Yay! I helped a fellow herper out!

[mrshawt]

I found this on craigslist today.

http://worcester.craigslist.org/pet/1319509443.html

I have a mite problem!! I have done all that I can myself to get rid of the damn things, and nothing is seeming to help. I went to Petco in Auburn last week and spoke to a person in the reptile department who helped me as well as he could. Which was great!! However... He showed me this filter type pad that they use in the store to get rid of the pesky bastards. On the package it said it would get rid of flying and crawling bugs. You take it out of the package and place it ON TOP of the cage. Voila... they are gone!! He told me that I could get it at Wal Mart. I went there and everywhere else I could think of, with no avail!! Pet dept, camping dept. etc. Can anyone tell me what to do or where to go..... Thanks a ton, in advance (if you have a reply, please drop an email)

So, I wrote up this email telling them about the forum and PAM. I hope they can fix their mite problem and eventually check out the site.

Hi, I am a member of a snake forum called ball-pythons.net. We get this question a lot, especially when one gets new snakes. The best product to get rid of mites is called PAM (Provent a Mite). You can buy it online here:
http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

Bob (the owner of the product) is a great guy and PAM is the easiest way possible. You treat the tank and contents once and mites are gone. Just don't use PAM on the snake itself. Follow the directions on the can to the letter or else you can end up with a dead snake.

Petco also sells a product called Reptile Relief. While it's not the most effective way to eliminate mites, it safely kills any mites on the snake's body. Use that in conjunction with Provent a Mite, and you will be mite free!

I hope this helps for you. You should check out http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/index.php when you get a chance, we can answer pretty much any question. It's a really fun place to be. My user name is "mrshawt" if you ever drop by.

Good luck!

I feel good about myself.

[PrioBull]

Nice...hope he listen and see him on here pretty soon...

[mrshawt]

Updates:

Hey Mike,

Thank you so much for the reply. However,
I have tried all of those things. :o(

Oh, and I just recently saved that site as one of my fav's
very helpful

And my reply:

You tried Provent a Mite? I've never heard of it not working. The problem with the generic lice and mite killers is that they're not tested for use with reptiles. They can end up being dangerous to the snake and even can cause neurological damage.

My ball python had mites a year ago when I didn't know anything about proper mite treatments. It took me months of cleaning the tank weekly and spraying my python with Reptile Relief daily, but they disappeared and I haven't had one since.

Another way you can get the mites off the snake temporarily is to place her in lukewarm (about 90 degree) water and add a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension. That will drown the mites on its body, as long as you make sure the head and neck go under (harder than it seems haha).

Sometimes mites will also lay eggs outside the enclosure, so you may have to clean the surrounding areas as well.

Let me know if anything changes. You may also get some more answers if you post this on the forum. Since I have never used Provent a Mite myself, someone else there might have better insight to its use.

Mike