Mite Problem

[bowes]

Hey guys ive been keeping 2 Ballpythons for about a year now and ive done my due diligence but now ive come across a mite infestation which i know nothing about. My pastel usually soaks before a shed so i assumed she was about to have shed. I took her out today to handle her and saw adult mites on her. I ordered a can of PAM but is there anything else i should do while i wait for the shipping? Im about to clean both their tubs and place paper towels in there. What caused this? I keep a very clean tub, could it be from my feeder rats? Should i chuck the rest of my frozen rodents? Any direction will be greatly appreciated.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I guessing that the could have come in on your substrate or on your feeders if they are live. Anything brought in from a pet store including your clothing could be suspect. PAM is great but in the meantime you could pick up some reptile spray from petco and follow the directions on the bottle.

[For Goodness Snakes]

I don't have much experience with mite out breaks, but hopefully this video will give you some insight on what to do to keep the mites from coming back in the future.

I'm sure someone will give you great advice on what to do right now until your Provent-A Mite is delivered.

Watch this video, the technique I use should help you from having another out break.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdBlrRTEEeM

If you have any questions feel free to call me at the number below or email me at fgsnakes@sbcglobal.net

Best of luck

Brian Gundy
For Goodness Snakes
408-981-6694

[bowes]

awesome thanks guys... how threatening is this to my girls? One doesnt seem to have any mites but just in case ill treat them both.

[piedlover79]

Treat them both, mites spread like wildfire!

[bowes]

also... will mites stress them out and effect their feeding? the one with the mites have refused a meal for two weeks. Shes young and i feed her every 4 days and im worried about her not taking a meal.

[bowes]

nice! i cleaned her off with some warm water... about 7 mites in the water after and she took a meal without a problem

[Doggtyred]

You might want to look at your humidity control if she is soaking before shed. I only encountered soaking behavior when I couldn't keep the humidity up in a previous enclosure.

[bowes]

the humidity is usually around 60-65%

[For Goodness Snakes]

awesome thanks guys... how threatening is this to my girls? One doesnt seem to have any mites but just in case ill treat them both.

Mites can crawl 55 feet per hour to find a host, so yeah I would assume that any reptile you have is at risk.

Brian