Help with mites!!!!

[alilshadee]

We got 2 new snakes last weekend at an expo. One has been soaking all week. We were suspecting maybe mites but we didn't see anything on him or in his water. Last night we stuck him in a box for feeding and we saw a little black bug in it after we removed him. We are assuming this is a mite and we found some stuff online to put on the snake and we know we have to change out the susstrate. What else should I do to make sure they are gone for good??? We have 2 other snakes nearby and cats and dogs and I don't want any of the others to be affected. Please help!!!!

[tigerlily]

You will need to treat for the mites. Provent a Mite is your best bet. http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html

This product is used to treat the cages, and not the snake directly. It also is the only one that will kill any eggs and prevent a re infestation. I would go ahead and treat the other two snake cages, but you should have to worry about any warm blooded critters.

[jglass38]

You will need to treat for the mites. Provent a Mite is your best bet. http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html

This product is used to treat the cages, and not the snake directly. It also is the only one that will kill any eggs and prevent a re infestation. I would go ahead and treat the other two snake cages, but you should have to worry about any warm blooded critters.

That's some good advice!

In the meantime, since you will most likely have to order Prevent a Mite online, you can pick up some Reptile Relief at your local pet store (most likely). It does an ok job on killing off mites but won't help you with reinfestation from eggs that haven't hatched yet.

Keep in mind that the mites you are seeing are species specific. They won't jump to you, your dog or your cat. They will however make it to the rest of your collection so make sure all enclosures are treated.

[tmlowe5704]

They have already told you good advice. Only thing I will add to Jamie's comment is in the meantime while you use reptile relief, change the bedding everyday and wash the tub to get eggs out. Chances are there are still eggs on your snake, but it will help to get rid of most of them. While you do this I suggest using newspaper or paper towels since they are easy to spot mites on and cheap.

[Ginevive]

Provent-a-Mite is a godsend for mite eradication; it is the only thing that worked for me. If you want a low-cost treatment in the meantime, get a rubbermaid container that's big enough for your snake to fit in; fill it with warm (Not hot) dish-soapy, sidsy water to about the depth of the snake's back level; and insert snake, securing the lid with a heavy object to prevent escape. A half hour is the longest I would soak; when you remove and towel-dry the snake, you will see dead mites floating in the water.. it is a very satisfying little treatment. But it does nothing for mites in the cage, some on the snake, or eggs; PAMite is golden in that regard. Follow the directions on the can, and I like what tmlowe said about paper towels as substrate for awhile; real easy to spot the little snotty things.