Mite question!

[Kahlua]

Ah I've been cursed! I started a thread recently wondering why my BP was spending all her time in her water dish & a few of you suggested it could be mites...she has a naturally speckled pattern so I honestly didn't see anything & thought I was in the clear.

Went to my rosy boa today & saw shes covered in black specks [very obvious on her as shes albino] & yup its mites so I'm assuming my BP does have them too! Where they came from I have no idea! Then how both snakes got them I also have no idea...my BP is kept downstairs & in a whole different room & I have always been vigilant about sanitizing my hands etc. Guess these things just happen.

Read up on how to treat them...but my question is, will my rosy be ok with me soaking her? I have heard horror stories of rosys getting sick from being soaked due to being extremely intolerant of any humidity?

Obviously if I don't she will get sick from the mites so its a lose/lose situation...I just really hope she will be ok

[jclaiborne]

I don't really know about the rosy, but the mites can hitch a ride on your clothes. So just washing your hands between handling won't necessarily stop transmitting them.

[KMG]

You don't have to soak.

I used Reptile Spray in the past with great results. If it were me I would use it as directed and not use any soaking technique if it concerns you.

Reptile Spray can be sprayed directly on the snake and kill mites fast.

Get it at Petco for $8.

[jclaiborne]

You don't have to soak.

I used Reptile Spray in the past with great results. If it were me I would use it as directed and not use any soaking technique if it concerns you.

Reptile Spray can be sprayed directly on the snake and kill mites fast.

Get it at Petco for $8.

Do you leave the reptile spray on the animal or do you rinse it after. I was told to spray it on and let sit for 20 minutes then rinse it off.

[nick654377]

i tried reptile spray 2 times and had no luck. I found best of luck with nix. I sprayed the snake and the tanks and all around on the floor and everywhere. for 2 weeks, every 3 days and worked perfectly fine. I know many will say it is not safe but no ill effects with my snakes.

[Kahlua]

Oh really? I read the info on LLL site on how to get rid of the mites...so maybe just soak my BP & only spray my rosy rather than risk soaking her.

I still need to totally empty their tanks tho right? Replace all sub & bleach all of their decor? Then do I need to buy Prevent A Mite to spray in the tank afterwards or can I just count on the mite spray? I was going to get the Natural Chemistry mite spray as recommended on the site.

[jclaiborne]

Yes you still need to clean everything out...I use both reptile spray and PAM

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[KMG]

Do you leave the reptile spray on the animal or do you rinse it after. I was told to spray it on and let sit for 20 minutes then rinse it off.

The bottle actually says you can spray directly or spray on a cloth and wipe the snake down. No need to rinse.

[Evenstar]

You don't have to soak.

I used Reptile Spray in the past with great results. If it were me I would use it as directed and not use any soaking technique if it concerns you.

Reptile Spray can be sprayed directly on the snake and kill mites fast.

Get it at Petco for $8.

This is the best option. It is much safer than anything else for your snake. And it works. If done right, it works. Completely clean out the snake's enclosure and discard all the bedding outside of the house. Put water bowls in the dishwasher and wash everything/anything else in hot soapy water. You can bake natural branches in the oven at 350 for 30min and this will kill anything on them.

Soak ALL parts, corners, crevices, etc of the enclosure with Reptile Spray by Natural Chemistry (you can buy it from Reptile Basics if you can't find it at your local store). Allow the enclosure to dry completely then replace the bedding with paper towels.

Spray your snake and wipe her down thoroughly, including her head. Allow her to "dry" in a well-ventilated area before placing her back in her enclosure. Wait a week before you feed her to monitor for any possible reactions (extremely rare) and so as not to overwhelm her system.

You may have to repeat treatment each month for 2-3 months until any eggs that are left in any other part of the house have hatched out and the life-cycle broken. This is why people get frustrated with mites and start to say a treatment doesn't work. They forget that mites will get into the carpeting and other places in the home when they lay their eggs. It can be a vicious cycle. Hang in there!!