My new baby has mites!!

[ReptiGramma]

I just got a 28" Burmese Python from a local pet store (My bad) and while my neighbor was holding her today said that 'he' was covered with bugs!! I have been handling 'him' every chance I get and checking 'him' out very closely and have never seen a bug! But I did find one on 'him'.....I'm pretty sure it is a mite. I saw a small bump under a scale and discovered and killed another one!! The neighbor admitted that she had only seen the 'one' that I killed while she was here. This is my first snake, and I don't want to make any mistakes. 'He' is the most beautiful snake I have ever seen!!! That's 'cause he's my baby. I have wanted a snake for a long time, but I have to admit.....'He' was an 'impulse buy'. After bringing him home and setting him up, I went Online to research. The following day I called the pet store to see if I could return him in trade for a Ball Python....Nope. So, :bugged: for the last week, 'he' and I have been bonding. He doesn't want to eat and now I discover that he has mites.......I need some experienced advice here....Please respond.

[pitviper10]

the bugs you found sound to me like they might be ticks. usually mites are in large numbers. check around the eyes and the mouth for any tiny bugs. those would be mites. there are many products on the market today that can get rid of mites. if there ticks find and pick off as many as possible. It sounds like you dont really know much about these snakes. Your "impulse" buy may have been your first mistake. read up on these snake through google. you do realize that this snake you have could very eaisly reach up to 15 feet or longer, so you better have the money and the space for this animal. As for feeding it could be many reasons. it could be that its still getting to know its environment and is still a little nevouse. or it could be a problem in the environment. check and see if the temperature and the humidity is right. maybe the encloser is too small, or it has no place to feel secure in it.

[Lrptls]

you bond with children and puppies and birds. bonding with snakes doesnt really work the same. you might think if you handle your burm constantly hes going to love you to peices. your actually stressing him out far more than you could think. if his cage has proper heat and humidity he wants to be there and left there. you do need to take him out to let him get use to you but i wouldnt have a snake out any longer than an hour and i almost never have mine out that long unless there outside stretching out in the sun. the more you handle him the more stress your puting on him-the less he wants to eat. i believe that when some one gets a snake they shouldnt handle it until it eats its first meal or atleast dont handle it unless you have to. if i were you i would trade the snake or sell it. look for a corn snake or a garter snake or something. those are beginner snakes. burms get way too big to be a beginner snake. you should have previous experience with large boids before even thinking about a burm. they are fairly easy to care for but when they get large is when they get difficult. hopefully you have read by now that they need a large space to live and eat large expensive food. you may not even be able to handle him by your self, they get VERY very heavy and youll most likely want or will need some one with you to move him.

he may not eat for 2 weeks or 2 months. leave him alone and keep offering food. freshly killed is probably your best bet but frozen thawed is the best food to offer, hopefully he will want to eat that. i would take him to a vet asap, get a fecal test done as well. keep the snake if you want but i think its a very big mistake.

[Dolly]

mites are red, small bugs usually and their not harmful towards you but to your snake they can be deadly so i would suggest taking him to a vet or pet hospital immediateatley to see if there's a way to get rid of them

[ReptiGramma]

Thank you both for your advice, and it is well taken. I guess, then, that I just THINK that he loves me? LOL!!! Okay....Okay... I will let him have his space. I only have him out for about 30 minutes at a time, but am doing this 3-4 times a day...I will back off
No, I don't think that it is ticks. They were very tiny and crushed very easily between my fingertips....They were a dull dark gray color. Ticks are pretty tough to kill.
I have read a few discussions about putting wood into their environments also. I have made his 'hides' of moss covered rotting wood found behind my barn in the woods...probably not a good choice either. The bugs may be something that is crawling out of the wood itself.
I agree....I am not as young as I use to be, nor as strong... and trying to handle a 15' snake will be next to impossible. I am looking to trade for a smaller model. I have read too many comments about Burmies attaining 8' the first year, and they don't stop there!
I do want to make sure that I do not trade an unhealthy snake....So I will be keeping him until I am sure he is going to eat and there is not a parasite problem.
Stop chastising me for buying him.....I'm old enough to be your Gramma!!! LOL!! :o

[cristine]

Take him to the vet, mites can kill your snake.

[K1LOS]

Well i feel bad you have chosen to give up your snake. Even though it is the best decision. I say this not because it is your first snake, but just because you feel you won't be able to handle it, and housing a large snake you can't handle is definately going to become problematic. Your handling of your snake now might have been a little too soon, and a little too often, but not necessarily an all bad thing. That is the kind of attention a large snake hatchling needs in order to keep it a calm relaxed snake when being handled as an adult. So don't let everybody get to you.

That rotting wood very well could be the problem, get it out of there immediately. If you are using wood from outside, try and use wood that is not yet dead, as it less likely to be contaminated with something. After that some people cook it at a low heat for a long time in the oven to make sure everything in there is dead, which is probably a good pracitce. Rotting wood is DEFINATELY full of bugs and stuff. throw it out, Clean everything else in the cage very well. Throw out all the substrate and just use newspaper for now. Then go get a product for killing pests on snakes. Somebody here can recommend a good one i am sure.

