clothing that handled them & then didn't buy. Look closely & hopefully have good luck.

In terms of quarantine, it would be easier if all snakes came from same breeder, but that also makes it more likely that they are all related*, which may or may
not be to your advantage in terms of breeding. *Some sellers (when asked) may tell you what you want to hear rather than full disclosure.

We have no real plans to breed, so take this with a grain of salt, but I believe it's generally advised to have more females than males and that it's better to get powerhouse males if possible. ie, if you're going for Pieds, you could get by with regular Pied females but would want something awesome for the males - such as a multigene Pied male or a multigene het Pied male if you're confident about the breeder. This is because females take longer to get to proper breeding age/size and because females are generally more expensive. I'm sure breeders can offer much more concrete advice on this, though.

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Originally Posted by WhompingWillow

We have no real plans to breed, so take this with a grain of salt, but I believe it's generally advised to have more females than males and that it's better to get powerhouse males if possible. ie, if you're going for Pieds, you could get by with regular Pied females but would want something awesome for the males - such as a multigene Pied male or a multigene het Pied male if you're confident about the breeder. This is because females take longer to get to proper breeding age/size and because females are generally more expensive. I'm sure breeders can offer much more concrete advice on this, though.

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you are correct here: more females than males is the preferred ratio; powerhouse males and single-gene females is a strategy a lot of breeders use (and i have not LOL). but as long as you have a plan and stick with it, you should be alright.

Like others said, you won't see the eggs even if you do a close inspection. So just treat for mites anyways while in quarantine using some Permectrin II
This is how Garret does it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c32mj38quZY

Great responses folks. Keep em’ coming. Learning so much here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As an example to what everyone is saying here about mites.

A friend of mine that breeds was at the Lone Star expo this past weekend, she's doesn't produce a large number of animals and every breeder she owns was a pet first. She's never had issues with mites within her collection and has some of the better looking animals (healthwise and morphwise) at the show.

So this past weekend at the show, all her available snakes came to the show healthy and mite-free. By the end of day one she noticed a single mite on her banana pied and she immediately separated him and removed all the other snakes from that show case so she could clean and treat the display. On day 2 she noticed 2 more snakes had a mite or 2 on them, these 2 were her black pastel pieds. So same deal, remove all snakes and clean/treat display/snakes. So she decides to investigate nearby booths, one breeder 3 booths down (admittedly a good guy, but new to breeding and shows in general) admits he found mites on one of his snakes on setup day and didn't QT it immediately, instead he treated it the next morning after running home that night for treatment.

So because of one animal that had mites and one breeder that didn't QT immediately, all the animals at that show are at risk for having mites, and all her snakes went home into QT.

Mites are almost always going to be at a show, it's just what happens when you get that many keepers and animals in one place. But quarantining new animals at home on PAM treated paper towel separate from your other animals will prevent the possibility of mites being an issue.

You also need to realize that most show promoters do not vet their vendors to ensure they are only selling healthy animals; anyone who wants a table gets one. So, you could have one vendor who breeds and sells his own critters set up next to a vendor whose wild-caught, stressed, parasite-riddled critters came off of a plane from overseas the week prior to the show.

Since you have decided which shows you are attending I would strongly suggest going to the show's Facebook page or web site and doing some research on the vendors well before the day of the show. That way you will know who to avoid.

I wrote this up a while ago about buying from online vendors, but the how-to-research aspect applies just as much to vendors at expos.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...g-Herps-Online

Unfortunately that's why I don't go to reptile shows. I wish I could, I bet they are fun.
And don't feel attacked if you do! Is just me...my choice.

I would say in terms of enclosures White Plains would have better selection for you. It is a larger show where bigger companies bring a selection of racks and tubs. I have seen the odd small vendor at Manchester shows but I chose to buy racks from a larger, more established vendor that also has a display at the White Plains show. Also, if I were ever considering purchasing what appears to be used equipment, cleanliness would be a huge factor for me.

The White Plains show is larger, but not as accessible in some ways. The crowds can be a lot at both, but the parking situation is better in Manchester. And for how small comparatively Manchester is to White Plains, there is still great variety whereas NY seems to have a lot of different vendors with the same types of things.

There is an annual (I believe) show in Portland, ME, but it is very limited and needs support to grow and diversify. Better than not attending a show though.

Good luck in your journey, it's just such great fun, especially if you like hobbies where you can choose areas to tinker with!

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Originally Posted by bcr229

You also need to realize that most show promoters do not vet their vendors to ensure they are only selling healthy animals; anyone who wants a table gets one. So, you could have one vendor who breeds and sells his own critters set up next to a vendor whose wild-caught, stressed, parasite-riddled critters came off of a plane from overseas the week prior to the show.

