possible mites?

i just noticed in my snakes water a few little black thing in the bottom of her water bowl. upon further inspection she has a small black thing on the top of her head. not quite sure if it is mites but concerned as she is about to go into a shed. she ate yesterday. where can i find the stuff to kill the mites if thats what they are. what do they look like? i would hate to treat if thats not what they are. i am going to call the vet in the morning and see if i can get her in.

The best thing is to get Provent-A-Mite use it according to the directions, it will eradicates mites at all stages of development.

Here is where to get it http://www.entirelypets.com/proventamite.html

PAM and Black Kight are the only products that are safe to use with reptiles.

also if you want to check and make sure that she does actually have mites this is how you check. look at the under side of her head (neck) use both you thumbs to kinda spread her scales. if you see a small black thing under there then she deffinatly has mites. also check around her eyes. if she does have mites make sure you take out all substrate and decor and bleach it. use simple things for substrate hides and water... newspaper cardboard boxes for hides and glad ware for water. soak her a few times a week. while soaking clean tank with provent a mite. I work at a pet store and mites will be gone is 2 weeks if you stick to this. good luck.

should i wait til tomorrow since she just ate to check under out the slit under her mouth?

i just removed her from her enclosure only saw one little black bug on her it is small. she is about to shed and is very jumpy so was not sure how she would handle me touching her head. gonna go to store and buy paper towels and remove her aspen. i guess i should save the bug for the vet to look at.

it's mites.

i was hoping that it would not be but i guess i need to treat it asap. i put paper towels down removed bedding. i did not have any tupperware but found a glass bowl put water back in left one hide in for her. how should i treat the other hide and water dish?

soak EVERYTHING with a 10% solution of bleach (1 part Bleach 9 parts water). Make sure it all get hit .. maybe twice. Make sure that it is all dried before placing it back into the enclosure, and that it all get rinsed well to remove the bleach. That really worked for me. The other thing I did, but have been yelled at for doing because others say it is not effective, but I coated my snake with some mineral oil EXCLUDING THE HEAD, and that got rid of all of my issues without having to buy any special mite spray.

You should probably get the spray anyway, but it the mean time .. this mehtod should work. They spread fast, so the faster you get this under control, the better. Hope this helps.

thanks for the help. i will buy the bleach tomorrow and do that with everything. how long should i soak it all for?

honestly you dont have to waste your money going to the vet. its at least 75$ for the vet to tell you everything that we just did. it sounds like you dont have to worry much because its still eating so its not a huge case of mite just a lil one. you shouldnt have a problem gettin rid of um wit the instructions we gave. good luck :gj:
Also with the shed dont worry bout keepin the humidity up cuz you will be soaking him weekly anyway.

Hi,


Did you find the mineral oil caused flaky shedding? - that's been reported as one of the problems using it but I have never tried it and was curious.

But, to be brutally frank, if you have mites then you want to follow Deborahs advice and get some provent-a-mite.

As with everything follow the directions exactly.

The can will also last a long time and it never hurts to have one handy.


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Did you find the mineral oil caused flaky shedding? - that's been reported as one of the problems using it but I have never tried it and was curious.

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I did experience some of that, I was really concerned about it, but after his full shed (which was one piece BTW) it all went away and he is fine now. It was scary because I didn't know that it could happen before I did it, but now that I know what the side affects are .. I would probably use the same method again if needed.

Tenac did not seem bothered by it, it was just a little worrisome to see.

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Originally Posted by cuda

soak EVERYTHING with a 10% solution of bleach (1 part Bleach 9 parts water). Make sure it all get hit .. maybe twice. Make sure that it is all dried before placing it back into the enclosure, and that it all get rinsed well to remove the bleach. That really worked for me. The other thing I did, but have been yelled at for doing because others say it is not effective, but I coated my snake with some mineral oil EXCLUDING THE HEAD, and that got rid of all of my issues without having to buy any special mite spray.

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Sorry this is in no way how you get rid of mites effectively this is however how you are likely to get a re-infestation.

