Bad mite issue

[elkied243]

I've been battling mites with my albino rtb for months now. Sometimes they'll seem to be gone but always seem to reoccur. I've done everything in my power and now I think he's sick. Please help I'm so worried about him and don't know what to do. He just refused to eat (he's never ever refused before) and isn't moving much anymore. Gave him a bath last week and he seemed to enjoy that but I can tell he's losing weight and I'm so worried. Please help me.


**i had a BP for a while and their tanks were even in the same room and he NEVER got mites. Out of concern for the BP (since I couldn't get rid of the mites and didn't want him to get them) also because I'm pregnant I sold him so he's in no danger anymore.

[Minkness]

If you fear he is actually sick, take him to a vet. If he's just not eating, it may be that time of year. Alot of snakes go off food for the winter months or breeding season.

As for mites, theres several ways to get rid of them. What worked for my snake when I got her covered in mites, was using Seven Dust, which is a common house hold, 100% animal safe, pesticide. The mites were gone in a month and haven't been back.

Since you say they keep coming back, I would dust all the carpeting in that room, if not the house. Leave it for a few DAYS before vacuming to give it time to work.

Mix it into the substrate of your boa's tank, as well as in the bag that you have if it's unopened.

What I did however, was put down the dust in the bottom of the tank, then covered it in paper towels that I changed out pretty regularly (every 2-3 days).

Good luck.

[Jim Smith]

While there are several treatments for mites, I also went through a time very similar to your experience. I tried PAM, and NIX several times with a complete cage sterilization between treatments, but they kept coming back. I finally ended up using predatory mites and it finally solved the problem. I removed the snake from its cage and added the predatory mites to the enclosure. I left it for 2-3 weeks while I kept the snake in a separate tub, then cleaned a cage and reintroduced the snake with newspaper bedding for two weeks. Once I was convinced that they were indeed gone, I added SaniChips bedding and decorations. It's now been almost 6 months and I'm still mite free:)

Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles) - Fungus Gnat, Thrips, Snake Mite Predator (http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/hypoaspis.html)

[Nightflight99]

Another option is to use a 0.5% concentration of permethrin. There is a version that is specifically marketed for reptiles, called Provent-a-Mite (http://pro-products.com/provent-a-mite/). You simply remove the snake and the water bowl, spray the entire enclosure, let it air dry, then replace the snake and water bowl. There are a few select species of snakes that are hypersensitive to Provent-a-Mite, but boas are not one of them. I've used that product for many years, and it is very effective.

Alternatively, you can walk into your local Walmart or Walgreens and pick up a generic version (e.g., Rid). They are much cheaper, but they're also not specifically marketed for reptiles. I've used both, and never noticed a difference.

[elkied243]

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm out of town until tomorrow but I will deep clean the whole room when I get home. Will update on him. Hopefully it's just the winter time that got to him