mite bath help

[jakethesnake]

I was told by my breeder to soak the snake in warm water and a little bit of Dawn soap to get rid of the mites. Is this ok? And does any one have any suggestions tohelp get rid of the mites?
Thanks
Alex

Your breeder is no offense, a moron. You cannot get rid of mites by using merely soap and water. You need to pick up a can of Black Knight ASAP. Its the best mite treatment out there, IMO. I got mine from ProExotics....it comes with a long how-to paper and gives you exact directions. Please do not listen to people's "home remedies" on how to get rid of mites.....they never work as good as they should and can be dangerous to the snake.

[Jeanne]

I agree with David. DO NOT USE SOAP AND WATER.

Black Knight is suppose to be great, I have not ever had to use anything like that. But others swear by it, so if I do ever have to use something like that, it will be black knight.

As far as other remedies... I have heard of mineral oil being used to coat the snake to rid it of mites, in fact, I have seen it doen. Problem is this..it takes awhile and if they are severely infested, it wont work, now, just a few mites..yeah. But, the other thing is, I really could not tell you if thats really good or not as far as the health of the snake. When I saw that being done with the mineral oil, it did not seem to have any effect on the snake, maybe cause it is natural, but makes them slippery... and crud sticks to them. I can look, I am pretty sure there are other remedies for that, that are herbal or natural if thats what you want to call it.. but, means you are not treating the cage though.

I would really get some black knight.

Don't forget you have to kill not just the mites, but their eggs as well. Soap and water won't do that.

[Marla]

Soaking the snake helps relieve the itch and will drown any hatched mites on the snake, so yes definitely do it, but add the BlackKnight or other product as recommended by your vet. You have to treat the cage as well as the snake because mites, like fleas, leave eggs behind that will hatch and re-start the process.

If you can't get BlackKnight, clear the cage of everything and soak it in a weak bleach solution (1:10 or 1:20 bleach to water). Soak the snake's hide boxes in the same solution unless they're cardboard, in which case throw them away and make new ones. Clean the water dishes as normal. Rinse everything bleached thoroughly (3 times -- you don't want bleach fumes left), put in paper towels for substrate so you can see any mites or eggs, and don't put anything in the cage but water dishes and hides (no wood, no foliage, etc.). Put the snake back in, soak snake daily for half an hour to an hour, and repeat cage cleaning once a week for two to three weeks.

I've just dealt with a case of mites and they are a definite pain in the @ss. Good luck to you.

[emroul]

I agree with everyone on here...I use Black Knight, and it has yet to fail me. I use it every time I receive a new addition, as well. I also use it (even if I see absolutely no trace of mites) about once every month or two weeks, just to be safe. If you PM me, I can give you contact info on a guy that sells Black Knight on Fauna classifieds for $18.50 shipped. (Pro exotics is roughly $26.00 shipped) Either way works.

I would still recommend soaking them in water and a bit of soap. It wouldn't hurt anything but the mites. I do that while I'm cleaning out everyones cage (with bleach solution). Then LEAVE ALL WATER BOWLS OUT of the cage, put the snake in, and spray. Don't handle it for at least 48 hours, then go ahead and put the water bowl back in. *Works like a charm for me* (But everyone is different).

Good luck.
Jennifer

[BallKingdom]

Wait, a breeder sold you a herp with mites???

[Danny]

What I've used in the past are pest strips, they work great. People say that it's dangerous but Jeff Ronne uses it on new Boas and he has never had a problem with it. I've tried all kind of sprays but pest strips work the best. Just follow the directions on the back side of the label. Also, use white paper towel as substrate while using the pest strips, you'll see dead mites almost right away.

[Marla]

And a dead snake possibly months later.

[emroul]

Wait, a breeder sold you a herp with mites???

It's not impossible. The first time my little collection got introduced to mites, I bought a ball python from a breeder. Granted, he wasn't swarming in them, and when I saw one (two days after I got the bp) I called the breeder and said basically what's up with this? HE asked if I wanted a refund or replace the snake with another one. So he was nice about it. (I ended up keeping it anyway, it was the "classic jungle" looking one.

So yeah, don't be so suprised, it CAN happen.
Jennifer