Mites care and Correction

[Obscurus28]

This thread is going to tell you what mites are, what they do to your snake, and what you can do to prevent/ help your friend in need.

Identifying The Problem
To start off, the first step to solving a problem is identifying the problem. This is what mites on a snake look like. Mites are usually found on and under a snake’s scales, on the rims of the eyes, or around the vent.

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You will be able to notice the mites on your snake fairly quickly. These mites are small and look like a pencil dot. Also if you are to watch long enough you will see that they move.

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What Mites Are
Once you have identified that your snake (and its enclosure) is infested with mites, It is time to take action. Before we get to that, let me explain what Mites are. Mites are small parasite creature that sucks the blood from your snakes body. This is how they feed, thus giving them the ability to reproduce. And these little buggers multiply like wildfire spreads... that means fast. Here is a photo of one of the little devils zoomed 400x.

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Mites suck the blood from there prey, as most parasites do. this can cause your snake to become anemic. Being anemic means that your bloodstream has a reduced number of red blood cells. In turn, this reduces the amount of oxygen carried in the bloodstream. Which is needed for life. Also, Mites are thought to be transmitters of other harmful diseases.

What You Can Do
So, now that you know what mites are, and what they can do to your snake, Now is the time to learn what YOU can do about it. The first step you need to do is called Quarantine. This is of major importance if you are a keeper of multiple snakes and/or other reptiles. There is a substance called Provent-a-Mite. This is the second thing you must do. Purchase it. on this website, Pro-Products, http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59 it is a little less than 20$. The can looks like this

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Ok, Now that you have the Provent-a-Mite, i will now provide a list of steps in what you should do.

Steps For Disinfecting
1. Remove your snake from the enclosure.
2. Soak the snake in a container with a lid while you work.
3. Remove any hides, wood, water dish, and any other tank decor.
4. THROW AWAY your current bedding, it isnt worth it.

Okay, you should now have an empty bin or tank.

5. Thoroughly clean your tank/bin using a small amout of dawn and hot water.
6. Thoroughly DRY your tank/bin.
7. In a bowl prepare a Hot Water and dawn soap solution and clean/soak your snake decor.
8. Follow and complete the instructions in using the Provent-a-Mite.
9. Replace the substrate using PAPER TOWELS!
10. Put the decor and snake back in the enclosure (after fully drying said snake.

Now, you should have a nice, clean tank and snake. In a couple of days, check your snake and tank again. If those pesky mites somehow survived. they will be easier to be spotted since you used paper towels. They will look like this.
THIS IS A PICTURE I GOT FROM BP.NET FROM A POST MADE BY FRAGGINDRAGON ON AUGUST 18

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If they persisted, Keep up with the Provent-a-Mite instructions and replace steps 5 and 7 with a 50 percent alcohol and hot water solution. (just be sure to rinse really well. If you keep up with these steps and follow them and be aware the mites will go away. It has worked for many and it has worked for me.

Best of Luck - Mike