Mites :(

[redshepherd]

Please forgive my skepticism, but how SAFE is Fipronil on snakes? They are very different, cold-blooded & typically much smaller than the dogs & cats for which
this product (Frontline spray for fleas & ticks on dogs & cats) was made. Just because an animal survives a treatment does not necessarily mean that it will not
become sick in 6 mos or a year with cancer or other related disease process...how long has this been used on snakes that have survived long-term? This is the
first time I've heard of anyone using Frontline spray on snakes.

I googled "fipronil on reptiles" and it's been tested on snakes since at least 2005 with 0.25% fipronil. I didn't find any extensive research on 0.25% fipronil, but the conclusions overall are it can be used on snakes with acceptable safety level and is a known treatment.

[Bogertophis]

I'm glad to know that...I haven't had a snake with mites in several decades (& only 2, ever) so I must admit I didn't search for the latest fipronil uses.

FWIW, I'm not a fan of pesticides in general...I do organic gardening & the only pesticide I own is wasp spray for when they nest in my gate & gang up on
me when I try to enter or leave. I don't even use pesticide when ants invade...I use less toxic ways to persuade them to go elsewhere. (-it takes some time
but they do learn) 'Cause really, all this stuff ends up doing collateral damage to the web of life, leaching into ground water, & coming back to 'bite us'.

[SDA]

Stop trying to use internet remedies on snakes. Use what is recommended, follow the instructions and so long as you don't have resistant mites then you are good. Mites do not survive water baths so you can soak your snakes to get adults and nymphs off and provent-a-mite and natural chemistry to treat the enclosure and the snake itself.

Don't use olive oil or crisco or topical flea treatment for dogs or RID. You wouldn't put frontline on yourself to prevent fleas so don't use it on your snake for mites.

Realize no one here is a qualified herpetologist or exotic vet so when in doubt, ignore the internet and refer to people who's job it is to treat your animals.

[Spechal]

I feel your pain. I purchased my Red Tail Boa and fortunately, someone contacted me within an hour to let me know it and another snake had mites. I've been using plastic tubs as homes for now and use fresh cheap aspen bedding (she likes to burrow) every 2-3 days as well as a bit of Natural Chemistry. I spray the plastic tubs with fairly powerful germ killers (like Lysol) and wash them repeatedly before reuse. It's been a couple of weeks now and I can no longer find mites on her when I let her run through my hands (rubbing off the NC spray and mites). However, I occasionally find a dead mite in the bedding and will continue this until I feel there are none possibly left. She will stay in quarantine and get fresh bedding for a bit after I stop with the spray to make sure none were left behind.

Hopefully it helps keep your spirits up and your mite problem goes away. This is also my first experience with them, so if I am doing something wrong, I would like to know too. I was told to keep up this process for 90 days, but it feels excessive (90 days) based on research.

[redshepherd]

Stop trying to use internet remedies on snakes. Use what is recommended, follow the instructions and so long as you don't have resistant mites then you are good. Mites do not survive water baths so you can soak your snakes to get adults and nymphs off and provent-a-mite and natural chemistry to treat the enclosure and the snake itself.

Don't use olive oil or crisco or topical flea treatment for dogs or RID. You wouldn't put frontline on yourself to prevent fleas so don't use it on your snake for mites.

Realize no one here is a qualified herpetologist or exotic vet so when in doubt, ignore the internet and refer to people who's job it is to treat your animals.

Sometimes the internet has something called studies, performed for veterinary info.

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/...767&id=3854376

The internet also includes this forum, which is shared knowledge and discussion from experienced keepers and breeders. I'm sure you learned a lot about husbandry and remedies from the internet yourself.

Vets are obviously a must for illness, but when it's something as straightforward as mites, known remedies are commonly shared online.

Using "I wouldn't use it on myself" also isn't scientific, because we are not reptiles.

[Alter-Echo]

I'd personally never use Pam or frontline with snakes, I've heard of many "sudden deaths" occurring during use. I highly suspect that certain species of snake have a lower tolerance to them than others, but I've had success in treating mites without them, so i dont take that risk.

[Bogertophis]

I'd personally never use Pam or frontline with snakes, I've heard of many "sudden deaths" occurring during use. I highly suspect that certain species of snake have a lower tolerance to them than others, but I've had success in treating mites without them, so i dont take that risk.

And the first goal of medical treatment is "first, do no harm". I'm with you, Alter-Echo.

[WhompingWillow]

I'd personally never use Pam or frontline with snakes, I've heard of many "sudden deaths" occurring during use. I highly suspect that certain species of snake have a lower tolerance to them than others, but I've had success in treating mites without them, so i dont take that risk.

Not even PAM just in the enclosure? We're obviously not using it on Clark, just his cage. I thought PAM was kind of a gold standard for eradicating mites in habitats? I'm still new at all of this and definitely don't want to endanger any of our snakes...

[WhompingWillow]

Stop trying to use internet remedies on snakes. Use what is recommended, follow the instructions and so long as you don't have resistant mites then you are good. Mites do not survive water baths so you can soak your snakes to get adults and nymphs off and provent-a-mite and natural chemistry to treat the enclosure and the snake itself.

Don't use olive oil or crisco or topical flea treatment for dogs or RID. You wouldn't put frontline on yourself to prevent fleas so don't use it on your snake for mites.

Realize no one here is a qualified herpetologist or exotic vet so when in doubt, ignore the internet and refer to people who's job it is to treat your animals.

I'm not sure if this was directed at me, but by PAM I mean Provent-a-Mite, not the aerosol baking spray...

[MissterDog]

I'd personally never use Pam or frontline with snakes, I've heard of many "sudden deaths" occurring during use. I highly suspect that certain species of snake have a lower tolerance to them than others, but I've had success in treating mites without them, so i dont take that risk.

If there has been reports of sudden death it makes me wonder if instructions were not followed properly? Out of curiosity do you have any links to these incidents we could look at to better access the situation?