I just found some mites....advice?

I've never had this problem before now, but I noticed my BP soaking, he's NEVER soaked, he doesn't like to. His humidity levels are good and every shed he's had since I've gotten him has been a CLEAN one piece shed. He's a great snake and ferocious eater. I've noticed mites, I'm worried sick now. I keep my BP in a 75 gallon tank. I plan to remove him from the tank and treat him and the enclosure for mites, (cleaning the 75 gallon tank is going to be FUN...err) I was wondering what the best method of treatment would be, is there a cheap easy way to rid the snake and enclosure from mites? I would like some advice from past personal experiences, quite honestly I'm tired of looking at the theoretical process of removing mites, it's driving me insane. I'm also worried about my young red tail boa, I've seen 2 mites in his cage but no more... I don't know where they are coming from. I plan to treat both of these snakes for mites, either of them are showing no signs of being weak or anything, as of now they are in good health, other than soaking. I need to treat this NOW and fast... I don't want my snakes getting hurt.


If you reply please include some of the information requested:

The NAME of the product used to treat the snake- Don't tell me "Oh theres this blue can at walmart it's 4 bucks"

Include the use of the product, is it for defecting the enclosure? Or is it for defecting the snake?

Please be specific in your response, that's what I'm lookin for, I don't want links to specific mite removal threads by popular demand, I want accounts from personal experience removing these evil bloodsuckers. I don't mean to be rude here, I'm just sick of looking at a million different mite removal sheets each claiming the "greatness of their product"

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you guys can help!

This worked really well for me.

Take the snake out, and coat in mineral oil. Nothing too extreme, just so that the mites on him will suffocate. DO NOT COVER THE HEAD!

Put the snake in a bucket, and leave him while you are cleaning the cage. Use a 9:1 ratio mixture of water and bleach (bleach being the 1 part) and soak EVERYTHING in the cage in it. EVERYTHING, if something can not be soaked ... throw it away.

Clean out the cage with the same mixture, and make sure to get EVERYTHING with it. Clean it three times to make sure if you have to. Take a bucket of the bleach mixture and scrub everything within a 4 foot radius of where the snake is kept with it, everything that can be cleaned should be. After everything has soaked or has been cleaned, rinse it all of REALLY good with water and let it dry. COMPLETELY dry. Place everything back in the cage, take out the snake. I rinsed off what I could of the oil, and put the snake back into the cage.

Again, this worked really well for me .. this is what my Vet instructed I do .. and it worked the first time. Best of luck!

Do NOT put mineral oil on the snake.. That just prolongs the infestation and will not kill the eggs. Just suffocates the mites that are on the snake at that time.


www.pro-products.com or www.entirelypets.com Get some Provent A Mite
OR www.pro-exotics.com and get some Black Knight II

Both work similarly and are very safe for the snake. Just follow the instructions to a T and the mites and eggs will die very quickly.

Cuda, please inform your vet that he needs to read up on how to effectively get rid of mites. Mineral oil is not one of the options.

Thanks for the reply,

I want to do more than suffocate the mites, I want to make sure they are dead. I know suffocating will kill them, but I'm hopin for a safe spray that kills them directly. Yeah...cleaning the tank out is going to be a pain, one of his hide spots is wood so I'll have to replace it. I'm mainly worried about the mites coming back. Mites like to attatch themselves in the corner of a snakes eye- from what I've read, is applying mineral oil to his face, safe? Mites reproduce VERY fast, if I miss ONE, that means the same problem all over again.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Do NOT put mineral oil on the snake.. That just prolongs the infestation and will not kill the eggs. Just suffocates the mites that are on the snake at that time.


www.pro-products.com or www.entirelypets.com Get some Provent A Mite
OR www.pro-exotics.com and get some Black Knight II

Both work similarly and are very safe for the snake. Just follow the instructions to a T and the mites and eggs will die very quickly.

Cuda, please inform your vet that he needs to read up on how to effectively get rid of mites. Mineral oil is not one of the options.

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Yeah .. ok. Sorry for offering what really worked for me as help. This was cheap and really effective, and whether or not you think that it is the best way .. it worked. It got my snake relief right away (as I live in a small hick town so I would have had to drive for hours or wait for something to come in the mail) and he has been mite free for a while now.

