In the Meantime Question

[BuddhaLuv]

Okay so after 2 days of soaking I have discovered that Tanveer has mites. The evidence were the little tiny black bugs in the water bowl. I ordered PAM today but am guessing it will be a few days before it arrives. Also I read some past threads about how to clean out his tank when it arrives etc..

1. Is there anything I can/should do for him in the meantime until the PAM gets here?

2. Is this most likely why we are going on 3 days of soaking during the day?

3. Could this attribute to him not eating the past couple months?

Thanks a bunch for your input!!!

[Boanerges]

Luckily I have not had to deal with mites yet. But if it were me I would soak him to help rid some of the mites already on him and bleach all his stuff (cage, hides, water bowels etc) until the pam gets there and do it all over again once the pam gets there. You will not kill the eggs I don't think without the pam but you could make him more comfortable by getting rid of as many mites as possible until you get the pam
1.) answered this
2.) definately
3.) I would guess yes, if he is older it could also be because of the breeding season...

I should mention again that I have not encountered mites yet so this is just what I would do and my opinions. Someone who has delt with them before could definately help you better then me

[Neal]

I believe that bleach will kill the eggs, if you bleach the tank and such. Bleach the tank, hides, water bowl, throw the substrate away, just make sure you rinse all the bleach off.

[Kaorte]

Just clean the tank and put the snake on paper towels. He will survive 3 days with the mites. Just might be a bit uncomfortable.

[mrshawt]

Reptile Relief is sold at Petco and Petsmart and gives immediate relief to the snake. It will kill the mites that are currently on its body, but it shouldn't be used in place on PAM.

If you're willing to shell out a couple extra bucks, it might be nice to have.

[Neal]

If you're sure it's going to be in 3 days then it's really no big deal, but the local petsmart/petco or even regular pet store should have other stuff. They have a product called Reptile Relief by Natural Industries I believe, and it works great. I've had to use it once before and I sprayed it on paper towels then rubbed the snake down, and the mites died in a matter of a few seconds.

[Halloween]

when I first got my snake he didn't have mites...so does the snakes get mites from live mice or rats? my snake is mite free since i have went to frozen mice.

[Boanerges]

That was good thinking about keeping them on paper towls Kaorte . I use newspaper a totally forgot that a lot of people use some type of substrate to keep their ball pythons on...

[Neal]

A number of things can cause your snake to get mites. Not cleaning the cage properly is probably one of the biggest ones, another is bringing in a new snake and not qt'n it.

[Kaorte]

when I first got my snake he didn't have mites...so does the snakes get mites from live mice or rats? my snake is mite free since i have went to frozen mice.

No, snake mites are snake specific.