Treating for Mites - Worrying about stress to the snake - and other Qs

[HugYourDucks]

Hello all,

This is my third attempt at drafting a thread post for this question, because I just keep getting way too wordy.

So, as short as I can manage it,

My baby BP (maybe 3-4 months old, 220 grams), Fitz, has mites.

I won't get Provent-a-mite until Monday, but in the meantime, I've sanitized the tank and equipment, replaced the substrate with paper towels, and have been spraying the paper towels and hides in the tank with an extremely diluted (more so than the instructions called for) and sparsely sprayed ivermectin solution.
He's got at least four mites that I can see under his scales, and with how lightly I've been using the ivermectin, I doubt it's going to do anything about those nasty little *censored grumbling*.

I'd like to try giving him a dawn soap bath as I've seen suggested, but I've not found a lot of instruction on how to GIVE a mite-ridden snake a bath, except for one snake exert who said to leave them in the water, filled halfway up their body, for several hours. Not saying that I doubt he's right, but it really shocked me. I'm hesitant to put Fitz in water for that long given how young and nervous he is, and all of the recent changes that have happened to his cage in the last couple of days.... I'm just not sure how to balance the stress all this is causing with the necessity to be as thorough and quick about these mites as possible.


I know everybody's got their own different opinions here but,


1) In any of your experiences, how long do you really need to let a snake sit in water for mite-killing purposes?

2) Is the stress of sticking him in a box of water going to be that detrimental for him compared to letting these mites sit on him and continue to breed until I'm able to get a hold of provent-a-mite and try to treat with that??

(also, I haven't seen a clear answer, but does one need to bathe the snake in tandem with using PAM?? So far, from what I've read, it seems people just spray the tank and all of the mites, even on the snake, somehow die??)



I probably don't need to be worrying so much about stressing this little snake out, compared to getting rid of the mites... but I've also kept betta fish, and the slightest introduction of stress with those guys is often a recipe for extreme sickness or death, so maybe I'm just paranoid from that.... I'm betting snakes are much hardier...

[BeansTheDerp]

I could be extremely wrong, but I'm pretty sure you give them a soak bath, but make sure to either hold them in the water or have a clean rock for them to wrap around so they don't panic! DON'T LET THEIR HEAD GET UNDER WATER they could drown! I hope you get rid of their mites! good luck!

edit: just realized you mentioned this tactic, but also just to let you know, if this snake isn't new and it just got the mites and they havent had them since you got them, make sure you deep clean the terrarium and replace the bedding because something in there might have the mites on them! again, good luck!


WHY AM I SO STUPID THIS IS THE SECOND EDIT YOU ALREADY SAID YOU CLEANED EVERYTHING WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME OH MY GOSH I NEED A NEW BRAIN I'M USELESS LOL

[Yamitaifu]

Spray enclosure and everything in it with alcohol and wipe down. Soak snake in ivomec solution at recommended concentration (1cc 1% ivomec per litre water). Can also spray snake and enclosure with it. Typically 3 treatments is needed but continue until no more found.

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[Bogertophis]

I can't speak for the safety of HOW you're using the Ivermectin solution, but I know it can be quite toxic for snakes. It's not something I've ever used, so you're on your own with that.

It's been ages since I've had a snake with mites, so some of what I did back then won't apply now- many ppl now use "PAM" (not the cooking spray!!!) but the directions MUST be followed closely or harm can be done using that too. Make sure you read closely & follow...

Meanwhile, I say YES to a "soak" but do it this way:

Take the temperature of the water! Because we're 98.6*, if it feels warm to us, it's probably TOO HOT for your snake. So actually take the temp. & make sure it's 87* or lower.

Do this in your bathtub, or similar tub- you want a few inches of water, never over the snake's head, just covering his body, & add a few drops of Dawn or Ivory dish soap. Do NOT try to submerge the snake's head & do NOT let him drink the soapy water.

Reason: mites drown easily when the bit of soap removes the surface tension of the water, otherwise they float/swim/& survive.

You must stay right there with your snake- help them stay submerged as much as possible- for about 20-25 minutes. The soapy water will MISS some mites on your snake's head- that's unavoidable, but until you get your other product in hand, this is the best way to minimize the discomfort & risk to your snake. Remember that mites can transmit diseases, so the fewer your snake has left, the better. And the fewer there are laying eggs for the "come-back" party they're planning.

Snakes mostly hate baths because of the lack of traction- that's scary & an unfamiliar feeling to them, so if you can do this in the bathtub where your snake can spread out & feel the "floor" a little, it should help. But don't turn your back, even if your snake relaxes, & be there supporting him.

As I said, this will get many or most of the mites, and it's non-toxic & harmless...which is more than you can say about the other chemicals for killing mites- so drown as many as you can- then use the other methods to ensure they're all gone.

Mites multiply exponentially, & often the infestation is quite severe by the time we notice them...so don't delay treatment & do the best you can, because mites can & do kill snakes, by dehydration, causing shock & organ failure from the loss of blood...seriously. Don't under-estimate mites.

[bcr229]

See my post #2 at https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...hat-else-to-do

[BenBork059]

I had a minor mite break out on 2 of my ball pythons and I’ll just post what I did. Both my snakes are in a rack system on paper towels. First I treated the tubs themselves and then the paper towels with provent a mite, be sure the water cups are not in the caging at this time and let dry, I gave it about twenty minutes to dry. I then treated the snakes with front line for dogs and cats tick spray. I did this by putting on rubber gloves and spraying my hands avoiding the eyes and mouth. There are a few video’s posted about this method and it worked for me with out doing any bathing. Feel free to pm if you have any questions.

[nikkubus]

When I dealt with mites the ONLY thing to actually work was the method Kevin used in a NERD video, where he put enough water to go about 1/3 the way up the snakes body in a tub, let them soak for about 20 mins and drink what they want, then add just a couple drops of dawn and let them soak for a few days. They had heatpad with thermostat just like they normally do in their tubs to make sure the water didn't get too cold. I went in and swished a little water over their back a few times a day. Somehow this method worked for me when all else failed. Ivermectin spray every 5 days for 3 weeks didn't do it (cut them down), diluted iodine soak for a couple hours didn't do it (cut them down), provent-a-mite didn't do it.

When it happened to mine, it was when I had gotten a lot of animals all at one time, so my "quarantine" was quite a few animals, and it spread to everybody pretty quickly among that quarantine area. It was such a nightmare. The snake that I suspect started it all, was a little BP about that same size, and he was named "Zero" for being the ground zero of that mess haha. I love him to death even if he brought all that on us, he's such a sweet, quirky little guy.

Everybody has different experiences, but if I ever had a snake with mites again, I would go straight to the NERD method from the start because it worked so well. Ivermectin is magical with rodents, but I have not had the best luck with it for snakes.