Mites :(

[Paddy]

Crap! Worst thing to find... mites on my newest BP.
Had her for two months...She’s been a bit nippy and defensive until recently so been leaving her alone but found a mite on her today.
completely cleaned out her tub using a bleach solution.
had her soaking in luke-warm water with a drop of olive oil mixed in and two more came off her.

Luckily she’s still in quarantine, and the other two are fine (but I did check them like crazy just now out of paranoia)

She’s eating like a champ and doesn’t seem to be suffering... yet.
I have no easily accessible mite spray in this country. have to order something online which will take a few days.

Anything else I can do? I’m very worried about her!

[Bogertophis]

Don't use oils of any kind on a snake, you'll end up with awful sheds... soak the snake in lukewarm (barely warm!) water with a bit of mild soap (like Ivory)-
just a drop or two is enough to make mites unable to float, so the little suckers drown! You need to stay right with the snake during this, & the water must
be shallow (the snake must not be swimming or "treading water" to stay up)...you want to be sure the snake doesn't drink any soap water and remains as
covered by water as possible to facilitate the drowning of mites. You will NOT likely get them all off this way, as you cannot dunk the snake's head & mites
often hide around the eyes, chin & face. (fair game to pick those off when you see them) But the good thing about this method, while it isn't perfect, it's also
harmless & can be repeated daily. And should be...mites KILL snakes...do not underestimate mites...a few members have recently lost their pets to mites.

[Bogertophis]

PLEASE do not underestimate mites...too many members have lost their pets to mites, and your snake has had them for a while, they didn't just arrive.

It's easy to think such tiny creatures could ever suck enough blood to kill a much larger snake, but they do, and their numbers expand exponentially; when
they do, they cause death by dehydration, shock, kidney & heart failure, etc. Not only that, but they can carry disease if your snake survives. Do stay "on"
this, whether she likes bathing or not.

And be very careful that NO bleach smell remains...it's irritating & toxic to your snake, and remember snakes have a far better sense of smell than we do,
and if you're using the type of caging to maintain humidity (restricting air-flow), that makes any remaining bleach odor that much worse. (you are far
better off cleaning your snake cages with generic chlorhexidine...you dilute it way down, spray it on, wipe it off with no rinsing needed...no odor. It's widely
available in farm & feed stores here (U.S.) and fyi, it's also a common ingredient in mouthwash (for humans) but you really don't want a minty-fresh snake
cage... I know many use F10 to clean with but it's much more expensive & usually has to be ordered. I've tried it, it's fine but it's overkill for most of us
keeping pets, most of us are not a vet clinic or breeding facility.

Good luck!

[Bogertophis]

You mention she is still in quarantine...does that mean you're also keeping her on white paper towels? If not, that's best when watching for mites too.

Anything that was in her cage that is porous (like mulch or wood decor) sadly should be tossed out...mites or their eggs can hide & return quite well if you don't.

Hides used should only be non-porous plastic ones for now, and you might want to offer a water bowl that's plenty big enough for her to soak in, as she may decide
to do that on her own...most snakes with mites do that (soak on their own), to relieve the itchy bites & to help re-hydrate.

[Paddy]

Thanks for your reply 👍
Yes im not underestimating at all - hence my big worry!
I rinsed all the bleach off, it was only a 1% solution.
I’m hoping washing everything that way got any eggs that were around.
Will invest in better cleaning products, thanks for tips!
So the oil advice was bad then? Classic internet search issues, conflicting advice. Again it was only one drop of oil in the water so hopefully didn’t cause any issues. Soap next time 👍

just sucks that I thought I’d been so careful and clean and now this happens.

[Paddy]

And yes she’s in a tub on paper towels, only ceramic and plastic decor.

[Bogertophis]

Yes, the "oil" advice was wrong...& it's been floating around for a long while, no pun intended.

At least you only used a drop, in the water, & not all over the snake, as some have done...I don't think that will affect sheds at all, mainly because oil & water don't mix, lol...so very little got on the snake and the future bathing with a little soap should help remove it. The soap is all you need to reduce surface tension of the water, that's why mites drown...they can't get away with floating. Obviously do NOT put any soap in her water dish, but as I said, I would also give her something big enough to soak in (in her enclosure) should she want to.

I haven't had to rid a snake of mites for many years. Only twice ever, & it was so long ago that besides the soap/bathing method, other products were
used that I won't go into detail on. I only mention this as most here swear by PAM -that's "Provent-A-Mite", not the cooking spray - and other than suggesting
you thoroughly read & follow the directions carefully, I'll let others who have used that advise you if you have any questions about it. There's other stuff too...a
Natural Chemistry spray, but again, I haven't had mites in SO long (very thankful) that I haven't needed to try it, so I leave the reviews to others who have.

[bcr229]

The product names in my writeup are pretty specific to the US but if you search for the active ingredients you can probably find them in your country.

Also bear in mind that the 90-day quarantine clock resets to the last day you find a mite on your snake.

