Yup, he has mites

[Traceur]

Alright. I checked my ball pythons water bowl and I saw a few specs here and there. There were a few. He was in and out of his water bowl all morning. Today is his feeding day.
What should I do right now? Should I empty out his terrarium? When should I use the reptile spray? If I put the reptile spray on him, when should I put his water dish back?
I've been hearing to use paper towels as substrate, but I don't have any at the moment. Would unfolded napkins do?

The reason I ask so many questions is because it's his feeding day today. I will feed him later on tonight. Will this affect his feeding?

What should I start with first guys??

[redshepherd]

If he is larger than say 300g and can take the missed meal, I would just skip the feeding and treat the mites first. I'd personally buy a small sterilite tub to keep him in for a few weeks while your other enclosure is treated.

Reptile spray is only used on the snake to wipe off the current mites on the spot, but it doesn't last, so it's a bit useless.

You want to buy PAM (provent-a-mite) and follow the instructions to spray the enclosure, the decorations, outside the enclosure, etc. and let it air dry for 2 days or whenever everything is 100% dry... PAM is deadly to snakes and can kill him if he touches the PAM when wet, so you must keep him in the spare tub in a different room.

I personally did this when I got mites, I bought Frontline spray (the kind used for dogs and cats) and you spray your hands and wipe it down on your snake from head to tail, especially on the vent and eyes where mites tend to collect. Then I kept him in the tub to treat and observe for mites for a month.

My tub just had a pre PAM-treated paper towel (spray down a paper towel with PAM and let it air dry for a day before using it with the snake) and a hide. Heat pad and thermostat. Just a small setup.

Don't give him a water bowl until 2 days after you used PAM or frontline!

[Traceur]

If he is larger than say 300g and can take the missed meal, I would just skip the feeding and treat the mites first. I'd personally buy a small sterilite tub to keep him in for a few weeks while your other enclosure is treated.

Reptile spray is only used on the snake to wipe off the current mites on the spot, but it doesn't last, so it's a bit useless.

You want to buy PAM (provent-a-mite) and follow the instructions to spray the enclosure, the decorations, outside the enclosure, etc. and let it air dry for 2 days or whenever everything is 100% dry... PAM is deadly to snakes and can kill him if he touches the PAM when wet, so you must keep him in the spare tub in a different room.

I personally did this when I got mites, I bought Frontline spray (the kind used for dogs and cats) and you spray your hands and wipe it down on your snake from head to tail, especially on the vent and eyes where mites tend to collect. Then I kept him in the tub to treat and observe for mites for a month.

My tub just had a pre PAM-treated paper towel (spray down a paper towel with PAM and let it air dry for a day before using it with the snake), water bowl, and a hide. Heat pad and thermostat. Just a small setup.

He's a baby. He didn't eat last week. It sucks because I won't be able to head out anymore today (don't have my car at the moment), so reptile spray is the only thing I have at the moment. However, I do have a separate plastic tub that was supposed to be his feeding tub. So I have that

[Bogertophis]

What I'd do first: I'd wait to feed him if at all possible (he's not starved, is he? we aren't seeing him...) BECAUSE the handling you'll be doing to get rid
of mites may cause him to barf up any food you give him right now anyway. He'll be a little stressed but he can live without a meal or two, whereas if
you don't treat the mites, they CAN kill him. OK? Mites need to be dealt with A.S.A.P.

Get rid of his cage decor (sorry but mites can survive there & get right back on)...it's toast. White paper towels (or napkins) only are best so you can see
the mites...and they can HIDE in other substrates. Thoroughly clean his cage before you put him back in (after his bath>>>).

Soapy water (mild soap like Ivory for dishes) will drown most of the mites on his body, but you MUST* supervise him for 20 minutes or so, slightly warm
water & not too deep (no deeper than his body thickness). Mites on his face will survive though, you cannot soak his head (!) but try to wipe his face at
least to get any that you can. Then gently dry him off & return him to his cleaned cage. (*Make sure he doesn't drink any soapy water*)

You can (& should, IMO) bathe him daily while you wait for "PAM" (that's "Provent-a-Mite" spray) to arrive. You'll have to order it, I'm sure, so don't wait.

