Oh noes! I found a mite!

[CruelHerbie]

So.. super pissed, mostly at myself for letting this happen.

But when I pulled Herbie out today to look him over and give him a dose of his weekly love, I noted a small black fella roaming around on my hand after putting him back. We had a few issues with mites awhile ago with him, but after months of paper towels, PAM encounters, we thought that the mite issue was a thing of the past. We currently have four enclosures stacked. I do not believe that the others are having mite issues also, but I want to make sure. So I'll be taking all of the aspen out, cleaning the cage, and then going paper towel for awhile again.

My questions are these..

Is it possible to remove the aspen and then bake it at 350 for say thirty minutes so that I can re-use it, or is it best to just get new stuff?

Also, what is the best method for cleaning the enclosure? Should I PAM the inside then wipe it out, or is there a stronger cleaner that I should be using for that?

Why does my dog insist on licking his bum? Its freaking me out..

I think that I caught them early this time, although they probably never fully left him.. I hate that crap.

[CruelHerbie]

I found a thread that covered almost everything.. Sorry for the waste, you can delete this thread at will.

Thanks

[Toronto Python Gurus]

post the link u found here so people can find it in the future if they stumble upon this thread!

[FatBoy]

Just wanted to share....Throw the aspen away, and PAM is not a cleaner. You need to clean the tub, put it back together then spray with pam. The pam will dry an stay in the tub, that is what kills any future hatched mites.

[CruelHerbie]

Just wanted to share....Throw the aspen away, and PAM is not a cleaner. You need to clean the tub, put it back together then spray with pam. The pam will dry an stay in the tub, that is what kills any future hatched mites.

I was wondering if there was a recommended cleaner that I should be using. I read in the other thread bleach, if thats not recommended then please let me know before I do it!

[JeffJ]

antibacterial Dawn dish soap is a good one. or a cap full of bleach diluted in some water.

i also use an all natural antibiotic all purpose cleaner.

[CruelHerbie]

Alright thanks y'all.

Heres the link to the other thread.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70462

[FatBoy]

I clean with water/bleach...10:1

[JeffJ]

I clean with water/bleach...10:1

as a rule of thumb if you can smell the bleach with out sticking ur face to it then its not diluted enough thats the way i do it

[Toronto Python Gurus]

most effective way IMO:
1. bleach the tanks/enclosures (not too much bleach)
2. while cleanin tanks place snakes in bath tub and let them soak for about 30 mins to drown the mites make sure the water is no hotter than 85F with a drop off soap(ivory works best and is ok to use on snakes)
3. after you clean the tanks give them a spray with PAM, the bleach should kill most if not all mites but its just some insurance!
4. while the tanks/enclosures are drying take the snakes out one by one to dry them off with a clean towel and to inspect them for any remainin mites . . . i use tiny tiny tweazers to "pick" mites out from under scales and out of the heat pits . . . this takes some skill as snakes dont like to sit still while you pick at them just be careful not to hurt the snake
5. switch to newspaper if you dont already use it as substrate just until u get rid of the problem if you dont like using newspaper, i find that it is easier to spot mites and they have less places to hide
6. place the snakes back in the tank/enclosure and keep your eye out for more mites, mites are nasty lil guys and can sometimes be stubborn to get rid of

the followin steps are what i follow and im not sayin do it or else, just tryin to help and let you and everyone else what worked for me when i used to rescue snakes

hope this helps and good luck!