Since you have decided which shows you are attending I would strongly suggest going to the show's Facebook page or web site and doing some research on the vendors well before the day of the show. That way you will know who to avoid.

I wrote this up a while ago about buying from online vendors, but the how-to-research aspect applies just as much to vendors at expos.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...g-Herps-Online

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It almost sounds like to avoid a possible mite situation I should pick out sneks, have them brought back to their own shop and have them shipped? Dunno.

There are a few breeders with impeccable reputation.

Deborah, one of our Moderators, has BEAUTIES for sale, and her husbandry is perfect. Dynasty Reptiles has all their buyers happy from what I can see. Justin K., Ozzy and a few more are also trustworthy with amazing animals.

You could simply get 3 BP from the same breeder/facility and at the same time. Why not, since you are planning so far ahead. Then you can set them up in your rack right away, since you don't need to quarantine them from one another.

I would buy supplies, enclosures and whatnot at shows. Never an animal. But that's just me.

I know many of the good breeders DO go to shows, so there is the chance of them bringing something home to their own collection. But I think they have procedures in place to prevent that. They have to much to loose, to allow a stray mite to get back into their collection or to let people handle their snakes without some precautions.

Just an idea..

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Originally Posted by zina10

There are a few breeders with impeccable reputation.

Deborah, one of our Moderators, has BEAUTIES for sale, and her husbandry is perfect. Dynasty Reptiles has all their buyers happy from what I can see. Justin K., Ozzy and a few more are also trustworthy with amazing animals.

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can confirm @Deborah should be the poster child for how breeders should conduct themselves. she is incredibly knowledgable, SUPER helpful, responds quickly and produces amazing animals.

i bought my first breeder female from her: my Pastel Enchi Leopard 100% het Pied and she is amazing in temperament and feeding.

i am not endorsed by @Deborah (#shouldbe LOL) but when you find quality you can't help but boast.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

You also need to realize that most show promoters do not vet their vendors to ensure they are only selling healthy animals; anyone who wants a table gets one. So, you could have one vendor who breeds and sells his own critters set up next to a vendor whose wild-caught, stressed, parasite-riddled critters came off of a plane from overseas the week prior to the show.

Since you have decided which shows you are attending I would strongly suggest going to the show's Facebook page or web site and doing some research on the vendors well before the day of the show. That way you will know who to avoid.

I wrote this up a while ago about buying from online vendors, but the how-to-research aspect applies just as much to vendors at expos.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...g-Herps-Online

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

can confirm @Deborah should be the poster child for how breeders should conduct themselves. she is incredibly knowledgable, SUPER helpful, responds quickly and produces amazing animals.

i bought my first breeder female from her: my Pastel Enchi Leopard 100% het Pied and she is amazing in temperament and feeding.

i am not endorsed by @Deborah (#shouldbe LOL) but when you find quality you can't help but boast.

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Been checking Deb's site out. She has some nice sneks.

I’ve purchased from several sources over the years: shows, breeders, VA Trading post (hard copy precursor to Craigslist), and Craigslist...not to mention rescues that were given to me in years past. Of the 7 bp’s I added this year, 2 came from Craigslist, 4 were purchased at local shows, and one was purchased from Dynasty Reptiles and shipped (they are awesome). I inspect carefully for mites at the show and quarantine everyone away from my main collections, for the most part. I did make some exceptions this year and quarantined some of the new animals in my snake room but separate from my other snakes. The last two purchases are in a separate room I have since gotten set up.

Any quarantined snakes are fed last, cages are cleaned last, and any necessary handling is done last...use different tools where possible or thoroughly clean before using on your existing collection. Whenever possible, I prefer to clean or handle on a different day than my main collection. Years ago I used to pretreat the cage for any new arrivals, and should have this time, but I was fortunate not to bring home any extra hitchhikers. Part of that was purchasing from reputable breeders, part is pure luck. As others have said, there is always the chance you can bring home mites or transfer them between vendors. I personally don’t handle anything I’m not seriously considering purchasing, but shows can be a great place to handle different animals to see what you like.

A side note for quarantine times, the absolute minimum is 30 days. This will let you see if mites came in with your new pet, and may allow enough time to discover any illness. Keep in mind that reptiles typically do not display signs of illness until it is well advanced. That is why most keepers go 60-90 days for quarantine, some even longer.

I cannot begin to thank you all enough with the outpouring of help you are giving me and my boys. You all and this site is truly unbelievable! Thank you for withstanding my somewhat dumb questions but believe me, you are making a much better home for 3 future snakes! My only concern is, with the more that I learn, the more questions I have!:taz:

My oldest (16) just joined here yesterday so I'll have him introduce himself soon.

