This is my first experience with mites. I read on a much earlier thread that Reptile Relief is a good product to rid them. Can someone tell me who that is made by? And if there are any other remedies that work? I heard that the stuff you can buy at the drug store for lice also works.

I have had this little BP for 2 weeks, he is 6 weeks old. He started soaking last week after he ate, could mites come in on mice?

Thanks everyone,

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Val
www.reptilerescuerichmond.org

It is possible for the mice to transfer mites...that being one of the benefits of using f/t.

here's a linkt to what I feel is the best mite med on the market

http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Thanks Ken. I am trying to get him on f/t, he's the first snake I have had to feed live to, poor little mouse.

Thanks for the link, I'm going to look into that.

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Val
www.reptilerescuerichmond.org

Mites can come in on anything, including you if you have been where they are.
Reptile Relief is put out by Natural Chemistry under the brand name deFlea (yeah I know!).
To my knowledge it is the safest most effective treatment available.

http://www.naturalchemistry.com/pet/...p?idproduct=65

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I don't understand mite meds, i hear they are toxic!? Anyone know anything 'bout that?

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These boots are made for walkin', and that's just what the'll do, one of these days these boots are goin' ta walk all over you! -Operation Ivy (Origionally by Nancy S. if your really old)

I have Provent-a-Mite and just had to use it myself. Took in a couple of common boas and a ball python covered in mites (quarantined from the rest of the pack of course) and this stuff took care of it quite quickly. Be sure you read the instructions and dont use it around feeder crix or arachnids. I also used it preventitively on the rest of the clan....Works great...no more mites so far....good luck with your little friend...Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Thanks Merlin and Lyn, I'm looking into both of these.

Merlin...one of the online store links for reptile relief is the HC store

Does it kill spiders They terrify me!

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Val
www.reptilerescuerichmond.org

Greg, check out the info on both the links provided, the reptile relief says it's not toxic.

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Val
www.reptilerescuerichmond.org

Mites can be transferred by anything or anyone, including you, as Merlin said, but it is likely, since you've only had the snake for two weeks, that he came to you suffering from them already - they can be hard to spot until the infestation gets really bad.

Is he WC or CF? Judging by his age I would presume not WC but CF animals often come with parasites - I would have him checked out by a vet once you overcome the mite situation just to make sure he isn't suffering from any other nasties.

We have always used a product called frontline to treat mites - it's a product originally designed for fleas on cats and dogs, but mixed with a % of pure alcohol is a great treatment. Whatever you use be careful to follow the instructions strictly, many of the treatments do come with a small risk, but IMO the risk overcomes what mites can do.

Good luck, be sure to quarantine away from your other animals - mites spread like fire! Best to keep him in a simple set up until you eradicate the nasties, like paper towels and basic furniture - easier to spot the mites and less chance of them spreading further.

Keep us updated, and i'm sure he'll be fine. Since he is so young you should also hopefully stand a better chance of switching him to f/t quicker,. try leaving him for a week or two then give him a freshly killed rodent or try with a f/t item warmed up and perhaps split to induce feeding.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

Here is my advice on treating snake mites, based solely on MY experience(s) and a lot of what I’ve read. (The use of insecticides is NOT recommended if you keep arachnids!!!)
Pyrethrin or Permethrin is HIGHLY toxic for reptiles. Provent-A-Mite has a concentration of 0.5% and is considered safe for use in the terrarium (take out reptiles and waterbowls!!). Do not use this product or products containing permethrin ON your reptiles. And do not allow your reptile to breathe the fumes.! Do NOT use on or near amphibians!! (As a last resort, permethrin can be used in a diluted concentration of 0.1% on the reptile, but there is still a certain risk of toxicity.

If the pet shop you get your mice from sells reptiles, then almost anything you buy from them (especially wood products) could, and probably does, have mites on it. (even crickets can harbour reptile mites or mite eggs!)
Chances are, your new snake had mites when you got him, but be aware that these little beasties can be hard to get rid of and you can re-infest your collection with any outside contact with reptiles: (pet shops, reptile exhibitions, friends’ collections, etc.) What you don’t see, can still come home and feed on your snakes!!

If you have found adult mites on your snakes (they are black or red and large enough to be seen fairly easily), then you probably have several life-cycles in process in and around your terrarium. Your plan of attack has to be aimed at all of it or you will never get rid of the mites.

The adult mites drink blood from your snake (and can also pass viruses and bacteria to the snake.)
Then they usually crawl off the snake to lay their eggs. They seem to prefer high dark moist places to lay. (Check the top corners of your terrarium.) One adult female can lay up to 12-24 eggs at a time, and usually 60-80 in a lifetime. Newly laid eggs are sticky and can be found on the surface of the enclosure (usually in the top corners) and can be off white or tan in color. (If eggs are laid on the snake, it is usually in the space around the eyes or under the anal scale.) Eggs hatch in one day if it is warm enough and up to 4 days in cooler temps.
Unfertilized mite eggs will become male and all the fertilized eggs will become female (which means more eggs quickly!).
The larvae only have 6 legs (they develop another pair later) they are white and fragile. They do not feed at this stage and do not wander far from where they hatched. This stage of development only lasts 1-2 days. Then they molt and become protonymphs. These are pale ivory or yellowish and almost invisible but CAN be seen if you look carefully on the glass doors. (They look like lint from paper towels except that these move.)
Protonymphs must feed to metamorphose to the next stage. They can smell and are attracted to a reptile and move towards it and cover considerable distances. If you look carefully at your snakes, you may see these small white specks moving over the scales.
After a blood meal, the protonymphs are dark red (not black like adults and not as large.)
When they’ve taken enough blood from your snake, they become active and usually move off the snake to a dark humid spot to shed 12-24 hours after feeding.
Engorged protonymphs are often found drowned in the water dish in snake cages. (They look like specks of pepper – with a magnifying glass you can see that they have legs, however!)

