parasites....help!!!

[peacebaby]

I'm BRAND NEW on the forum and fairly new in the world of snakes!! Great info....thankyou, thankyou!

I've had my blood for 6 mos. or so. I had a fecal done as his appetite had decreased and noticed two tiny bumps on his neck (does a snake have a neck?? duh.) Anyway, I have been giving him Parazap, which is a supposed all natural parasite formula.

Have you heard of it. What do you think? His appetite is back and seems to be doing great. Appreciate your responses.

check it out and let me know...
www.parazap.com

[Zoe]

Those sounds like mites do me... do you mean the bumps are under his skin? Or are they on top of his scales or just under his scales?

[eyespy]

I use and like Parazap, but it's effect is limited to intestinal worms. If your snake has mites it's not going to do a thing. Nix or Provent-a-mite will get rid of mites, and you have to treat the snake's enclosure as well as the snake itself. If the bumps are cysts, abscesses, tumors, etc. then there's no need for any anti-parasite treatment. It's best to get them checked by a qualified reptile vet.

Frankly, I almost never use Parazap for snakes on a frozen/thawed diet as they are unlikely to get intestinal worms. Freezing kills the worms far more effectively than Parazap. I love it for my bearded dragons, iguanas and frogs and I just killed off 2 types of nematodes in my Russian tortoise using just Parazap, no Panacur. I'll do fecals every 2 weeks x 3 to be sure they are gone though.

[tHeGiNo]

When you got the fecal and examination, what did the vet say?

[reticguy]

Diluted Nix (head lice shampoo) works extremely well at eradicating snake mites. Here's an exerpt from an article I wrote on the subject for the local herp society...

Why Nix?
Nix was designed to treat human head lice and their nits (eggs). The one characteristic that separates the Nix method for treating snake mites from other mite remedies is its effectiveness at killing live mites AND mite eggs. All other mite remedies to my knowledge do not destroy mite eggs. As such, I have found the Nix method to be extremely effective at eradicating serious mite infestations. I even know a local pet store manager who sells several commercially produced mite remedies, yet uses the Nix method on imported snakes arriving at his store. Another pro to using Nix is economics. Around $12 will produce 4 litres of solution – much more than the largest private collection will ever require.

There exists a popular reptile care site on the Internet that discusses the toxicity of Nix, but in the two cases cited, Nix was spread over the infested snakes in full concentration. Common sense should dictate that reptiles and amphibians coming in direct contact with any fully concentrated chemical that does not exist in their natural environment would yield deleterious, if not downright fatal, results. The use of Nix discussed below involves a diluted solution (1 part Nix to 68 parts water) that has never produced adverse reactions in any python or boa in my collection over the course of 8 years. In fact, some snakes in my collection are proactively treated every 6 months as they make appearances at semi-annual reptile shows and I am not willing to risk the chance of mites from other exhibitors making their way into my collection. Even routine treatments on these boas and pythons over the course of several years have yet to result in any negative effects.


Materials
1) Spray bottle. Preferably one that has never been used, or at the very least, one that has never contained harsh chemicals and has been thoroughly rinsed.

2) 56 g (59 ml) bottle of Nix. I have only ever found this one particular size of Nix, which can be sourced at most drug stores and some pharmacy sections of grocery stores for anywhere from $6-$12.

3) 4L (1 Gallon) jug of distilled water. Distilled water should be used to extend the shelf life of the solution. With distilled water, the solution’s effectiveness is expected to last up to 12 months as long as the solution is stored at room temperature and in a covered box (light breaks down the active ingredient found in Nix). Although, with one treatment and sound quarantine practices, the first treatment should be all that is necessary.


Creating the Nix Solution
- Pour the Nix cream into the 4L jug of distilled water. Nix is a fairly thick cream substance, so it may take a couple minutes to transfer as much of the cream into the jug of distilled water as possible.

- Replace the cap on the jug of distilled water and shake until the Nix cream is evenly distributed throughout the water. Again, this may take a few minutes due to the thick consistency of Nix.

- Pour the Nix solution into a spray bottle.


Eradicating Snake Mites
- If snake mites are only found on one snake or only in one snake enclosure, it is wise to conclude that mites have infested ALL snakes and their enclosures that are contained within the same room. Mites may have also transferred to snakes housed in another room by “hitchhiking on your hands or clothes. Therefore, absolutely all snakes and their terrariums should be treated to ensure 100% effectiveness.

- First, remove the snake from the enclosure and place in a Rubbermaid container. Spray the snake liberally with the Nix solution. Do not avoid spraying this solution on their head, eyes and heat pits – in fact, this is where mites commonly hide so spraying the head area is essential.