And Deb, you have some cool snakes!

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

I cannot begin to thank you all enough with the outpouring of help you are giving me and my boys. You all and this site is truly unbelievable! Thank you for withstanding my somewhat dumb questions but believe me, you are making a much better home for 3 future snakes! My only concern is, with the more that I learn, the more questions I have!:taz:

My oldest (16) just joined here yesterday so I'll have him introduce himself soon.

And Deb, you have some cool snakes!

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Everyone starts at the beginning when everything is new and you have to learn it all. I hate to break it to you though, you never have all the answers. :oops: You can nail down the basics pretty well, but more advances are made in materials and equipment, not to mention husbandry. We know far more today than was even available when I bought my first boa in 1991. As more information becomes available, we re-evaluate practices and make adjustments as necessary.

Keep asking questions. :) I’ve joined and dropped a number of forums over the years. I was very pleased to find this place, where most everyone is helpful and positive.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Thanks, Taylor. I've never had more than one animal in QT at a time, so I could be going into overkill mode. But I do think I would personally still want them in seperate rooms, especially if they came from different breeders. But hey, that's just me and coukd be overkill.

OP, like Taylor said, plan on there being mites somewhere at the show. Unfortunately, expos and mites often go hand in hand.
Follow Taylor's advise on post-show washing, etc...

Think of it this way:
- table X has mites
- Person A handles snakes at table X.
- Person A then moves on to table Y
- Person A now handles snakes at table Y, table Z, etc...
The mites could have traveled very easily from person A from one table to another. Now think of hundreds of people all handling snakes all over the room...

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...@craigafrechette i am here to eat crow. [emoji20]

so i bought two new babies at the same show, but one has mites. yes, mites. despite what i thought was a "careful eye" or better knowledge, i could not have noticed them and i only noticed after the Bamboo shed.

@craigafrechette i was WRONG. both animals should have been QT'd separately since i COULD have made the space.

i will be posting a thread aaaaallllll about this, but i WISH i QT'd these babies separately as now i have to treat both babies as having full-blown mites and subject them both to treatment.

yay, mites!!!

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Originally Posted by bcr229

You also need to realize that most show promoters do not vet their vendors to ensure they are only selling healthy animals; anyone who wants a table gets one. So, you could have one vendor who breeds and sells his own critters set up next to a vendor whose wild-caught, stressed, parasite-riddled critters came off of a plane from overseas the week prior to the show.

Since you have decided which shows you are attending I would strongly suggest going to the show's Facebook page or web site and doing some research on the vendors well before the day of the show. That way you will know who to avoid.

I wrote this up a while ago about buying from online vendors, but the how-to-research aspect applies just as much to vendors at expos.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...g-Herps-Online

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

...@craigafrechette i am here to eat crow. [emoji20]

so i bought two new babies at the same show, but one has mites. yes, mites. despite what i thought was a "careful eye" or better knowledge, i could not have noticed them and i only noticed after the Bamboo shed.

@craigafrechette i was WRONG. both animals should have been QT'd separately since i COULD have made the space.

i will be posting a thread aaaaallllll about this, but i WISH i QT'd these babies separately as now i have to treat both babies as having full-blown mites and subject them both to treatment.

yay, mites!!!

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Mites....Yikes!!!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

...@craigafrechette i am here to eat crow. [emoji20]

so i bought two new babies at the same show, but one has mites. yes, mites. despite what i thought was a "careful eye" or better knowledge, i could not have noticed them and i only noticed after the Bamboo shed.

@craigafrechette i was WRONG. both animals should have been QT'd separately since i COULD have made the space.

i will be posting a thread aaaaallllll about this, but i WISH i QT'd these babies separately as now i have to treat both babies as having full-blown mites and subject them both to treatment.

yay, mites!!!

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Aw, I'm sorry to hear this. Mites suck. :( We picked up the critters somewhere and they slowly spread to a few tanks, so we just finished several rounds of treatment. You're a knowledgable keeper, so I'm sure you have a plan of attack. I had a lot of luck with the diluted Nix method, and now that we're 30+ days without a mite sighting, I'm knocking on wood that we got the little buggars, eggs and all. I chose that over PAM due to the fact that it can be sprayed on the snakes and their enclosures. Message me if you want any details on it. :)

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Mites....Yikes!!!

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understatement of the century [emoji849][emoji852]

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

...@craigafrechette i am here to eat crow. [emoji20]

so i bought two new babies at the same show, but one has mites. yes, mites. despite what i thought was a "careful eye" or better knowledge, i could not have noticed them and i only noticed after the Bamboo shed.