When you get the 'PAM' follow instructions exactly...it can be toxic (even fatal) if used incorrectly...but many here have used it successfully...read some
threads on "how-to" while waiting for yours to arrive.

I'd personally not use Frontline on a snake, esp. not on a baby...easy to get too much & it's NOT designed for snakes. I would not risk it.

Can't comment on your reptile spray, no idea what's in it or the directions.

sorry you have to deal with this....mites suck!

[Traceur]

What I'd do first: I'd wait to feed him if at all possible (he's not starved, is he? we aren't seeing him...) BECAUSE the handling you'll be doing to get rid
of mites may cause him to barf up any food you give him right now anyway. He'll be a little stressed but he can live without a meal or two, whereas if
you don't treat the mites, they CAN kill him. OK? Mites need to be dealt with A.S.A.P.

Get rid of his cage decor (sorry but mites can survive there & get right back on)...it's toast. White paper towels (or napkins) only are best so you can see
the mites...and they can HIDE in other substrates. Thoroughly clean his cage before you put him back in (after his bath>>>).

Soapy water (mild soap like Ivory for dishes) will drown most of the mites on his body, but you MUST* supervise him for 20 minutes or so, slightly warm
water & not too deep (no deeper than his body thickness). Mites on his face will survive though, you cannot soak his head (!) but try to wipe his face at
least to get any that you can. Then gently dry him off & return him to his cleaned cage. (*Make sure he doesn't drink any soapy water*)

You can (& should, IMO) bathe him daily while you wait for "PAM" (that's "Provent-a-Mite" spray) to arrive. You'll have to order it, I'm sure, so don't wait.

When you get the 'PAM' follow instructions exactly...it can be toxic (even fatal) if used incorrectly...but many here have used it successfully...read some
threads on "how-to" while waiting for yours to arrive.

I'd personally not use Frontline on a snake, esp. not on a baby...easy to get too much & it's NOT designed for snakes. I would not risk it.

Can't comment on your reptile spray, no idea what's in it or the directions.

sorry you have to deal with this....mites suck!

The reptile spray does say it kills mites. And I looked into it. People have said they do kill mites but they don't prevent future outbreaks. I'm able to use it directly on the reptile, and on terrariums. Just can't use it on eyes, and facial areas

[Coluber42]

Paper napkins are fine. The point is just that it's white, dry, clean, and disposable. There are various articles online about dealing with mites. Here are a couple:

https://www.lllreptile.com/articles/...h-snake-mites/
http://vpi.com/publications/the_life...of_snake_mites

Also, while you clean and sanitize everything in your snake's enclosure, do the same to everything around the enclosure as well that your snake or any furnishings might have touched. If you set your snake down on the bed or the floor while handling or whatever, clean those surfaces too. At the very least, treat anything your snake or his decor might have touched as a source for possible re-infection for awhile. Also, let the breeder know about the mites, as well as any pet store you bought supplies from. You don't know for sure where they came from, but either of those parties should want to know about it ASAP if they have a potential mite problem.

Ugh, good luck in dealing with this!

[Traceur]

Paper napkins are fine. The point is just that it's white, dry, clean, and disposable. There are various articles online about dealing with mites. Here are a couple:

https://www.lllreptile.com/articles/...h-snake-mites/
http://vpi.com/publications/the_life...of_snake_mites

Also, while you clean and sanitize everything in your snake's enclosure, do the same to everything around the enclosure as well that your snake or any furnishings might have touched. If you set your snake down on the bed or the floor while handling or whatever, clean those surfaces too. At the very least, treat anything your snake or his decor might have touched as a source for possible re-infection for awhile. Also, let the breeder know about the mites, as well as any pet store you bought supplies from. You don't know for sure where they came from, but either of those parties should want to know about it ASAP if they have a potential mite problem.

Ugh, good luck in dealing with this!

Sweet, thanks for the advice!