I will inform my vet that her recommendation saved my snake from suffering longer.

Thanks for the kick in balls, that's awesome.

Cuda, dude thanks for your input man. I'm looking for -extreme- action though. I like BlackKnight II, that stuff sounds like it will do the drop. Your response was helpful, and yeah the idea is to suffocate them but mineral oil is not going to kill the ones lurking around outside the cage(that is a possibility) I'm lookin to terminator style on them. Thanks again guys

I prefer Ivermectin because it is alot cheaper and just as effective as BKII and PAM (from my experiences at least), but for just a couple snakes I would definately go with the PAM/BKII. They work well and are trusted by many of the members here.

I had gotten hundreds of mites with my last bag of substrate. After one PAM treatment they were gone and I mean immediately! I have not seen a single mite since and it's been at least a month since I first treated. I treat each substrate change-out just to be sure I don't bring anymore in the environment.

GOOD LUCK!

Once you've treated the cage with provent a mite, it should kill all of the eggs and mites. You may want to treat again in like a month? to be sure, but it should keep you from getting repeaters.

I'd also suggest you treat the floor around the cage as well as mites can travel extreme distances.

I think black knight II works the same way, but I've never used it.

And if you have pet arachnids, move them out to a different place...provent a mite will kill arachnids.

one little trick i have done with my tarantulas is to take a empty and clean prescription botttle and put several small holes in it (a paper clip heated up will do the trick nicely, or gently with a drill bit). Slime the inside with a mix of honey and vaseline(more vaseline than honey) put the lid back on and place in the cage. it will attract mites and they cannot escape the vaseline. simply throw away when you need to.

Im not a doctor, Im not 100% about everything. Im only a little experienced if at all. All of these treatments are costly. And contain the same active ingredient. Permethrin. You can buy an 8 oz bottle of Permethrin at a farm supply store/coop/tractor supply for 6 bucks. Or Bronco gold spray. (same stuff) Anyways mix the permethrin with water and viola. You have a much cheaper bottle of Provent a Mite. And a lot more of it.

And saving $5 is worth risking your snake's lives if you mix it incorrectly? Permethrin can cause some serious side effects if used improperly and can easily lead to nervous system impairment and death. Why even promote that?

I'd use Frontline or ivermectin before using permethrin any day. Provent A Mite is 0.05%, and is formulated and USDA approved for reptiles.

Why can't people spend a measely $20 to ensure their snake remains safe while also being mite free? I mean really.. Is that meal from Burger King REALLY that important?

Even MY VET doesn't recommend using feed store permethrin/pyrethrins. It is very easy to mix it wrong and potentially kill an animal.

I bought a can, ONE can, of PAM at a show just so I'd have it. I've used it twice. Now I use it around my door jam to keep bugs from coming in my apartment. A little goes a long way, and I am willing to spend a little extra money for a quality, safe product. If you aren't willing to do that, maybe you(generalized "you") shouldn't own that animal.

Same as when people buy that crappy BIO SPOT or HARTZ product for their small puppy/kitten and wonder why the dog/cat is having seizures. Animals have died from it, because it is an unsafe product. But people still buy it, and animals still die.. All because they're too cheap to buy Frontline or Revolution from the vet.

Because there is no sense in spending money that you dont have to. Money doesnt grow on trees. Maybe you have special trees. In that case send some this way. I cant help it if you (generalized you) have the extra money to spend. Not everyone else does. If you read instructions carefully there is no reason your animal should die. Of course people recommend you NOT buy this or that and say take it to the vet. Because everyone tries to get more money out of people. I use that bottle permethrin on my dogs and cats and cows and horses. Its the same ingredient so its stupid for anyone to say you shouldnt use that.

And ivermectin/ivermectrin is only good for heartworms.

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Originally Posted by amanda_rose07

And ivermectin/ivermectrin is only good for heartworms.

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.... :confused: I'm very confused by that last one...

Ivomec is used for lung worms, round worms, lice and mange mites. I use it on my animals- both injection and oral (depending on the animal). Never used it on a snake though....