@craigafrechette i was WRONG. both animals should have been QT'd separately since i COULD have made the space.

i will be posting a thread aaaaallllll about this, but i WISH i QT'd these babies separately as now i have to treat both babies as having full-blown mites and subject them both to treatment.

yay, mites!!!

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Ah crap!! Now I feel like a jinx!!

So sorry to hear this, Taylor. Luckily you're a top notch keeper and it's not a huge problem, but definitely a pain in the rear end.

Good luck with treatment! ...and sorry for the jinx...:(

This whole mite thing is something I'll want to avoid like the plague. Would it be safe to say if I buy snakes from a reputable breeder at a show, if any of their snakes contract mites at the show and I have them take them back to their facility for a later shipping date, that they wouldn't have mites? Sorry for the run on sentence.

Most keepers will get mites at least once. It happens, u just take all precautions u can to prevent them but it’s not the end of the world

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Ah crap!! Now I feel like a jinx!!

So sorry to hear this, Taylor. Luckily you're a top notch keeper and it's not a huge problem, but definitely a pain in the rear end.

Good luck with treatment! ...and sorry for the jinx...:(

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if you buy enough snakes... [emoji849]

funny enough i bought PAM for the first time at that show; i just had a feeling and it was right there so i bought it.

tubs and snakes were treated immediately (PAM does NOT go on or near any animal except tortoises!) and it seems like ive killed most already, just gotta stay on top of the eggs! [emoji6]

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

if you buy enough snakes... [emoji849]

funny enough i bought PAM for the first time at that show; i just had a feeling and it was right there so i bought it.

tubs and snakes were treated immediately (PAM does NOT go on or near any animal except tortoises!) and it seems like ive killed most already, just gotta stay on top of the eggs! [emoji6]

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What is the process with the Pam? Spray on tubs/enclosures, just clean with it? I take it the snakes can't be hurt by it?

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

What is the process with the Pam? Spray on tubs/enclosures, just clean with it? I take it the snakes can't be hurt by it?

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-remove animal from room as the vapors are harmful

-remove everything from enclosure

-spray that stuff EVERYWHERE, all nooks and crannies in a good mist and even the wall and floor in the surrounding area

-place down paper towel; replace hides; spray them too

-VENTILATE everything until all surfaces are dry and there's no vapors/smell; i opened a window and ran a fan for 2 hrs but that might be overkill lol

-replace water dish and add water; replace animal

-repeat in two weeks

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

What is the process with the Pam? Spray on tubs/enclosures, just clean with it? I take it the snakes can't be hurt by it?

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MR Snakes,

I just wanted to clarify PAM is the acronym for Provent-a-Mite, a commercially produced mite spray.


Taylor,

So sorry to hear you picked up these pests. I’ve used PAM in the past to good results.

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Originally Posted by Dianne

MR Snakes,

I just wanted to clarify PAM is the acronym for Provent-a-Mite, a commercially produced mite spray.


Taylor,

So sorry to hear you picked up these pests. I’ve used PAM in the past to good results.

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Good point!

Please don't use PAM cooking spray :oops::D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

-remove animal from room as the vapors are harmful

-remove everything from enclosure

-spray that stuff EVERYWHERE, all nooks and crannies in a good mist and even the wall and floor in the surrounding area

-place down paper towel; replace hides; spray them too

-VENTILATE everything until all surfaces are dry and there's no vapors/smell; i opened a window and ran a fan for 2 hrs but that might be overkill lol

-replace water dish and add water; replace animal

-repeat in two weeks

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Sounds doable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dianne

MR Snakes,

I just wanted to clarify PAM is the acronym for Provent-a-Mite, a commercially produced mite spray.


Taylor,

So sorry to hear you picked up these pests. I’ve used PAM in the past to good results.

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And THANK YOU!!! Hope I'm not the first idiot who thought it was the other Pam! My acquisition plan may have to be moved back a year!:tears:

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Sounds doable.




And THANK YOU!!! Hope I'm not the first idiot who thought it was the other Pam! My acquisition plan may have to be moved back a year!:tears:

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If it’s any consolation, when I first saw folks posting PAM, I also thought cooking spray and was like wth? I’m not usually one to use anacronyms or abbreviations, so I can be slow to pick those up. :D

As a side note, in the past I’ve pretreated cages before I brought anybody home. If you stick to the plan, even a shorter term modified version, you’ll have your cages set up and ready....so you could also pretreat. I’ve been fortunate this year that I’ve had no hitchhikers on my new acquisitions, but for anyone adding new snakes it’s a possibility. Most of us have dealt with them at one time or another. :(

Thanks. Learning curve getting steeper.