mites update + a few mite-related questions

[tttaylorrr]

guess who got mites with her new Pastel Bamboo addition?! me!!!

so i held that Pastel Bamboo for almost 10 minutes when i saw this breeder was at this show (we had been talking through MM) and id like to think i would have seen these mites beforehand given the size of them once they were discovered. however, after contacting both breeders IMMEDIATELY upon the discovery, and just thinking in general, i have two theories:

1. the breeder i got the B.Pastel from said there was one particular booth that had very questionable animals.

2. the Bamboo breeder's son was there and handling aaaaall daddy's snakes and even walking around the entire show with one of them. the son also handled the Bamboo before i made the purchase. i can guess he made a perfectly unhygienic vector for those icky mites.

im leaning heavily towards the latter theory.

anyway, it was like the next day or so when i went to check on the QT babies when i noticed the Pastel Bamboo had a perfect shed; yay! then i notice little specks on the paper towel, and then they moved. boo.

honestly i didn't react like i always imagined i would: crying and being angry (my go-to emotion for any distress LOL); instead i just started laughing and just kinda got to work. ive been reading about mites and mite prevention for over 5 years, and now it was time to put that knowledge to work.




SIDENOTE: i do not blame the breeder. we talked extensively at the show about the importance of quarantine and proper care of mites, and he even explained how to use the Provent-a-Mite to me. i do, however, blame the show for shoving so many vendors into such a small building; even Tinley has adequate space for all booths, but i digress.

so coincidentally i bought my first can of Provent-a-Mite (referred to as PAM from henceforth) at this show, so i was able to start the extermination right away: i immediately picked every mite off the paper towel (about 5?) and tossed them into the toilet and tossed the paper towel in the downstairs garbage bin (0 snakes on that floor). i did the same for the B.Pastel but thus far it seems they hadn't gotten to her yet. then i had to evacuate both QT snakes from the room to spray PAM on freaking EVERYTHING, and let the vapors dissipate. then you just put everything back together. as i put the snakes back in, i was able to pick off two more mites from the Bamboo (one under his scales and one in his lil butt ): ).

i came back on here and got some great help from a couple users, and i ended up going out to buy Frontline spray the next day (40min round trip lol) to treat the snakes directly, as PAM only treats the bins.

both snakes hated the Frontline treatment (its alcohol-based, which they dont like the smell of i think), but the B.Pastel was easily the most stressed by all the movement from the past couple days.

the day after the Frontline treatment, i went to replace their water dishes (must remove them for 24hrs after Frontline application so it doesn't get into their water before drying down) and was shocked to see a couple dead mites on the paper towel, but they might have been molts? im not too sure. anyway they were removed from the enclosure and flushed.

so as of now it has been two weeks and two Frontline applications later, and another PAM treatment coming up. i have not seen a mite since, and thankfully the B.Pastel has seemed to avoid it entirely despite being housed next to one another. the Frontline spray is honestly a miracle!!!

however, this is where the real work starts with mite prevention: diligence!!! just because they're out of sight means NOTHING when you are aware of their life cycle and how these little...PESTS work. i have a minimum of another month of this.

so now i have questions:

preface: this B.Pastel has not eaten for me yet, and is ~80g tiny and sOoOo fiesty. i know she's a good eater (personality alone, but breeder said so as well) so i can only assume she is stressed to the nth degree about all this and possibly needs more tailored husbandry to accommodate her needs.

question: should i withhold on the PAM treatment for a few days to try and offer her a meal? or should i focus on my mite issue? should i worry about her not having a meal yet? she is currently in a 12qt, but would it be worth it to try and move her to a 6qt? would that just compound the stress?

it's been a long while since ive had a baby i couldn't get to eat, and with mites i feel a bit lost.

any input is so much appreciated. <3