The next stage, the deutonymph stage is non-feeding, dark red, or black and does not usually move. Within 24 hours the deutonymph sheds to become an adult.

Adult male mites are yellowish brown and smaller than the typical black females most noticeable in a major infestation. A feeding session on the snake takes 1-2 days; afterwards the mites let go and wander off the snake to mate and lay eggs. Adult mites live 10-32 days and can feed and mate several times in their (short) lifetime.
Unfed females can crawl at a rate of 11” per minute (that is 55 feet per hour!) They can easily pass through screen ventilation of enclosures to reach another snakes enclosure and they have a bloodhound-like nose for reptiles!

So, that’s just a little background on what sort of enemy you are up against. Just spraying your snake with Reptile Relief or Provent-a-Mite or diluted Nix is not going to take care of your problem.

IN MY OPINION, here is the best plan of attack for mites:
You should immediately set up a plastic container with paper towel substrate, a thermometer, a water dish and hide box for your snake. Put it on a heating pad or under a heat lamp to get the correct temps. (If you have multiple snakes, the best would be a similar set up for each.) AND you need a double of the exact same set up because the snake should be switched to a new, sterilized container with a clean hide, thermometer and water dish every day during the quarantine period.

Before moving the snake from the terrarium to the plastic box, you should bathe it for at least 30 minutes in lukewarm water (28 degrees C / 82 F) Do not make the snake swim, just enough water so that the snake gets just covered when it lies at the bottom is fine. Some sources recommend adding some olive oil to the water to suffocate the mites… only add the oil AFTER the snake has had a chance to drink (10 minutes or so). We do not use the olive oil, however, because it is just a huge mess. We recommend a few drops of dishsoap mixed in the water (after the snake has had a chance to drink.) When the snake has been soaked for at least 30 minutes, spray or wipe it with Reptile Relief or one of the other over-the-counter mite treatments --- read the instructions carefully!!!!! – before putting it in the plastic box.
This bath and box change routine should be repeated daily (pay attention: Reptile Relief should only be used on the reptile once every 3 days!). This process breaks the life-cycle of the mites: drowning the adults and protonymphs on the snake and removing any adults crawling off to lay eggs, laid eggs or recently hatched larvae, protonymphs or deutonymphs that are in the snake box.

Getting rid of the mites on the snake is relatively easy. But getting rid of it in the terrarium and your house is more difficult!!


Now turn your attention to the terrariums: Remove and dispose of the substrate (get it out of your house immediately!) take EVERYTHING out of the terrarium and spray it all with an insecticide containing PERMETHRIN (e.g. Provent-a-Mite) and/or freeze it below –20 degrees C for at least 5 days.
Vacuum up some mothballs into your vacuum cleaner and vacuum in and around all of your snake enclosures and carpets. If you have glass or wood enclosures, scrape the corners with a blunt knife and vacuum again. (You have to get the sticky egg clusters out of the corners.) Disinfecting with bleach is a good idea for the potentially harmful organisms transmitted by mites, but WILL NOT kill the mites or mite eggs – it may drown a few adults but won’t kill the eggs.

Branches and wood products can be baked in the oven at 200-250F for 2-3 hours. (check that they don’t scorch or burn.) Rocks can be boiled, completely submerged for 20-30 minutes. Wash all bowls with a bleach-water (1/2 cup bleach per gallon of water) solution, rinse well and let air dry.
If you have heating pads inside the tank, unplug and remove them. Clean with soapy water, rinse and spray them off with insecticide and then bleach-water. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes then rinse and let air dry.
Disconnect all light fixtures and spray/ wipe down with a Provent-A-Mite –type solution. (Do not spray full-strength Permethrin onto your snake!

When everything removable has be taken out of the terrarium, spray the inside with a full-strength permethrin solution and close up the terrarium. Cover all screened areas with tape or plastic and seal the terrarium completely for 3 hours (longer for larger terrariums.)
After this, open up the terrarium and dispose of all the tape and plastic used to seal it. RINSE the terrarium thoroughly several times with water and use a fan (if necessary) to remove all fumes. (Even if you can’t smell it, it can still harm your reptile!) So completely rinse and air out your terrarium for at least 1 full day before re-introducing your pet. (I let mine sit for a week or more while I keep up the daily baths and box changes on my snake.) As any eggs not caught can still hatch up to 4 days later; and adults can live up to a month, don't relax too soon!!

I recommend re-introducing the snake to the terrarium with “just the basics” at first: a hide box or two, paper substrate and a water dish.

PS – ALWAYS use protective glasses, rubber gloves and a mask when dealing with insecticide sprays and strong detergents such as bleach!

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Andrea