Dawn mite treatment

[blueberrypancakes]

Giving Jackson the Dawn mite treatment after dinner tonight. How do I do it? Just a drop? swimmy style or just high enough to cover his body? closed container? (waiting for my PAM, btw, not just trying to home remedy...) I can see the little bugs on him now, and it's just miserable! I HATE them!
Also, I can still see a big lump in his belly from his meal on Friday. Do you think he's having trouble digesting form being in his water dish? Should I wait to treat until the lump is no longer visible? Thanks sooo much, yall are all such a blessing! It's wonderful to have such easily acsessible experienced advice.

[J.Vandegrift]

Why not just get some equate bedding spay? It's about 3 dollars and works great. Mites die almost immediately. Use it just like you would use PAM.

[Eric Doane]

The equate stuff is not safe. There is another thread on here explaining why.

[llovelace]

I have used equate in a pinch, with no ill effects to the animal. When preparing to soak your animal, just add 2-3 drops of the dawn, let it soak 30 minutes.

[matt y]

I say just use the PAM. I used it with a pretty tough mite problem and it was gone just like that. No second treatment or anything. It also goes a VERY long way, I still have a full bottle so I'm guessing it'll last years. While I waited on my PAM to get here I just put arnold in the tub to drown them. I didn't use any Dawn or anything, I don't think it does anything except drown the mites.

[Skittles1101]

Ummmm..

Here is the thread on why we use PAM and NOT lice treatments.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hlight=provent

[Kara]

Dawn (or almost any other soap) is a remedy to use in conjunction with your chosen method for treating mites. You must treat the snake, yes, but you must also treat the cage, the cage furniture (hides, water bowls, etc), as well the area around the cage, in addition to any other snakes/cages in the vicinity.

Mites can travel very quickly - up to 50 feet in an hour, so this is the "space" you need to think in terms of when treating them. Using a spray like Provent-A-Mite for treating the cage & surroundings works well. You should also vacuum the room thoroughly to get any wanderers. Wash hides & water bowls in a solution of hot water (110 degrees+) & bleach, to a 10% dilution.

Back to the Dawn, the purpose of using this is to break the surface tension of the water so that mites drown much faster. In plain, untreated water, it is much easier for mites to cling to a soaking snake, to burrow under a scale & escape from drowning. You only needs a couple of teaspoons of whatever you choose to use - just enough to make the water somewhat sudsy, but it doesn't need to have tons & tons of bubbles. The water in which you soak your snake doesn't need to be deep - one-third to one-half way up the animal's sides is sufficient. You should leave your snake soaking for several hours, even over night, so you definitely don't want to make him swim. Also, ensure that the water is warm (80-82 degrees is fine) and will remain so for the duration of the time you are soaking him. Additionally, take care that your snake is already well-hydrated prior to soaking him in a mix of soapy water, so that he isn't prone to ingesting it. If he does, it shouldn't hurt him, but could make him very bloated/gassy for a while. Since mites can severely dehydrate a snake, you may want to consider soaking him in plain water for a couple of hours so he has a chance to hydrate, prior to adding the soap.

Keep in mind that the life cycle of the mite is approximately 20-40 days. I recommend treating for a minimum of 90 days to ensure that all the mites are eradicated from your collection. They are quite adept at sneaking back, especially after just one treatment, so staying the distance & being vigilant about treatment is extremely necessary.

Good luck!

K~

[blueberrypancakes]

ok, just to clarify- I am NOT going to use lice treatment on my REPTILE, that just doesn't sound quite right. At the recommendation of several people on this site I am going to use the Dawn treatment for temporary relief until the PAM gets here, my poor bud is visibly irritated and I want him to be comfortable- thats why I decided to use the Dawn, not just for cheap and quick and easy treatment. I have cleaned his tank out several times since I noticed the mites on Thursday. And I cleaned it well, with bleach. There's a really good chance I'm doing it wrong, I am inexperienced, but that's why I ordered the PAM- it comes highly recommended as proven treatment.

[blueberrypancakes]

thanks Kara! Now, the Dawn won't hurt him if he accidentally ingests some of it? He's been soaking all day for two days now, and I've seen him drinking during that time. I am going to soak him in plain water first, though. Whats a good way to make sure the water stays warm?

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Ok just to clarify... Lice the lice spray they are talking about is the exact same ingredient, in the exact same percentage, as PAM..

Go ahead. Read through the thread where the person who created PAM speaks about the differences. Draw your own conclusions.

I'm sorry but the same place manufactures these products and puts them in different cans. Of course PAM supposedly was proven to last on surfaces longer. Longer residual effects. Kills longer then the NIX, equate, or Walgreens lice spray. Ok. And?

I'm just saying, I will still use nix for preventative treatment around borders of cages, floors, walls, etc. Because it works so damn well, it's the same active ingredient with less "sticky" additives, and costs a lot less.

I make this argument only for those who say things like I will NOT use something, before they have any idea why people are even recommending it. In fact, I was going to tell the OP to get some and while waiting for the PAM, use it around the snakes cage and floors to prevent the mites from getting everywhere in the house. It's more than safe and very effective this way.

That's like the member that freaked out and said pine is poison! Get all the facts, read up on it, draw your own conclusions.