Mites?

[Nydders]

Hello, all! I was recently catching some sun with my hypo BCI when I noticed a tiny little bug crawling on my boa. I flicked it off, and that was that. But when I was changing Nagini's water, I noticed she has tiny little bugs in her water bowl. I thought they were specs, at first, but upon closer examination they were indeed bugs. I have no idea where she could've gotten mites from-- I purchased her from someone I know/trust at Repticon, so I don't think she would've knowingly sold me a boa with mites. None of my other snakes have mites, and they are quarantined in a different room, so I don't think that's the case. I do let her slither in the grass when it's nice and sunny out, do you think that could be the cause?
Also, anyone have any home remedies for mites? I want to avoid chemicals if possible. Thanks!

[lady_bug87]

That's what those look like.

If one has mites all your animals should be treated. The person who sold the snake to you may not have had the mites but someone else's did. That's how you got them.

There are a couple different ways to treat mites.

1) Prevent A Mite (PAM)
2) Nix (Lice Shampoo) --- I recommend this one.

If you decide on PAM empty all your enclosures and wash it well with hot soapy water then spray down the enclosure. Use paper towel as substrate (so you can see if there are more) also spray the paper towel. DO NOT spray the animal. wait a couple hours and put the snake back. DO not offer water for 24h

Nix is a bit different. Same prep involved empty everything and use paper towel mix 1/4 of a bottle of Nix Shampoo per 1L of water. Spray down everything. The difference this time is you can spray the animals as well. Do not offer water for 24h.

to thoroughly get rid of mites you may not be able to stay away from ALL chemicals.

make sure that you vacuum all areas and if you use Nix dilution its safe to spray all the soft surfaces of your home and car. even your shoes.

Good luck

[SSSSnakes]

This topic has been brought up so many times on this forum, it doesn't need to be rehashed. Just enter mites in the search and you can read all the past threads.

[Nydders]

Thanks for the advice, Lady bug

Sorry Snakes, should've known that. My bad.

[SSSSnakes]

Thanks for the advice, Lady bug

Sorry Snakes, should've known that. My bad.

Was not meant to be rude. It's just that the old threads are filled with all the info you are looking for. Personally i use Provent-A-Mite and it has always work great for me.

[Aaron_S]

This topic has been brought up so many times on this forum, it doesn't need to be rehashed. Just enter mites in the search and you can read all the past threads.

That's kind of rude.

Every now and then it's okay to bring up a topic. Plenty of people come and go and not everyone knows the search function.

[SSSSnakes]

That's kind of rude.

Every now and then it's okay to bring up a topic. Plenty of people come and go and not everyone knows the search function.

I had already stated I did not intend to be rude. Aaron, I know you do not like me, but you need to back off. Just because you are a mod doesn't give you a right to pick on people you do not like. You send me private messages saying that you have pet peeves and that because you disagree with what I say, I am wrong. There was no reason for you to make that post, other than to pick on me.

[Aaron_S]

I had already stated I did not intend to be rude. Aaron, I know you do not like me, but you need to back off. Just because you are a mod doesn't give you a right to pick on people you do not like. You send me private messages saying that you have pet peeves and that because you disagree with what I say, I am wrong. There was no reason for you to make that post, other than to pick on me.

Actually I would have said it regardless of the username. You can presume I have a personal vendetta against you and that I'm "picking on you" but in this case it won't be true.

I encourage new members to ask questions and not to be shy. There is no way of knowing if someone is new to forums in general or maybe a language barrier and can't easily use the site functions. Unfortunately your first post would deter new members.

You're welcome to ignore/skip over topics that you feel have already been discussed and don't need to be again though.

[that1guy]

I had this issue awhile back after buying a new snake, that came complete with mites. First I bought some Mite-Off, the only thing I could find at the local pet stores, it worked at first and got rid of the mites on the snake but they came back a few days later. Then I bought some Provent-a-Mite online and it got rid of the mites for good. You should know though it is poison and you and it can kill your snake if misuse it. Just follow the instructions and it works great and won't hurt the snake.

[Nydders]

Thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone. I have one more question: can mites get in pet hair as well? I have two cats, though they go no where near the snake, is this possible?

[lady_bug87]

That's a really good question. I have no idea. I would bathe them with flea shampoo just in case but I'm super paranoid

[Aaron_S]

Thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone. I have one more question: can mites get in pet hair as well? I have two cats, though they go no where near the snake, is this possible?

Can they? Yes. Would they likely infest your cats? No.

Snake mites are species specific. They would take a meal from your cats but they wouldn't stay.

Treat them as if they had fleas right now if you'd like to be safe.

[jossh27]

i think its a good thing when people come and re-ask questions... it keeps forums alive and active and if nobody decides to answer the op's question im sure he/she would eventually fine the search button.

and sometimes new questions arise that you may not see in old threads... like this one...
:)

Thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone. I have one more question: can mites get in pet hair as well? I have two cats, though they go no where near the snake, is this possible?

[AlexCrazy]

i think its a good thing when people come and re-ask questions... it keeps forums alive and active and if nobody decides to answer the op's question im sure he/she would eventually fine the search button.

and sometimes new questions arise that you may not see in old threads... like this one...
:)
very true.. :)

[SSSSnakes]

Snake mites can not feeds on your cats because they need to have pressure on their backs to feed. That is why they have to be under the scale to feed off your snakes. No need to treat your cats with any thing.

[Mikoh4792]

Snake mites can not feeds on your cats because they need to have pressure on their backs to feed. That is why they have to be under the scale to feed off your snakes. No need to treat your cats with any thing.

Did not know that! Interesting piece of info.


Every now and then it's okay to bring up a topic. Plenty of people come and go and not everyone knows the search function.

I agree, plus one may not know if the information they are reading has been outdated with new methods of husbandry.

[Nydders]

Thank you all for the feedback!!!

[Kennn]

I've had this problem twice, once with a burm and once with a mangrove tree snake. I'm not saying you should try this but I soaked both of them in water along with generous amounts of minced garlic, and it seemed to work wonders. But I really don't know if it really was the garlic or just the water that drowned the mites. It was just some odd thing that a friend told me to do back then when I was desperate.

[jarich]

If you dont want to use chemicals you can buy predatory mites (Hypoaspis or even Phytoseiulus sp) online. They will hunt down all your snake mites and then die off when they run out of prey. They also eat the eggs, so its a complete wipe out.