- Remove all substrate from the terrarium and throw away. Do not leave the garbage bag containing this old substrate anywhere in the house.

- Spray the entire enclosure, inside and out, including all cage furniture (branches, hide boxes, water bowl, etc.) and glass viewing area. Make sure that all corners and crevices are well covered with Nix solution, as this is where mites and their eggs are often hiding. Even spray the outside back of the cage and a 2-foot perimeter around the cage on the floor. The Nix residue that forms after drying is thought to even be effective at killing mites hiding out elsewhere in the room that may attempt to re-enter the snake cage.

- Replace the substrate with paper, preferably paper towel, as it is easy to spot mites on this. It is essential to use paper until you are absolutely certain that full eradication has been accomplished. I suggest waiting 3 weeks after the last live mite is spotted before using non-paper substrate.

- Remove water bowl from cage and replace, filled with water, 24 hours later. This ensures that the Nix solution is not washed off the snake by soaking in the water bowl before the active ingredient has had a chance to destroy all mites hiding under its scales.

- Return the snake to its enclosure and spray it, the cage, furniture and paper one more time.

- When the snake defecates during treatment, remove the paper and clean the messed area as usual, but be sure to re-spray the cleaned area and new paper with Nix solution.

- Repeat in 5-7 days twice, for a total of 3 treatments. With all likelihood, the last live mite will perish within a few hours of the first treatment, but repeating treatment is good practice in case the outbreak is severe and mites are able to re-enter cages.
Preventative Maintenance

Any snake entering a collection should be quarantined for 2-3 months, ideally in a completely separate room from where other snakes are housed, but at the very least in a separate cage. It should be assumed that any new snake has mites, regardless of how well respected the previous owner or pet store is. I have personally been let down on several occasions by leading breeders in our hobby, and from personal friends. It is my experience that employing the “better safe than sorry” approach is of paramount importance in ensuring mite breakouts never occur.

Given the above assumption new acquisitions, in addition to their cage and cage furniture, should be treated with Nix solution 3 times (one full treatment every 5-7 days). Same should hold true when a snake enters your colony for a breeding loan, even if it is your own specimen that was lent out and is returning. As previously mentioned, it is also wise to treat snakes that attend shows, where other exhibitors and spectators may have mite infestations. With the large number of people that handle your animals, or even just touch the enclosure in which your snakes are housed, the chance that a mite is hitchhiking on at least one of these snake enthusiasts at the show is good. Don’t become complacent and cut corners in this area, or you may find yourself right back where you started.

Cage furniture and substrate purchased at pet stores can also serve as mite vectors and should be treated with caution. Mite-free substrate can be purchased from pet stores that do not carry reptiles, from a livestock feed stores, or from landscape centres. Newly purchased cage furniture should be sprayed liberally with Nix solution. Highly porous cage furniture (wood hide boxes, branches, etc.) should be soaked in a 10% bleach solution for a day, then rinsed thoroughly, sprayed with Nix solution, and allowed to dry for a week.

[T.O-SK8TER]

I GOT RID OF MY MITES LISTEN UP!

I used to have a boa that had mites ( he is still alive today I traded for a burm) Everything I tried would not work and I tried for months and months. I came up with a non toxic idea. I cleaned the cage and vacumed the floor every other day and every 24 hours I would cover the snake in a thick layer of non scented soap, I used dove. Do not rinse the soap off put the snake back in the cage with the layer of soap on it. Rinse the snake off in water the next day and apply again. DO NOT LEAVE SOAP ON DURRING FEEDING. I noticed no mites after a few days but I did this treatment all for three weeks to be safe. Its a lot of work but it is sure worth it.

GOOD LUCK!

[lintz69]

I soaked my Ball in Dawn Dish Soap and water for about 3 hours, the mites drop like rocks. Then clean out the cage GOOD with soap, and then put mite dust down, put your nice relaxed ball in the cage an walla, DONE. :)

[mikemcguire]

I used prevent-a-mite. some people may put it down however i used it and found it very effective, i treated three snakes at once and my proccess took about 1 week. if you are going to use it read carefully before doing so.

[lilyskip]

What causes a snake to get mites, assuming it didn't have mites/ticks when purchased?

[Bryce Masuk]

mites from other reptiles being transfered to it Via you clothing hands etc or if you have a snake that has mites that is in the same room they can move short distances but would more then likely move via you also

[sapphire_moon]

My BP had a case of mites (I think from the substrate I was using) and I cleaned her cage, take out all the deco's. and put in paper (paper towls, or newspaper) , hide box, and water, and thats it. I put vegtable oil on her (Even take a cotton swab and use a little around her eyes) , I did it twice a day, and within a week the mites were gone, Completely. I don't trust any substrate now except for newspaper!