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Originally Posted by starmom

Ivomec is used for lung worms, round worms, lice and mange mites. I use it on my animals- both injection and oral (depending on the animal). Never used it on a snake though....

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Yea... I've heard about it's use in external and internal parasites. I've read about it's use in rats and mice to kill lice, mites, fleas, ticks etc...

Not round worms. (that I know of) But the others, agreed.
Never used on snake either. I use the paste for my animals.

Yes round worms.
I have my 50ml bottle right here....

www.merckvetmanual.com READ IT PLEASE.

Ivermectin treats pretty much everything EXCEPT for tapeworms, coccidia, and giardia.

It is safe to use in snakes(no turtles/tortoises/terrapins or collie dogs) to kill mites as well as most internal parasites. It also gets rid of mites and lice in mammals, and works well in the treatment of sarcoptic mange(as done Frontline).

I also feel sorry for your dogs and cats. What if they had a severe reaction to it and started convulsing? What if the dogs had a pre-existing heartworm infection and you dosed them with ivermectin, which killed off a large portion of the adult worms, and the dogs went into shock or died? Dead worms can clump up and move into the vessels in the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism.

So.. $15 worth of Frontline plus some Iverhart(pyrantel/ivermectin combo) for heartworm prevention or $500 plus vet bill to treat dog/cat for shock associated with improper use of ivermectin/pyrethrins... Hm.

There's always the $0.50 trash bag...

And no, just because I take care of my animals properly, doesn't mean I always have the money to do so. I took the responsibility of them, which means I must provide for them the best possibly way I can. I have bills to pay too, but the animals always come before me.

O.o Well my snake has never ever had mites before. But I here an awful lot about PAM. I know you said u didn't want to here from people who haven't experienced mites with there snakes. But I would probably go with PAM if my snake ever had mites. In fact I just might get some for my snake emergency kit.

Just remember guys Love :) Love :please:

PAM imo is the best way to go. Sure, you can go to Walmart and save a buck buying something else that works, but could turn out badly? Why risk that? I got my last paycheck and bought a can of PAM along with my tempgun, do I need it? No, but if I ever do there is no worrying if a snake does come with mites. No walmart trips, and no possibly dead snakes. With reptiles there will always be the choice of what is easier/cheaper vs what we know is better and worry free.

Phobiaz:

Not trying to steal your thread, but maybe someone here can help on ideas of relieving and comforting your snake with mites until the PAM arrives (4-8days).

thanks....

:)

displacedinbc, this thread is from last summer. I'm not even sure how you pulled it up from the depths of the BP.net ocean :rofl:

Slim:

I found it under search (mite removal). Anyways do you have any ideas how to accomplish what I said in my earlier post?

thanks....

:)

You can try Reptile Relief until the PAM shows up. Or, you can take a tub of luke warm water and put a drop of dishwashing liquid in it and soak the snake.

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Originally Posted by Slim

You can try Reptile Relief until the PAM shows up. Or, you can take a tub of luke warm water and put a drop of dishwashing liquid in it and soak the snake.

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I agree totally with Slim. A good soak will drown the mites that are on the snake. While you've got the snake out of its enclosure, THOROUGHLY clean and disinfect the enclosure and everything in it. Replace any substrate with newspaper or paper towels.

Steve

I'm sorry but if you own dogs, cats, cows, and horses but you cant afford a 20 dollar can of PAM for your snake then you shouldn't have ANY animals. See how many people agree with THIS post.....LOL.
:D

Wow, old thread.

NEVERMIND.

Thanks Guys:

I'll do the bathe thing this coming day for sure. I sure appreciate the answers for help. I will keep you all updated on this old thread....lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hoo-t

I agree totally with Slim. A good soak will drown the mites that are on the snake. While you've got the snake out of its enclosure, THOROUGHLY clean and disinfect the enclosure and everything in it. Replace any substrate with newspaper or paper towels.

Steve

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Ok Guys:

Finally got time to do this. When I use bleach and disinfect the tank and hood will this kill the mites and the eggs? Also, when the PAM arrives next week do I have to disinfect the tank again before I use the PAM....Or do I just bathe the snake every couple of days for now and just PAM the enclosure, screen hood and around the general area and close floor proximity's when it arrives?

Thanks again for all your help guys....

:)