How to protect snakes from mites at a reptile show?

[Wh00h0069]

To anyone who takes their ball pythons, or any other snake for that matter, to a reptile show. How do you protect your snakes from mites at the show? After the show, do you quarantine all of the snakes that you did not sell? How long do you wait to sell them if you do put them into quarantine?

I am thinking of getting a table at a local reptile show to sell some of my baby ball pythons, but am very worried that my snakes could get mites.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Sonya610]

I have no experience in this, but if I were worried I might consider spraying the skirt of your table covering with PAM before setting up (don't know if that stuff smells).

I would also keep a bottle of hand sanitizer handy so if serious buyers really want to handle the snakes they can sanitize before touching your animals.

[darkangel]

Jamie and me were talking about it at the White Plains show and he mentioned the idea of spraying the inside of the display boxes/containers/whatever w/Pam. Sounds like a great idea to me, if people are wanting to handle your snake before they buy.

[littleindiangirl]

Jamie and me were talking about it at the White Plains show and he mentioned the idea of spraying the inside of the display boxes/containers/whatever w/Pam. Sounds like a great idea to me, if people are wanting to handle your snake before they buy.

That's what I would do, spray the display enclosures, and top QT when you got home.

[Wh00h0069]

I have never used PAM before, but have heard that when you use it, you should not let your snake come in contact with it. Is this right? If it is, then you couldn't spray the inside of the enclosure, because your snake would come in contact with it.

[rabernet]

You can't let it come in contact with WET Provent-A-Mite.

Pre-treat the displays a day or two before the show.

I would quarantine all un-sold animals when you get back.

Winston and/or Murphy may very well be on display in Daytona at the BP.net table. They will be quarantined upon their return, even though we are not allowing anyone to handle the display animals.

[Wh00h0069]

You can't let it come in contact with WET Provent-A-Mite.

Pre-treat the displays a day or two before the show.

I would quarantine all un-sold animals when you get back.

Winston and/or Murphy may very well be on display in Daytona at the BP.net table. They will be quarantined upon their return, even though we are not allowing anyone to handle the display animals.

Oh, I didn't know that they could come into contact with pretreated (dry) PAM. That is a great Idea. I will spray down the containers with PAM a few days before the show.

Also, I am planning on displaying them in deli cups. What size should I buy for baby ball pythons?

Thanks to everyone that has responded.

[Wh00h0069]

I would also keep a bottle of hand sanitizer handy so if serious buyers really want to handle the snakes they can sanitize before touching your animals.

Good idea. I will get a bottle.

[muddoc]

We bring a bottle of hand sanitizer with us to the show, and have all people use the sanitizer prior to handling anything. We also bring a bottle of Reptile Relief with us to the show, to treat any animals that we may acquire while at the show. We keep any animals acquired at the show seperate from our stock. Then when we return home, we treat all of the enclosures that animals from the show will go back into with PAM prior to returning them to the enclosure. We will then keep from selling those animals for at least 2 weeks, while we look for signs of any mites. The snakes that we acquired do go into quarantine until they are deemed healthy.

Knock on wood. To date, we have never had a mite problem with snakes that we brought to a show, after returning home. We have brought mites home on snakes we acquired while at the show, and had to clean them up before they were allowed in general population.

[Wh00h0069]

We bring a bottle of hand sanitizer with us to the show, and have all people use the sanitizer prior to handling anything. We also bring a bottle of Reptile Relief with us to the show, to treat any animals that we may acquire while at the show. We keep any animals acquired at the show seperate from our stock. Then when we return home, we treat all of the enclosures that animals from the show will go back into with PAM prior to returning them to the enclosure. We will then keep from selling those animals for at least 2 weeks, while we look for signs of any mites. The snakes that we acquired do go into quarantine until they are deemed healthy.

Knock on wood. To date, we have never had a mite problem with snakes that we brought to a show, after returning home. We have brought mites home on snakes we acquired while at the show, and had to clean them up before they were allowed in general population.

Thanks Tim, that is some great info.