BP has mites. So mad at myself.

[bcr229]

There are several products that I use for mite eradication.

#1: Reptile Spray, available online from Reptile Basics. Get the gallon, especially if you plan to persist in purchasing critters from sketchy sellers. Don't spray the snake with it, instead spray a paper towel and wipe the snake with the product. You will use less product, you won't piss off your snake (mine hate getting sprayed), you can get better coverage wiping under the head/chin where the mites hide, and you can check the paper towel afterward for mites. Use it twice a week. Note the date when you stop seeing mites on the paper towels, and continue with products #2 and #3 below for 30 days after that date to make sure you're also killing off mites from any eggs that hatch out.

Until it arrives you can soak the snakes in water with a tiny drop of mild dish soap added so the mites can't float; they will sink and drown. That will give your snake some relief but it's only temporary.

#2: Permethrin-10, available at Tractor Supply, Southern States, etc. This is 10% permethrin, ten tims as strong as NIX, but an eight ounce bottle only costs $8.00 and should last for years. Mix 3 milliliters P-10 with 2 liters of water (NOTE THAT DILUTION: 3 MILLILITERS in 2 LITERS) in a clean, empty 2 liter soda bottle and you have the same dilution as 1 bottle of NIX in a gallon of water, but at a fraction of the price. Use in the same manner as the NIX/RID - spray everything (tubs, rack, hides, carpet, walls, etc) except the snake and water bowl, and allow it all to dry before putting the snake back. Keep a supply of treated paper on hand so that when your snake makes a mess you replace the soiled paper substrate with treated and dry paper.

Once mixed in water and if kept out of direct sunlight, the half-life of Permethrin is 30 days. So, if you have solution that you made up months ago from the last mite infestation, dispose of it and make a new batch. The undiluted stuff in the bottle is pretty stable.

#3: Hot Shot No-Pest Strips, widely available. Some people say cut it into pieces and put a piece in each enclosure, I've never seen the need. Remove all of the snake water bowls because the stuff has a strong affinity for water and you don't want the snake ingesting it or coming into contact with it, it is very toxic to reptiles if they ingest it. Remove it from the package and leave it in the herp room with the door closed for 24-36 hours. After that put the strip into a zip-lock bag and close it tightly, air the room out, and replace the water bowls. Repeat use weekly. DO NOT USE IF YOU HAVE T'S OR FEEDER DUBIAS/CRICKETS/ETC AS YOU WILL KILL THEM TOO!!!

Note: none of the above kill eggs; for that, you need extreme heat or cold. If you have decorations that you want to salvage, wash them and then put them into the deep freeze for a few days, or you can run them through the dishwasher.

I also took a heat gun to my rack to kill the eggs that were in any crevices, the lowest setting on mine blows air at around 180*F, which is hot enough to kill eggs but not hot enough to damage melamine or PVC. You don't want to do this if you have a cheap heat gun that only blows air at one setting, those will blow air hot enough to melt glue and plastic.