Mites

[amg20102006]

Hi i was holding my ball python and i switched him to a different hand and saw some mites crawling on my hand that fell off of him please help and respond ASAP

[willy2.0]

relax...there is help!

here's an article i shared with someone on an earlier thread. it was written by tracy barker (VPI), and contains a lot of valuable information. although she is not a strong advocate of some of the products on the market, she provides a wealth of information about mites, their life-cycles, habits, and how to battle them properly.

http://www.vpi.com/9VPITipsAndTechs/...SnakeMites.htm

there is a product that i have read on many a forum that is supposed to work quite well. the product is called provent-a-mite and can be purchased at the following web address. someone else might be able to offer you a little bit better info on this product, but it does comes highly recommended by many reputable breeders.

http://www.pythons.com/avail.html

willy2.0

[frankykeno]

Provent-A-Mite is also available at some pet stores. I think ours retails it for $25.00 or so but it apparently lasts forever. I can't recommend it myself tho because to this point we've never had mites to deal with.


~~Jo~~

[new2BP]

same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. a quick trip to the vet and they gave me some ivermectin which took care of them mites. also cleaned everything with a water/bleach solution and i have yet to see them sense. i would have used prevent a mite but could not find any such thing for sale in my city and didnt want to wait for it to be shipped over to canada.

[Lady Python]

My rescue BP has mites too. I live in England, UK and our reptile vet recommended Frontline (yes the Frontline flea spray you get for cats and dogs).

We can't get Provent-a-Mite here although I've sent to the States to try and get it (hopefully it'll get through Customs).

What the vet told me to do with the Frontline was wear a pair or rubber gloves, spray the gloves and gently stroke the snake, over it's back, under it's belly, right down to it's tail but avoid the eyes and mouth. I avoided the head altogether. While the snake is out of the viv, thoroughly clean the viv and all accessories (even the artificial leaves and plants, hides etc). I used a Polti Steam Gun which pumps out steam at 300 deg F, then spray the inside of the viv with Frontline, leave the doors open and let it dry thoroughly so there's no fumes left before returning the snakes and their accessories back into their viv. Also remove their normal sized drinking water bowl and replace it with a small one so they can't sit in it. If they sit in their water bowl, then drink from it after they've been Frontlined, they can get poisoned by the tainted water, so just use a small bowl. I'm using a small ramekin dish so the snake can't sit in it but they can drink from it OK.

Then repeat the whole process 14 days after the first - this is to kill any mites that may have hatched out in that time as Frontline will kill the mites but not any eggs they've laid.

I would also say, if anyone is going to use Frontline in the States, please check the ingredients as they may differ slightly to ours in the UK. There could be an ingredient used in the USA version of Frontline that could be harmful to snakes. We are governed by EEC regulations (which suck at the best of times) so there could be a variance. It would also be wise the check if you can use it with a reputable reptile vet.

Hope this helps.

[willy2.0]

be aware of one fact, follow up treatment of mites ia an absolute necessity! there are 5 stages to the mites life-cycle and often eggs are produced outside of the cage area.


getting rid of the mites present on your snake, and the visible signs of these nasty critters is often only the first step in getting rid of mites altogether. you may find that they will creep back into your cage area given a little time. it is well worth the effort to read the article written by tracy barker as well as any other information you might be able to dig up on the net.

and yes, it is always important to read all labels and directions carefully before using any products that may come in contact with your animals. mites suck (for pet owners and the animals), and people who sell animals that are infested with mites should have their finger-nails pulled out with a pair pliers!

informatively yours,

willy2.0

[rabernet]

Willy,

Great article, thanks! If you read my pet store rant in General yesterday, that same place told me when I informed them that they had mites "Oh, everyone gets mites, all homes have mites in them, so it's natural that your snake will get them some time". The things that come out of their mouth continue to amaze me. AND, I saw the mites after they were showing me this "great product" that they use in all their enclosures to prevent mites. Were a little embarrassed when I said "obviously doesn't look like it works too well, check out these mites on your baby balls".

GRRRR!

[amg20102006]

well i did the soulution of 1 cc of ivermectin to 1 quart of water and spray it in the cage and on the snake and i did so i am letting it dry to put his water bowl back in i also baked the woodchips he is on i will spray again 4 days.

[Lady Python]

Yes, it needs to be followed up - one treatment is not enough to bump off the little horrors. They must be so irritating to the poor snake and even more so if you've got an itch and can't scratch it


Since I treated the snake and his viv with Frontline, I've only seen two live (just) mites. On looking at one under a magnifying glass, it was obviously on it's way out - it was falling over it's own feet. I helped it on its way. I squished it - and same with its pal.

I got my rescue Ball from a rescue centre. As soon as I discovered he had mites, I phoned them and told them. It wasn't a heavy infestation - there wasn't that many that I could see, but enough to treat the problem immediately and hopefully nip it in the bud before the little 'bs' spread.

[lars5277]

Can you see mites with the naked eye, or do you need a magnifying glass?