Mites...

[CruelHerbie]

My girlfriend was handling our snakes about three weeks ago and noticed that they had mites. So we followed the directed steps on one of the ball python care websites to eliminate this problem. Well, this morning she again noticed that they had mites. She has more experience than I do (these two are my first balls... (there is so much wordplay in this hobby)), but even collectively we can't figure out why they're back. We've tossed a few things back and forth, like the tree, the rock, the bark. We cleaned the tree and the rock in the dishwasher and tossed the bark. I used a vinegar based cleaner (I think) and scrubbed the life out of their 75 gallon home. I guess we're just curious how to eliminate mites for good, whether it requires using a different cleaner, switching the bark (we threw the bag out last cleaning and can't remember what it was) or whatever other steps we're possibly missing. We would really appreciate any help that you all could give us and thank you greatly in advance!

Thanks ,
Brett and Stefanie

[PythonWallace]

I've never had mites, but there are some good threads on here if you do a search. Basically buy some Prevent-A-Mite, then use it with the snakes in a temporary enclosure with white paper towels as the substrate while you completely sterilize and PAM everything. I'd guess you should vacuum or mop the floor in the snake room and pam around the enclosure, too. I'm sure others will have more to say, but PAM seems to be the general fix.

[Shelby]

I'd definitely throw out anything porous.. the dishwasher isn't good enough.

The best mite killer out there is called provent-a-mite. http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html it kills not only the mites, but their eggs, and it keeps working for a long time.. 30 days I think.

[slartibartfast]

Frontline spray (not the concentrated drops; this is important) as sold for dogs and cats. Take the snakes out, lightly mist everything in the enclosure and allow to dry, then replace snakes and dab a small amount of Frontline spray on the last third of the snake's body. A herp-keeper at a zoo told me this trick, and I used it when a new kid turned up with the creepy crawlies, and it worked great. One application seems to have completely eliminated them, although in my case it was a brand new snake and so had not had time to develop a big population of mites in the environment. In your case I would re-treat in a month or so just to be safe.

There is also a product called Provent-A-Mite, referred to here a lot as PAM which many people are very happy with. My beef with it is that it is pyrethrin-based and I really don't like using those chemicals on any of my kids, and it is only available online while Frontline spray can be purchased at any decent pet store or from your vet.

Also...it is generally considered safer to keep one snake per enclosure. They tend to do better, and you have better control over any problems that may arise (regurgitation, upper respiratory infections, parasites, etc).

[PythonWallace]

I'd definitely throw out anything porous.. the dishwasher isn't good enough.

The best mite killer out there is called provent-a-mite. http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html it kills not only the mites, but their eggs, and it keeps working for a long time.. 30 days I think.

If you don't want to toss things and they are safe to bake, you can put them in the oven at 225 for a couple of hours to kill everything. Some people say to do higher temps for shorter, but if it's wood the sap will start to boil out and release fumes and mess up your oven. I personally soak wood in water for a few minutes, wrap in foil and bake at 225 for 2-3 hours. Kills everything and serves 4.

[ArcticBlue]

All the advice given so far is what I would recommend. 1 snake per enclosure, and I personally would get rid of the wood bark (presuming that it is some sort of repti-bark and maybe a decorative log) and use aspen shavings as substrate (although I would use paper towels or newsprint while treating for mites), keeping them in tubs with two hides and a water dish and not much else. It's not as cool looking but it is much easier to control. Careful use of PAM (follow the instructions to the letter) will help in this case too. I have also used Natural Chemistry's Reptile Relief before and found that it works if you are diligent about applying it, although it definately doesnt work as quickly as PAM.

[Roswell]

I tried vinegar the first time (and only time) my beardies ended up with mites. It flushed them out of their scales but did not kill them.


There are 2 things i would suggest:
1) Strip the entire tank down to nothing and wash it with 10% bleach mixed with water. To get that you put 10 ml of bleach in with 1L of water. Then clean all deco with that mixture as well. Let it completely dry and then wipe down with a damp cloth. Let dry again then put the snake back.

2)Go to your local drug store and buy a lice treatment product called NIX. If its not on the shelves it would be in the back with the pharmacist. When you get it home, squirt about a teaspoon in with a med. sized spray bottle. Shake vigorously then remove the snake and water dish, remove the substrate and spray down the entire tank liberally. Wait til its almost dry then put paper towel in as substrate put the water back in and then the snake.

With both of these ideas you can repeat as often as you like.

Good luck

[SatanicIntention]

2)Go to your local drug store and buy a lice treatment product called NIX. If its not on the shelves it would be in the back with the pharmacist. When you get it home, squirt about a teaspoon in with a med. sized spray bottle. Shake vigorously then remove the snake and water dish, remove the substrate and spray down the entire tank liberally. Wait til its almost dry then put paper towel in as substrate put the water back in and then the snake.

Let's not and say we did. Get a can of Provent-A-Mite, that is FDA approved on reptiles and is safe, and treat the enclosure. No worries, no hassle with mixing chemicals, mites gone.

[Roswell]

The Nix and water never touches the snake. my bp and dum breeder swears by this method.

Its also cheaper than 'prevent-a-mite". And by the name of that stuff its for prevention not an actual case of mites (i could be wrong about prevention thing though).

Let's not and say we did. Get a can of Provent-A-Mite, that is FDA approved on reptiles and is safe, and treat the enclosure. No worries, no hassle with mixing chemicals, mites gone.

[SatanicIntention]

I'm sure he swears by it.. It's cheap. So is Raid.

Since I value my collection and don't want to use unknown chemicals on my snakes, I will spend the extra $10 and use what is proven effective and safe. I will use Frontline as well, because it is safe and proven effective(it's definitely far from inexpensive).

Provent-A-Mite treats existing infestations as well as prevents recurrences(30+ days since it is residual).

If your snake has an adverse reaction to NIX, who are you going to complain to? No one.. Because it's not approved for use in reptiles. If your snake has an adverse reaction to PAM(which I highly doubt if used correctly), you're going to bring your concerns to Bob Pound, and he will address them. It is FDA approved for use in reptiles.

I'm not going to risk my snakes coming into contact with unknown chemicals so I can save $10...

Anyone ever use Bip-Spot or Hartz flea products on your dogs/cats? Yeah.. I know we all love seizures and death, but seriously. Why spend $5 on a product that is known to cause problems, when you can go buy Frontline, Revolution or Advantage at your vet and not have to dole out $100's worth in vet bills for your poisoned, seizuring animal? I don't get it.