What people would do to save a few bucks :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Sorry this is in no way how you get rid of mites effectively this is however how you are likely to get a re-infestation.

What people would do to save a few bucks :rolleyes:

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I AM SICK OF THIS RESPONSE! This worked for me ... really well in fact. I live in a hick town in the middle no where and I called my vet and asked her what to do .. this was her advice. To get the spray here, OVER A WEEKEND, would have made my snake suffer longer than he had to.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T DO IT! People ask for what can help their pets .. their friends out, and this is one thing that CAN be done to get them mite free quickly. I am in no way suggesting this is perfect, or that it is a permanent solution replacing a good mite treatment (such as PAM).

Come on guys, what is so wrong with me trying to help my snake be less miserable?

:mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cuda

I AM SICK OF THIS RESPONSE! This worked for me ... really well in fact. I live in a hick town in the middle no where and I called my vet and asked her what to do .. this was her advice. To get the spray here, OVER A WEEKEND, would have made my snake suffer longer than he had to.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T DO IT! People ask for what can help their pets .. their friends out, and this is one thing that CAN be done to get them mite free quickly. I am in no way suggesting this is perfect, or that it is a permanent solution replacing a good mite treatment (such as PAM).

Come on guys, what is so wrong with me trying to help my snake be less miserable?

:mad:

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YOU can do what YOU want with YOUR snakes it does not bother me, what bothers me is that YOU recommend a method of eradicating mites that is not efficient and that in the long run will more than likely lead to a re-infestation.

There are permanent solutions and this is what I recommend over a quick fix that will make the OP comeback because it did not work.

Also if you happen to have anything wooden (Hides or Jungle Gyms and the like) toss those in the oven for about an hour at 250 degrees. Mites are a pain but doing everything right and having a healthy pet is what it's about. Also... Provent-A-Mite is a LIFE SAVER! Good luck!

I had mites from a purchase, i soaked the snake a few times a day, used mite off and cleaned the tub a few times. Worked like a charm. Just check in the scales those mites like to hide.:taz:

i ordered the spray it should be here soon i hope. i put paper towels in yesterday and all the other stuff is gone as well. i have not seen anything on her or in her tank since i removed the one from yesterday. i will put them in the oven as suggested and spray them also once i get the spray. is there anything else i am forgetting to do?

Give her another soak to make sure, if there there u should see some floaters after a few minutes:taz:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

YOU can do what YOU want with YOUR snakes it does not bother me, what bothers me is that YOU recommend a method of eradicating mites that is not efficient and that in the long run will more than likely lead to a re-infestation.

There are permanent solutions and this is what I recommend over a quick fix that will make the OP comeback because it did not work.

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You looked at my post and immediately went after me saying I was thinking of saving money over the well being of the animal. THAT is where you are SORELY mistaken!

Your kid has a cough and a running nose ... and the soonest you can get him in to see the doctor is 3 days from now. Do you let the child sit and suffer through the wait, or do you become pro-active and try to help to kid out?

Do you not buy cough-drops because it will not cure his sickness?

i will soak her as soon as i get home tonight. thank for all the help.

The only way to really get rid of mites is to use a poison. Mite eggs are nearly indestructible so you need to use something that lasts long enough so that it kills the mites as they hatch. Depending on the temperature mite eggs can take as long as two months to hatch so it's best to retreat your collection every month for a few months to make sure you don't get re-infested. Clean and scrub the cage thoroughly. Throw out the substrate and any wooden cage furniture, bag it up in a plastic garbage bag, tie it tightly shut and set it outside. Scrub and sterilize any water bowls or other cage furniture that can be sterilized (if it can't be sterilized, throw it out) Following the directions on the can exactly, spray your poison of choice (this is the stuff I use, - repel ) inside the cage particularly hitting any corners and crevices. Let it dry thoroughly before adding a simple newspaper substrate and your animal. Remember this is a poison and not to be used lightly. I have killed geckos, insects, and a couple of hatchling bullsnakes using provent a mite so be very careful. re-treat again in a month, and then again a month after that.