Ugh.

[blackfish707]

I think there was a dead mite in her water dish. Treating the tank will eventually get the ones around her eye, right? They spend part of their cycle on the animal and part off? Thanks Evenstar about the BRB heads up. Ordering both POM and Reptile Spray. I'll treat her with the spray and treat my other tanks with POM just in case.

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[Evenstar]

I think there was a dead mite in her water dish. Treating the tank will eventually get the ones around her eye, right? They spend part of their cycle on the animal and part off? Thanks Evenstar about the BRB heads up. Ordering both POM and Reptile Spray. I'll treat her with the spray and treat my other tanks with POM just in case.

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Smart move. But, no, treating the enclosure alone won't kill the mites on her. Mites feed off the snake, then lay eggs in the enclosure. You MIGHT get rid of them that way, eventually, by breaking the reproductive cycle, but treating the snake too will solve the problem much faster. The Reptile Spray is safe. I have used it to coat my baby boas - spray them right down with it in the kitchen sink. Not a one has ever had any kind of reaction to it. BRBs are more sensitive, but this spray is safe enough that your baby should be just fine if its used sparingly.

** Note: I am not a chemist or a vet and I do not keep BRBs personally so DO take my words with a grain of salt. I would contact Living Gems Reptiles on Facebook to ask about mite treatments with BRBs and/or speak to Rich at Reptile Basics about the Spray if you have any questions or concerns. I am confident it will not only work but will also be safe for your baby, but once again, I'm no chemist, vet, or BRB keeper.

[ivanb]

I had mites on my first ever ball python. It was a small infestation, but he had a couple of them lodged in the eye sockets, just like in your picture.
While everything else died within a single treatment, I had a bit more trouble with those.
Ultimately, we ended up rubbing a moist qtip veeeery gently, from behind the eye, trying to push them out. It took a bit of patience, but it worked well.



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[blackfish707]

Smart move. But, no, treating the enclosure alone won't kill the mites on her. Mites feed off the snake, then lay eggs in the enclosure. You MIGHT get rid of them that way, eventually, by breaking the reproductive cycle, but treating the snake too will solve the problem much faster. The Reptile Spray is safe. I have used it to coat my baby boas - spray them right down with it in the kitchen sink. Not a one has ever had any kind of reaction to it. BRBs are more sensitive, but this spray is safe enough that your baby should be just fine if its used sparingly.

Thanks for the great feedback as always. I'm going to treat my animals/enclosures in the other room as well just in case. I guess I should use the spray on my Hog Island and Costa Rican as well?

I had mites on my first ever ball python. It was a small infestation, but he had a couple of them lodged in the eye sockets, just like in your picture.
While everything else died within a single treatment, I had a bit more trouble with those.
Ultimately, we ended up rubbing a moist qtip veeeery gently, from behind the eye, trying to push them out. It took a bit of patience, but it worked well.

Ugh, I was thinking they'd be harder to get. Did you coat the Qtip with anything? I would assume not?

[ivanb]

No, just with water so it runs smoothly.
Our boy was great while we did it. While he didn't like it, he was quite tolerant.

Good luck! I'm sure with patience you'll get rid if them.

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[bcr229]

I have used the Reptile Spray on my 3 BRB's with no issues. I don't spray the snake directly. Instead, I spray a white paper towel and wipe the snake down with it, avoiding the eyes and heat pits. It's also easy to see mites on the paper towel.