My first mite problem

[Bogertophis]

Only 2 sellers on ebay have Reptile Relief. They are both Americans and dont specify if they ship internationally or not. I will try contacting them.

Good luck with ebay- the sellers might want to ship it but there might be shipping restrictions? I have no idea, off-hand, but I hope that works. One thing is that the air pressure changes on a plane might make the spray leak? It's not an aerosol at least- just a regular spray.

[JAGpenguin]

ok, the UK seller of Taurrus just cancelled because they dont want to ship internationally either. I consulted local breeders that I know and they say I should use Hot Shot anti pest. Is this safe for BPs that are under 1 year old? Also I see different approaches suggested, one guy said to put it in the room hanging or standing, another said to cut it into little pieces and put it in a small holed container and then put the conrainer into the enclosure, another guy said I should remove the water dish while having this thing in the snake toom because the water would become poisounous, and another guy says it might just kill the snake.

I dont know who to believe but this thing seems to be the only solution I can get in my country. Anybody got experience with this method?

[bcr229]

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

I would be very surprised if you couldn't find permethrin concentrate at a livestock supply store. You just have to make sure it is diluted down enough to be safe for your snake. The Hot Shot strips are also mentioned.

Since you got both ball pythons at the same time from the same expo, I would treat both.

[JAGpenguin]

dude, haha. I actually saw your exact same post but on reddit. Thanks man.
I am going to do what u said. So the way u do it is that instead of cutting it into pieces then into a holed container, you just hang it in the snake room with the door closed. So I am thinking I am just going to put it standing whole on top of a closet in the snake room, close the window and door, take away the water dish and leave it for 24h. Then repeat this weekly. Sounds about right?

[JAGpenguin]

Hot shot is available locally and I am getting it in a couple hours tops. So if the plan above sounds ok, I am gonna start today.

[Bogertophis]

ok, the UK seller of Taurrus just cancelled because they dont want to ship internationally either. I consulted local breeders that I know and they say I should use Hot Shot anti pest. Is this safe for BPs that are under 1 year old? Also I see different approaches suggested, one guy said to put it in the room hanging or standing, another said to cut it into little pieces and put it in a small holed container and then put the conrainer into the enclosure, another guy said I should remove the water dish while having this thing in the snake toom because the water would become poisounous, and another guy says it might just kill the snake.

I dont know who to believe but this thing seems to be the only solution I can get in my country. Anybody got experience with this method?

Yes, I have experience with this method, & with good outcome, no harm. (And "PAM" wasn't even around then, so it wasn't an option.)

FYI, I've only ever had to treat 2 snakes for mites, long ago as mentioned in previous post. I first did the "soapy water thing" to remove most mites.

Then I used a small piece (1/2") of a "Shell No-Pest Strip" (which I believe is similar to your current product "Hot Shot"-it was later re-named to the best of my knowledge) in a "cage" suspended from the top of enclosure so the snake could not make any contact with it. I covered the screen top to minimize air-flow (this was a 20 gallon glass tank) leaving 2 ventilation areas, one on each end of the screen top, so air would circulate (rising up & out from the UTH-heated end, & air drawn in on the cool side of tank) & treated snake for about 10 hours ONLY; I retreated the same way a few days later, to be sure, & mites were completely gone using this method, with no apparent harm to the snake. I had many snakes at the time, & no mites ever spread, thanks to quick treatment & good separation of glass tanks (none right next to each other). Do remove the water dish!- & I'd suggest providing cardboard boxes with door-way cut as temporary hides you throw away right after treatment, & use disposable paper as substrate for the time being too (throw it away afterwards, as it can absorb vapor from the "Hot Shot".) Don't leave ANY decorations in during treatment.

To your post #14 above: I would not treat the whole room as you describe. I can only predict safety & success with controlled use as I described- there is MUCH more air in a room or closet & leaving for 24 hours could be "over-kill"...literally & for your snake, or it might not quite get the job done. It's impossible to know the dose you're giving as you describe.

[JAGpenguin]

Got it a couple hours ago. Treatment in ongoing. Fortunately I dont have any decor for the sake of longterm practicality. It is just 2 plastic hides and the water dish. I did have coconut husk for substrate though. Since they are not expensive, I guess I will just throw them away after. I am pleasantly surprised that you eradicated the mites with just 2 treatments, my initial thought was that it was gonna take months. Good to hear. Wish me luck guys and thank you.

[Bogertophis]

Got it a couple hours ago. Treatment in ongoing. Fortunately I dont have any decor for the sake of longterm practicality. It is just 2 plastic hides and the water dish. I did have coconut husk for substrate though. Since they are not expensive, I guess I will just throw them away after. I am pleasantly surprised that you eradicated the mites with just 2 treatments, my initial thought was that it was gonna take months. Good to hear. WIsh me luck guys and thank you.

I do wish you luck. Just remember this is a very potent pesticide & can easily kill or injure a snake if over-used or used improperly.

[Bogertophis]

To whom it may confuse

Just to clear up any confusion about methods advocated (in posts above) by myself & bcr229, they all work. When I've dealt with mites in the past, I was keeping quite a few snakes BUT they were housed in well-separated glass tanks throughout my large house, & thus the 2 that arrived with mites never managed to share them with other snakes I had. Because I had no wish to expose myself or all the other snakes to such a potent pesticide (No Pest Strip) for no reason, it was far more effective & made more sense to treat only the 2 with mites, as I described in post #16. But for those keeping all their snakes in a "snake room", close together where the spread of mites is likely or has already occurred, it makes sense to treat the room as a whole.

Your call entirely. Either way, it's best to minimize exposure of these chemicals to both you & your animals- "First do no harm" as they say.
Always remember that just because something doesn't kill you (or your pets) doesn't mean it's good for either of you, especially in the long run.

[Ascended]

I opted for the Taurrus because American mite products dont ship here from Amazon but Jurrasimite and it has a lot of 1 star reviews saying it killed the snake. I am looking for Reptile Relief on ebay as we speak, hoping that some sellers ship it internationally. I heard about Taurrus mites from European forums mostly, apparently it is a big deal over there and it comes from the UK.

Yes its available here in the UK, but I guess they don't ship to other countries well as they are living and delicate.
I have used predatory mites with plants and they work 100 percent and with one dose. As long as you get the right number and with a quick delivery so they are mostly still alive.
I would use them for any snake mite outbreak as my first choice. Chemicals can cause neurological issues if not perfectly balanced.
I guess they don't travel well, but Hopefully they will be bread in other countries soon so we can all get local supplies. that's unless thy could be invasive. They like high temperature's, so they would not survive in the UK outside.