How serious of a problem are mites to a snakes health?

[EvesFriend]

My snake has a couple of mites. Usually I will spray with Mite Off and bathe and won't see them again for a few weeks. I know everyone says use Prevent-A-Mite but that's not what this post is about.


How detrimental to a snakes HEALTH are mites?

[Tyler_Royality]

Mites themselves are mostly a nuisance, but the deseases they can carry from host to host are the real danger. ex. IBD

EDIT: just wanted to add that if the case is sever enough, mites can cause alot of stress to the animal, which can also lead to easier cases of infection. never seen it happen before but ive heard of mite infestations causing eye infections and such.

[irishanaconda]

they can also dehydrate ur snake and cause it not to eat or drink.... it is a very serious deal!

[EvesFriend]

Well than whht should I do? PAM is out of the question for now.

[cinderbird]

Well than whht should I do? PAM is out of the question for now.

why is PAM out of the question? its the single best product out there to treat and eradicate mites.

do you live in NY state?

I voted "very serious" my rationale being: these are our captive animals. Any ailment they have is OUR responsibility to fix. Mites can cause stress and anemia which can lead to other worse conditions. I wouldn't leave my cats with a flea or two because "they aren't doing a lot of damage." And i take snake mites just as seriously. and i have had a case. I got a bitty honduran milk snake that had the worst case of mites i've ever seen. Soaked her (in a tub with some water and a drop of dish soap) and PAM'd her enclosure. Within a minute of putting her in there 80% of the mites were dead. Within an hour 100% of the mites i saw were gone. I never saw another mite again.

That 16.00 can of pam is one of the single greatest things in my snake tool kit. worth its weight in gold.

[EvesFriend]

why is PAM out of the question? its the single best product out there to treat and eradicate mites.

do you live in NY state?

Because I cannot order it online.

[cinderbird]

Because I cannot order it online.

ah. Is it possible to ask a friend or relative or order it with their card and pay them in cash? I've done that before i had my debit card.

Oh or if there are any reptile shows around you, you can often find it there.

[angllady2]

I have to tell you, mites are VERY serious.

I bought a baby ball from a pet shop { bad mistake I know }, and she was infested with mites. I treated her every few days with the spray they sell.

We had to leave town for a week, and when we returned the mites were so bad, I removed her hide and climbing branch, so I could treat her and her tank again. I left the branch out overnight, and apparently that is where the mites were hiding at night because the next morning she was dead in the bottom of her tank and positively crawling with mites, you could see them moving over her poor little body.

This was the dead of winter, so her tank promptly went outside to freeze everything in it, and for a wonder my other snakes never got them.

But yes, given the right circumstances, mites are very dangerous. If you have any small mom & pop type pet shops nearby, they might be willing to order PAM for you. Just a thought.

Gale

[Kaorte]

Because I cannot order it online.

If you can't order online then try hitting up a specialty reptile store or a reptile show, they will sometimes have it there.

Also, the product for getting rid of head lice "Nix" can also be used although I am not sure how to apply it to the cage safely as it lacks the instructions to treat a reptile enclosure.

This product should be able to be bought in most drug stores.

[J.Vandegrift]

You could use the equate bedding spray from walmart as well. It may not be the exact same thing as PAM but it's pretty close and won't harm your snake as long as you let it dry totally before putting the snake back in the cage. I have never had mites on my snakes, but my rats did have mites at one time. The equate worked well and I think it was only about $3 a can.