My new baby BP has mites

[JaggerLilly]

He has been soaking in his water dish almost daily. I noticed mites on him yesterday. The first thing I did was clean out his tub. Then I filled it with some water and added tiny bit of Dawn soap. Let him soak in that for a bit.

I lined his tub with paper towels, instead of his usual substrate. He also refused his weekly rat pup meal.

What do I need to do next to get rid of ALL the mites? Plus, now I have a rat pup to keep alive.

[KMG]

You should be able to find Reptile Spray at a pet store. It's easy to use and when I had mites sent to me killed them well.

I sprayed everything, including the snakes. I even sprayed the floor around the area, then vacuumed.

I keep them in paper towels and followed the directions on the product.

- - - Updated - - -

Natural Chemistry Reptile Mite Spray, 8-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002QIII8...V67AM0Z2B2GMAA

[JaggerLilly]

I found the Reptile Spray and sprayed it on a paper towel then wiped Rocky really well with it.

First thing he did was slide through his water dish. The directions on the bottle state that it can only be used every 3 days.

How often should I clean his tub now?

[KMG]

I followed the directions.

[bcr229]

Post #2 - https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Mite-questions

[Jamiekerk]

I don’t like chemicals, we have this stuff in uk it’s a mite you add to vivarium that eats only eats the snake mites.

I’ve used it before and had great success.


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[JaggerLilly]

How long does it take to get rid of them? Just an FYI, he's in a rack bin, which I have thoroughly cleaned three times so far. I'm just concerned, because he is supposed eat every 5-7 days, but is refusing food. Up until the mite situation, he was eating like a champ.

I have tried several times to offer him a live rat pup and he seems interested, smells it, then balls up and wants nothing to do with it.

I even tried offering the rat pup to my girl Lilly but I think that she refused it due to it being so small. She's 1,500 grams and eats medium rats.

I am trying not to get attached to the rat pup, but I also don't have the heart to starve it to death.

Is it okay to keep the rat pup in the snake rack? It's hopefully temporary home is the plastic bin right next to my Rocky, who is refusing to eat it.

[Bogertophis]

It's typical for a snake to refuse food when being treated for mites- due to the stress resulting from handling & being treated. While eating is important, getting rid of mites is MORE important, as they can kill a snake faster than you might think. Also, mites dehydrate a snake: each mite removes only a tiny amount of blood, but mites can be so numerous that they cause shock, circulatory collapse & organ failure- trust me on this. Anyway, a dehydrated snake is better off NOT eating, as they're likely to barf up their meal, unable to digest unless they have adequate hydration.

No way to tell you how long to get rid of mites: depends on how well you work at it- with the right methods & used correctly, thoroughly. Many have to battle them for a month or more- new generations will arrive if you miss any mites or any of their eggs- it doesn't take many to re-populate, so do it right the first time. But be safe- follow product directions EXACTLY so you don't harm your snake.

Doesn't matter where you keep the rat pup- good luck keeping it alive. Good luck with this, mites are miserable.

[Jamiekerk]

This is the product I use as I don’t like chemicals

https://youtu.be/N-zXA1Qair0

Took about a week for them to clear the snake I left them in for a couple of weeks to make sure they ate any larvae and new borns.

It might feel strange introducing a mite on purpose to the enclosures but it works surprisingly well.

They don’t feed on the snake they are a predatory mite that only eats other mites.

Like little super hero’s.

It’s a low stress way to handle snake mites, when I get a new arrival they go into quarenteen room on coco husk then these pad boys go in as well. Never had a outbreak.


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[Bogertophis]

This is the product I use as I don’t like chemicals

https://youtu.be/N-zXA1Qair0

Took about a week for them to clear the snake I left them in for a couple of weeks to make sure they ate any larvae and new borns.

It might feel strange introducing a mite on purpose to the enclosures but it works surprisingly well.

They don’t feed on the snake they are a predatory mite that only eats other mites.

Like little super hero’s.

It’s a low stress way to handle snake mites, when I get a new arrival they go into quarenteen room on coco husk then these pad boys go in as well. Never had a outbreak.


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FYI, they're not available in all areas or countries, & not legal to ship to all places either. So may not be an option, no matter how well they work.
I steer clear of pesticides too. It has literally been a couple decades since any snake of mine had mites- only happened twice with newly acquired ones long ago.

But if I had a snake right now with mites, I'd first (& daily) be soaking the snake in shallow water for about 20-25 minutes -with a drop or 2 of mild dish soap like Ivory or Dawn- this is ESSENTIAL to break the surface tension so that the mites drown- otherwise they swim or float & survive! That helps reduce the numbers quickly, BUT it won't get them ALL. Then I'd choose to use Natural Chemistry as directed. This is not a true 'pesticide'- it's the safest option as far as I know.

But much depends on what products are available where one lives.