oh thats just WONDERFUL! *not*

[lanalizard]

I bought a snake, the BCI at the toronto show in april and i never noticed anything on the snake. However, it shed last night, and what do i find on the shed? TONS OF MITES!
I dont know what to do, i have never encountered such a thing with reptiles. What do i do?

[Frankie]

You can buy things like provent-a mite and just use them as directed. Mites are no fun! There are a couple of different products on the market for mites. Good luck.

[Zoe]

Hey!
Check out my site http://www.moreliaspilota.com there's a write-up on how to kill mites with nix.

[SD-SNAKE]

use provent -a-mite go to pro-products.com i had the same problem with some snakes a got from a dealer. waht i do is soak the snake for 1-2 hours as that is going on take out the water bowl and wsoak it and any other branches in bleach/water solution about 5-10% bleach. Most dont but i take out all the beading replace it then spray it with prevent o mite. after that dries and the bowl and branches have been cleaned. put everything back and your done. take care Nick

[killaclown]

What i want to know is how did the ticks get on the snake. Was it cb or wc and do you know who the dealer is?

[Zoe]

The snake does need to be WC to get mites. It could have been in contact with a snake that had mites, it could have been placed in a cage or a room with a snake that had mites. It could have gotten them at the shows when someone touched a snake with mites and then touched this snake.
It isn't necessarily the dealer's fault... mite infestations happen to almost everyone, and if spotted early pose little danger to the snake. Especially if the snake was properly quarantined.

Zoe

[killaclown]

yea i know it just makes me sick to see animals in bad conditions

[killaclown]

And he paid $225 for her, i would contact that dealer for some answers

[Zoe]

Mites aren't always indicative of bad conditions or sick animals. I had a mite outbreak once (ugh) started by a BP that was not properly quarantines (needless to say, I've learned my lesson!) I noticed it not long after the arrival of the BP, and none of my animals were the worse for wear. I'd not have deemed them sick or in bad conditions at the time. It's like getting, lice really. It happens.

Assuming this is the same snake, and she got it from the reptile store, then i'd not be in the least surprised to hear that it has mites. petstores are heavens for those things.

At any rate, there's not much that can be done by contacting the dealer, except possibly notifying him of a situation he was not aware of prior.

Goodluck getting rid of the mites... follow the instructions on my site and it'll work great ;)

Zoe

[lanalizard]

by the way killerclown im a FEMALE!

[killaclown]

My bad i dont check profiles dont trip now

[lanalizard]

its cool!

[PoiSoNouS]

I use a little piece of Vapona found in any "Canadian Tire" ... takes 10 days and youre done ;)

[NewLineReptile]

For sure check out Zoe's site very helpfull :)

[lanalizard]

thanks all for your help. i will try to do my best to rid my precious snake of these horrible mites

[unknownclown]

Great site Zoe :) I just found the little buggers on my snake as well Im guessing its because they all dine in the same tank and I had a break out of mites from the mice I got from the pet store. UGH thanks Pet Co.
I was reading the directions and Im just curious about avoiding getting it in their eyes. I mean I dont plan on just slopping it on my little darlin, (heck Ill probably use a Q tip or tiny paint brush)but some could accidentilly get into that area and Im curious if the eyecap will protect it or if I should somehow flush the eye or just leave it. I know Im a worry wort and it may not even happen but Id just feel better knowing.

[VenomAngel]

someone once advised me to cut off a tinty bit of the fly killer that comes in blockes..put it in the tank for a few days and thier gone not too much tho cos the fumes will harm your snake..dont want that post some pics of her if you can and whats her name?

[Linds]

Lanalizard,
I agree with Zoe, Nix is the safest method and it is every bit as effective as the commercial mite treatments. It has the highest margin of safety (hey it's for humans! all the commercial mite treatments need to be used in well-ventilated areas and avoid contact with skin, etc... kinda scary eh?).

killaclown,
Mites are not always indicative of poor conditions, etc. All you need is a mite to hop on to you at a pet store, or in a bag of substrate and travel home to your reptiles. Mites are especially an issue at reptile expos since there are all sorts of breeders and dealers crammed into one room... although you can control who touches your animals, you don't have control who is at the table next to you or across, and mites can travel over 12 feet in one day :eek:


In response to all posts pertaining to Vapona, here's one of my favourite posts on the topic...

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Ok.


Vapona works by vapours (yikes), NIX is basically just a soap that works mechanically and chemically. The answer wasn't arrogant and it wasn't even aimed at you. I was talking to Dom (hence the usage of his name) and he replied quite nicely to me that he wasn't going to use Vapona. I'm sorry if you have stock in the company or something, but I wouldn't advise ANYONE to use it.

The active ingredient (for organic chemists) is 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate. That's nasty stuff man. Its a freakin' carcinogen!!! Its also a stomach poison, and its only meant for professional use. I have no idea how Vapona gets away with selling the stuff, but I wouldn't be caught dead (pun intended) with the stuff in my house, near me, my animals, or my family. DDVP is NOT something to fool around with. In fact, I'd rather play on a highway than breathe the stuff in. Call that arrogant. I call it smart.

In small amounts, cancer is fine. Does that mean I want little bits of cancer? No. What is a small amount to you or I of Vapona, could be a lethal dosage to a reptile 1/200th of your size. What about long-term affects? What if it affects fecundity? As a breeder, that would definitely suck for me. NIX is approved for use on HUMAN HEADS! Its a soap that smothers the insects while working as a mild chemical agent. Probably not the greatest thing, but far, far safer than DDVP. Plus its local. Anything that is used as a local agent is 10x more effective and safer than a general agent.

Go here for some analysis: Thanks for your time...


http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/ddt-famphur/dichlorvos/insect-prof-dichlorvos.html

http://www.prop65news.com/pubs/p65news/issues/9207/920714.html


http://infoventures.com/e-hlth/pestcide/dichlorv.html


Thanks for listening.

Dom, sorry to butcher your thread, but at least there's learning going on right (inside joke), ha ha! :D

Happy Holidays. :D