Rescuing python with mites

I had an coworker of mine who knows how much Im into reptiles and told me his son is having some problems at home and isnt able to care for his snake anymore and was wondering if I would take it. Of course I said yes, well he doesnt know for sure what it is but its either a retic or a burm and I believe its about 7 ft now. Well one thing he does know for sure is that it has mites. Ive dealt with mites before but not on anything more than 2 ft.

What would be the best way to deal with them? Soak him in a tub and hand pick what I can see for a while til they are gone or is there an easier way for larger snakes?

Soak in the tub and then use provent-o-mite.:snake:

I rescued an 11 foot albino burmese once with mites. I treated her the same way I treat me ball pythons. I got a big rubbermaid container she would fit in, I put her in it and sprayed her down good with Reptile Relief. I prepared her enclosure and treated it very good with Provent-a-Mite. After being in the tub for 25 minutes I took her out and put her in the bathtub, rinsed all the RR off and let her soak for about 15 minutes (thats the hard part, probally best to run water in the rubbermaid and put it back in there) Soaking afterwards helps rehydrate the snake. PAM kills mites be dehydration and can partially dehydrate your snake as well. After soaking a while wipe her down and put in treated enclosure. BAM!! no more mites, has worked for me everytime, with burm and several balls, I have also treated several Boas this way. Make sure to follow the directions on the PAM can and have NO water in the enclosure until the PAM is completely dry.

Soak the animal in a tub, such as a sterilite or rubbermaid, for somewhere around a half hour or so. During that time, the animal will drink the water, etc....after this is all done and over with, remove the snake. Refill the tub, and add a drop of Dawn dish soap to the mix. Swoosh it around gently to mix it, but to where it doesn't bubble. Add the snake, and let it soak for another half hour, to an hour. While that is going on, clean the cage thoroughly. Use water cut with around 5% bleach, and scrub the cage very well. Afterwards, treat the cage with Black Knight 2, or PAM. Set up the cage very basic. Use a basic hide, a basic water bowl, and simple bedding. I prefer white paper towels for this. This allows you to spot out any mites left, and gives them less places to breed, and lay eggs. After the cage is set up, remove the snake, and place it in the cage. Repeat this every few weeks, until you notice the mite problem is gone. After that, do it a couple more times, to ensure they are.


Some people will recommend rubbing vegetable oil on the snake, to suffocate any remaining mites. Although it will, and does work; I have had every snake I've used it on have very, very bad sheds afterwards. Retained eye caps, patchy area's, and small, shriveled scales. To me its not worth the bother, and more of a hassle than its worth.

I use mineral oil, it is the same as Andrew was describing vegetable oil, but it is not as rough. The mineral oil will suffocate the mites, but it is very messy.

I have always avoided the soaking altogether and, before putting the snake into the rubbermaid or sterlite container, I treat it with PAM first. Then, when I pick up a new snake, it immediately goes into the treated tub for transport. By the time I get home, any mites that were on the snake have died or are in the process of dying. I then put the snake in it's pre-treated cage in the quarantine area. I monitor every day to make sure that everything is OK and then retreat the cage after 1 month.

Doing this, I've never had a mite problem last more than a few days, if that.

You guys better be careful saying "PAM". I was skimming one of the posts, and though "Pam? The cooking spray?" :)

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Originally Posted by ChrisBowsman

You guys better be careful saying "PAM". I was skimming one of the posts, and though "Pam? The cooking spray?" :)

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lol i know i wish people would specify:P

Thanks for the replies, I figured thats all I would have to do.

Haha, when I first got on this forum and saw PAM I thought it was the cooking spray but then realized it wasnt

BTW I found out its a 7 ft burm. Pretty anxious to get it, Ive always wanted a larger snake.

I think everyone answered the mite question for you so all that's left is to say congrats on the burm and good luck with the mites! Oh, and I must also admit to being confused the first time I saw someone recommend to spray an enclosure with PAM:)

Thanks once again for all the help. All the information I got was from my co-worker. Well today I went and talked to the actual guy with the snake, man was I misinformed. He told me it was about 7 ft but didnt know what it was so I narrowed it down to a couple snakes and showed him pics and he pointed to the burm. I talked to him and its actually a 4 ft male ball python, :laughing: Turns out he used to have an 8 ft burm that he got with a cage he bought and sold the snake right after and I guess thats the snake he thought it was.

aaaahahahahaha The minnow becomes the trophy fish story!

Anyone ever used NIX on thier animals?
I have heard of a few breeders using it and measuring it out to half a bottle of NIX in a gallon of warm water then spraying the entire cage and snake. I have used it may times with no problems but i mix it with less NIX then that. I havent had a mite problem yet. :weirdface