Traumatic Experience

[deltaneutral]

Well, we’ve had our baby BP for about 5 or 6 weeks now.
We’ve been meticulous in our husbandry. We monitor temperature gradients and humidity with digital thermometers/hygrometers (I'm constantly checking), change water daily, etc. (Ambient temps range across the tank from 80 to 85 with the substrate temp at around 92 in his hide over the UTH. Humidity around 60).
We treat him like it’s one of our children. My wife talks to it like it’s a baby.

So a week ago we noticed his eyes turn cloudy so we start preparing for his first shed.
I changed the substrate (eco earth coconut stuff) and raised the humidity to around 70.

He started spending quite a bit of time in his water dish around the same time and I thought it was because he was soaking for the shed.

Well, it turns out it was MITES.
We noticed them today on his skin…where did they come from??????
We haven’t handled any other snakes. The substrate was the compressed eco earth stuff. I washed and cooked all the stuff that went in the tank (hides, silk plants, etc).

We got the snake at Petco, so the only thing I can think of is that he has eggs on him when we brought him home.
Is that possible? We never noticed anything until today and we have handled him a lot over the last few weeks.

Anyway, we start reading this forum regarding mite eradication and watching “Youtube” videos on the subject.
Our experience was nothing like the videos or the writings on here.

I don’t know who was traumatized more…my wife or the snake.
As I emptied the tank to give everything a bath in bleach water in the tub, she lightly sprayed some mite stuff on the snake then started to wipe him off with a damp cloth.
Well, I guess he was getting really close to shedding because his skin started peeling off.
So as she’s soaking him in a lukewarm bath, the snake’s skin is peeling, my wife’s wiping it off, and the snake defecates a couple times (maybe from stress??).
Now my wife is freaked out that she’s traumatized the snake.

I washed everything in a bleach bath, rinsed it all off well, then baked it in the oven at 225 for about 1.5 hours.
The snake is back in his tank…very sparse tank, just his 2 hides, water dish and white newsprint for substrate, but he seems to be moving around quite a bit checking things out.

I don’t know what to think, but our experience was not easy…actually a bit of a disaster.

Anyone else have this situation?

[mischevious21]

Nah, your snake will be fine so long as you treat him to get rid of the mites. Snakes (and lizards) seem to defecate while soaking- more often than not. I think it may be the warm water that just helps them to go. And as for his skin coming off, thats fine- he was ready apparently. There's been times (like an hour ago) that I have had to manualy help one of my snakes shed.

Also, the mites probably came from the substrate. So just keep doind what your doing, keep things clean and treat him and he sould be good. And don't worry- you don't have to change the substrate when he does in to shed, just make sure your humidity is good.

You sound like you're doinf the right things- great job with how well you're keeping everything clean!! Sounds like you did your research Very good!

[Nate]

what was this "mite stuff" that you were using on him?

Although I've never had a mite outbreak (yet), everyone suggests P.A.M.....not the cooking spray....Prevent-A-Mite

[deltaneutral]

We bought something called Reptile Spray made by Natural Chemistry.
I called around to some vets and different reptile shops looking for PAM, but no-one seems to carry it.
We didn't want to wait for the product to arrive by mail...we wanted to nip this in the bud immediately, so we got this stuff.

We read where the ZooMed "Mite Off" was garbage.

Hopefully with the warm bath, the spray, the bleach water washing of everything and the cooking in the oven afterward...well, hopefully that does it.

We feel like terrible parents...my wife's freaked out.

[Nate]

Hopefully with the warm bath, the spray, the bleach water washing of everything and the cooking in the oven afterward...well, hopefully that does it.

Most likely, no. Buy a can. I'm sure you'll be glad you have it in 30 days when they're back

[deltaneutral]

I'm ordering a can right now.

[frankykeno]

Don't feel bad. You and your wife are certainly not the only people to buy a snake from PetCo and get the "free case of mites" deal. Here's a link to a write-up on mites to understand your enemy....

http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_...of_snake_mites

Personally I'd have the little one on plain white paper towels for a substrate until you know the mites are gone (after another month or so of no hatching/new mites). I like the Viva brand for it's clothlike softness. If you use natural hides I'd switch over to something in plastic that can be sterilized and cannot harbor mite eggs. I'd order P.A.M. simply because killing off the adult mites is one thing but if you don't get the eggs (much harder to kill than the adults) then in about a month or so you are going to have mites again.

Treating the snake, dealing with the shed, being pooped on are just things that happen so don't worry on that. Just like we have to deal with our kids when they are ill and don't want us fussing over them or giving meds, there is just stuff that has to be done with snakes - so best to do it calmly and just get it over with quickly and efficiently.

You might want to consider a good, fine shred aspen once you go back to natural substrate. I buy ours from a store that stocks bedding but no snakes and have yet to see a problem with mites coming in on the bedding. Do watch yourselves though, if you visit pet stores or snake shows and handle snakes, that you don't become the ride home a snake mite utilizes.

[JeffFlanagan]

We feel like terrible parents...my wife's freaked out.

Don't feel bad. You did nothing wrong, other than buy a chain pet shop snake, and it sounds like you're doing your best to help the poor animal.

[West Coast Jungle]

This is one of the many examples why we recommend to buy a snake from a breeder as opposed to a petstore.

Happens all the time. Hope it passes quickly.

[bigballs]

most likely the snake already had mites before you bought it. PAM is the way to go! good luck getting rid of those blood suckers. if you need any advice about how just ask!