Be careful what you wish for.

[srozell]

Recently I posted a thread suggesting I take on some snakes in ill health, partly for the purpose of getting experience with snake ailments.

As irony would have it, I noticed that one of my girls was soaking in her water bowl. I took her out to have a look at her and found a couple of mites crawling on my hands.

I immediately cleaned her and the cage, and am hoping I got to it before it spread to the other snake, but I'm assuming the worst, and have already ordered some Reptile Relief to make sure I'm ready for the next outbreak.

I'm wondering if I did something wrong, or if the snakes were likely infested from the breeder I got them from.

The breeder is one of the better breeders in Canada, but I won't post a name as it's possible the mistake was mine and not his, and no one deserves undeserved bad press.

I work at a petstore several days a week, so it's possible that I was exposed to mites there, but I always wash with soap before leaving. This doesn't prevent eggs from being transferred on my clothes, however I have seen no sign of mites at our store, though I will take a closer look when I'm next there.

I was keeping rats in the same room, but I keep the rats clean, and since have moved them to another room.

I was cleaning the water dish every two days, and I check regularily for feces, removing it the moment I spot it.

Did I screw up or should I boycott the breeder in the future?

I intend to advise the breeder of the situation, but I want some feedback from you before I do. I'm sure any decent breeder would want to know if he had mites in his stock.

[mr~python]

do you have any wood decorations from outside or anything like that that might not have been steril? thats one possible way they could have got there.

[recycling goddess]

how long have you had your snake for?

[srozell]

I picked up the girls on Jan 25.

I have not introduced anything other than supplies picked up from stores.

Sterilite bins, hides, heat pads, thermostats, etc.

The bins are minimalistic, with no decorations or plants.

[xdeus]

I would go ahead and inform the breeder. Don't make it accusatory, though. I doubt if they got them from the rats as I believe rodent mites are a different species than those that infect reptiles. The most likely locations were the breeder and your pet store, but if you haven't seen any in your pet store, I would lean towards the breeder. It could be that he reused packaging that may have had the mites or eggs, but it would still be a good idea to let him know about your situation. Good luck!

Oh, and in addition to the Reptile Relief, you may want to get Provent-a-Mite for the cage.

[Adam_Wysocki]

I would go ahead and inform the breeder. Don't make it accusatory, though. I doubt if they got them from the rats as I believe rodent mites are a different species than those that infect reptiles. The most likely locations were the breeder and your pet store, but if you haven't seen any in your pet store, I would lean towards the breeder. It could be that he reused packaging that may have had the mites or eggs, but it would still be a good idea to let him know about your situation. Good luck!

Oh, and in addition to the Reptile Relief, you may want to get Provent-a-Mite for the cage.

PERFECT!

-adam

[Benson_and_Hedges]

Provent-a-mite is a godsend.. A little expensive but it's worth it.


My two BP's were absolutely infested with mites. I soaked them in Repti Relief and water while i cleaned the cage and then when i was done i gave the cage a good spraying with the provent-a-mite. There were maybe 5 or 6 mites that survived the attack after i treated the snakes themselves but just from being in the cage they died off from the provent-a-mite. I don't know how that stuff works without destroying the snakes but i don't care.

I should be their spokeswoman.

[srozell]

Thanks for the info folks.


I'll chat with the breeder tomorrow, and order some prevent-a-mite.