BP has mites!

[sarahanne]

I discovered 2 days ago that my ball python has mites. I've had him for a week and a half, and don't have any other experience with reptiles. I have washed his enclosure with RID lice treatment, but none of the pet stores near me have reptile spray or any other mite treatment that I can treat his body with. Does anyone have any suggestions on alternate treatments? I coated him in a thin coating of olive oil last night, but I'm not sure if that will be an effective enough solution. I am going out of town Friday (in 2 days) for a week and need a quick solution so things aren't worse when I get back from my trip.

[Trinityblood]

I've seen a lot of different methods. A treatment I've heard but haven't used myself (i'm not a vet):

Put the snake in a a container of water with a few drop of dawn to drown the mites. Keep the snake in a bin on paper towel. Each time you take the snake out to sit in dawn water, pour boiling water or clean with bleach in the temporary container the snake is living in to kill any mites or eggs that might be left behind. Do this for 3-4 weeks

While the snake is in the temporary bin, use boiling water and/or bleach to clean his usual home.

The dawn should take care of the mites on the snake and the usual home needs to be completely free of eggs so they don't re-infect. If it were me, I would throw out the whole bag of whatever substrate was being used. The life cycle of snake mites is 16-19 days.

[bcr229]

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Mite-questions