Mites...? Seriously, what the F(ocaccia) ?!!

[Oscar25]

So it been about a month with our new BP. I know I screwed up the RH and we had a bad shed the second week we had him. But we got though it thanks to this forum. And our BP ate like a champ with live mice every week since.

Then this past week he started soakin A LOT in his bowl. Not good I know. But each time I looked a swear I couldn't see any mites. But I figured it was time for a monthly cleaning so I dropped some money on mite off and Natural Chemistry reptile spray, because i figured I should have it on hand just in case.

Well I threw out all the reptile bark, treated him in Natural Chemistry, boiled his water bowl and hide, scrubbed his cage ( laminate wood and glass) and put down paper towels. I come back from dinner and my son spots some little mites on the paper towels.

Grrrrr! I am so pissed! We have no other snakes or reptiles, and haven't handled any. I did feed him last Monday and the soaking started a couple days later.

1. Could the mice be carriers?
2. How could I prevent this in the future?
3. I have PAM on order , in the meantime how often should I spray and soak with the other products?
4. Should I just wait to feed him till I'm sure all mites are gone?
5. Should I go back to the Herp shop that I get the mice? I didn't touch any snakes that day. But how did this happen?!

I am beyond frustrated.
I researched and read a great deal and was mostly concerned about BP and getting RI, but in the first month we've somehow managed to screw up two problems already.

Thanks

[WingedWolfPsion]

1. Pretty unlikely. Snake mites ignore rodents. If there was an infestation in the pet store, they are highly mobile, though, so they could have come in on anything--from a bag of bedding, to a pant leg. Wild snakes are also highly active at this time of year, so walking through an area where an infested snake has been could result in one hitching a ride. It's even possible the snake had mite eggs on it when you got it, and they've just now built up to a level where you noticed them.

2. Quarantine any new animals...but in reality, as explained above, you can't completely eliminate the risk--just be alert, and treat immediately if you ever find them.

3. Be very cautious with the other products--anything that contains toxins, including natural ones, poses a risk of poisoning the snake as well. Use carefully and according to directions.

4. If he's eating, I don't see why you shouldn't feed him, just be sure the rodents don't contact any of the treatment products.

5. See #1...I wouldn't blame the pet store without evidence, and even if you find some evidence there, what would they do about it?

[interloc]

I had a mite problem a month ago and got rid of them using NIX head lice shampoo. This is what I would recommend.

Go get some NIX shampoo and 1 gallon of distilled water. Dump the whole bottle of NIX into the water and shake till the NIX is dissolved.

Fill a small tub about the snakes thickness with warm water and 1 or 2 drops of dawn dish soap.

While he is soaking clean the tank thoroughly. Then put some NIX mix into s spray bottle and spray EVERYWHERE. Inside enclosure, outside enclosure, shelf/table the tank is on, and even the floor around it.

Take snake out and dry him/her off. Then put him back into then tank and SPRAY THE SNAKE. You can wait a bit then put the paper towels back in.

The NIX will kill the mites AND the eggs. Also you can spray it directly on the snake. PAM seems so scary to me so I went with this method. Much safer and it worked with only 1 treatment and I had 4 infected snakes. Good luck. Those buggers suck.

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