Treating mites: I wrote this up after my second battle with the little so-and-so's. While other treatments, such as ivermectin injections and wiping the snakes with Frontline, do exist, I have not tried them so I've not included them in my own writeup. You can find out about Frontline at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwCA...&feature=share
Mite Eradication 101:

*** Permethrin ***

Permethrin comes in many forms - Provent-A-Mite (PAM), NIX/RID head lice treatment, Permethrin-10 from a livestock supply store, etc. Once mixed with water its half life is 30 days if kept out of direct sunlight.

PAM has several advantages. It has been tested for use with reptiles, and it comes ready to use. The disadvantages are that it's expensive and most reptile stores don't have it in stock, so you have to wait for it to be shipped to you if you don't have any on hand. Meanwhile the mites are busy feeding and breeding.

NIX/RID is cheaper than PAM and is readily available at WalMart, CVS, and other drug stores. It is also easy to dilute: mix one two ounce (59 ml) bottle of the cream rinse with one gallon of water.

At a dollar per ounce Permethrin-10 is the cheapest of the three options; one eight ounce bottle will make 240 gallons of solution, as only 6 milliliters of it are needed per gallon of water to make an effective mite spray. The upside is that if you have a lot of snakes to treat this will do it very economically. The downside is that it's all too easy to make too strong of a permethrin solution which can seriously injure or kill your snakes.

No matter which product you use, it must be used correctly. I've never applied any permethrin product directly onto my snakes as it's not needed for mite treatment, and permethrin poisoning in a snake can cause irreversible neurological damage or death.

Permethrin use: spray the enclosure, paper substrate, and hides with the diluted solution or PAM. DO NOT SPRAY THE WATER BOWL. Allow everything to dry completely before returning your snake to its home. Also keep a supply of treated and dried newspaper or paper towels and treated hides available so that when a snake makes a mess, you replace the soiled paper and hides with treated ones. Treat the enclosure every two to three weeks.

*** Natural Chemistry Reptile Spray ***

Reptile Spray kills mites on contact while wet, once it dries it loses its effectiveness pretty quickly. Reptile Spray is a solution of salts rather than an insecticide; it kills mites by dehydrating them. I don't spray the snakes as more ends up on the floor than on the snake. Instead, I spray a white paper towel with it and wipe it on the snake. That way you get even coverage on the snake, you can work it into the area under their chin really well as that's a favorite hiding place for mites, you don't stress out your snake, and you can look for mites on the paper towel to see how quickly they're being eradicated. Apply twice a week. Note - this stuff hurts like hell in an open wound.

*** Hot Shot No-Pest Strips ***

Some people take a Hot Shot No-Pest strip, cut it into pieces, put each piece into a small sealed container, poke some holes in the container, and put each container into the snake's enclosure. I've used the No-Pest strip but I just hang it in the snake room and close the door. Either way is effective, especially if you have a major outbreak.

If you do use it, remove the water bowls as the insecticide is strongly attracted to water and you don't want the snake drinking it. After 24 hours remove the strip (or pieces), put them into an airtight container for future use, air out the room, and put the water bowls back. Repeat treatment weekly.

Important! If you also keep tarantulas, feeder roaches/dubias, crickets, etc. do not use the No-Pest Strip as it can kill them too!!!!

*** Mild Dish Soap ***

One or two drops of mild dish detergent in your snake's bath water will break the surface tension and prevent mites from floating in the water so they drown. No more than that is needed, your snake should not look like it is taking a bubble bath.

*** Heat ***

Don't laugh, but a temperature of 135*F for five seconds will kill mites and the eggs. I purchased a heat gun used for stripping paint that can be set to blow hot air from 180*F through 1200*F. Using the heat gun and a temperature gun I heated the surfaces and crevices of my racks and enclosures to kill off any mite eggs that may have been laid outside the tubs. Don't get your enclosure surfaces and joined/glued areas too hot or you can damage them.

Mite treatment should continue for 30 days after you stop finding mites on your snake, as an egg can take that long to hatch.

*** FINAL NOTE ***

Effective quarantine means that you treat every new arrival as if it has mites, and new snakes are kept as far away from your established collection as possible for at least 90 days. At the very least new critters should never be in the same room with your established collection.

I treat the quarantine enclosure, hides, and paper substrate with permethrin a day or so before the new snake arrives, and I wipe it with a paper towel soaked in Reptile Spray as part of my inspection process when it comes out of the shipping box. If it has mites I will know it within a day or two at most. This also goes for snakes from "trusted" sources, my first mite outbreak ever came from someone I trusted.

[Paddy]

I’ll have to find a good Danish equivalent to these products.

Just fed her with no problem, I take that as a good sign.
I read that recent thread when the member’s snake died... so sad and so scary. I hope I can get rid of these little f**kers.

[Paddy]

Oh and I missed your reply bcr! Thanks for all the info 👍 I read it on a previous thread too but it’s great info, thanks for sharing.
Will keep a close eye on the situation... Hopefully I’ve caught it in time and will be able to get it under control.