Now, as to your future trade. First off might i suggest you trade quickly, i think you will have a lot less trouble moving a baby then you will an older burm. As to what you trade FOR, i would suggest you pick up a corn, a king snake, or a milk snake. They are great beginners, and are much more manageable, suitable for any age.

Good Luck

Geoff

[rrrrr]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe snake mites are tropical or subtropical. They dont live in the wilds of Michigan so they didn't come in on that rotten log. Not that I think it's necessarily a good thing to bring rotten logs from your backyard into your enclosures. It's just pretty unlikely that's where your mites came from.

Mites are easily treated with Nix, a human head-lice treatment. You can get it in any drug store. Mix the bottle of Nix into a gallon of distilled water. Mix well...it takes a while. Fill a plant mister with the mixture. Remove everything from the enclosure. Spray all surfaces of the enclosure and leave it to dry. Spray all cage furniture leave it to dry. Spray the floors and walls near the cage as well...everything within a few feet of where your snakes live if possible. When all is dry, put in newspaper or paper towel substrate and return the cage furniture except for the water dish. Spray the snake from head to toe. Put him back in his cage, but dont put his water dish in for 24 hours. Make sure the dish is well rinsed before it goes back so the snake is not drinking the Nix.

If 1 week later you find any live mites, reapply. 1 gallon of water/Nix will support many applications so it's pretty cheap in the end. I have only had one mite infestation. Nix cleared it up in one application. I still have 80% of my mixture left for next time though I'll likely throw it out if I dont need it pretty soon. Anyone know the shelf-life of Nix/distilled water?

[K1LOS]

The owner doesn't believe they are mites, and therefore could be some small pests from 'the wilds of michigan."

Geoff

[ReptiGramma]

I am so glad that I am continuing to get responses to this thread. I took 'him' back into the pet store that I purchases him from and had him probed and 'he' is a SHE!!! I am also happy to say that the owner's son, who is a snake breeder, was very helpful. He gave me some 'Reptile Relief' and treated her right there on the spot and helped clean off the mites we could find with a Q-tip dipped in 'Reptile Relief.' Most of them were under her neck.....No wonder she seemed to enjoy being rubbed there!!!
Two days ago I went into the pet store and got some 'Mite Off' made by Zoo Med. I used it as directed on the bottle, but still observed live mites on her several hours later that day. I rinsed her off the following morning and reapplied the 'Mite Off.' Not only did I find another very lively mite on her this morning before going to the pet store, but we found and killed at least 8 mites at the store while treating her. They were concentrated under the scales around the underside of her jaws.
I brought her home and took everything out of her cage (aquarium) and washed the whole thing with bleach water. The substrate was taken outside and dumped into the flowerbed. Her water dish was soaked in bleach water with her stones and the screened top. She now has nothing but newspaper on the bottom of her cage that has been sprayed with 'Reptile Relief.' I had taken the moss covered wood out of her cage several days ago. I know now that the wood had nothing to do with the mite problem, but it is gone, none the less.
I am not intimidated by those who say that I am handling her too much. I have had had alot of animals throughout my life....I'm 53. There has never been a point in time that I have been without a pet. I have taken in injured squirrels, a nest of bunnies that were injured by a bulldozer, every stray dog and cat that gets dropped off, I have had to reposition a calf during birth and have had my arm up a huge sow who was giving birth to a small litter of huge piglets. I have been more successful than most at patching up and feeding orphaned babies than anyone I know. I have been given more advice than I can remember, but I usually follow my instinct and it pulls us all through. People knock on my door in the midddle of the night to borrow animal baby bottles and call to ask advise about sick critters all the time.
There are those who believe that reptiles cannot bond with anything. That's okay. You can just go ahead and think whatever you want. I have many farmer friends who claim that their animals have no emotions and that the only reason they come running when they see you is that they are expecting food. They aren't paying attention!! Maybe it is THEY who cannot bond with anything!!??!!
I will continue to handle my baby snake whenever she gives me that look that she wants to get out of her cage for a little bit. I will sit and hold her and type with one hand until she falls asleep. I will keep her until I can't, and then find her another home with people who CAN, and she will be all the more easy to handle because I cared.
I am thankful for your comments....Keep them coming....
D'Yani Walks Far

[pitviper10]

a couple things first. a snake isnt a dog and or a cat. Its not a squirrel or a bunny, its a snake. although it is true that some snakes mellow out as they get older, i do not belive they can bond to someone like a dog or cat would. Dose you snake go wild wanting to greet you when it hears you come through the door after work? When you handle it dose it snuggle up warmly in your arms, and lick your face? i highly doubt it. a snake isnt an animal that you can cuddle with and play with like a dog.and hanling your snake for such long and freqent periods can really stress it out to the point were it wont even eat. sure you can love your snake, but its not going to love you back. as for keping it until you cant anymore bad move on your part. snakes (ecspecialy large snakes) are abandon constantly because owner cant care for them. you cant just say "ok i will keep the snake until it gets to big then i will find it a nice home". Thats not how it works if you arnt prepard to keep a snake for the long run dont even bothr keeping it in the first place. besides do you know anyone who is willing to take and eight foot or longer snake? people like that are few and far between. if i were i would get rid of that snake asap. it would be best for you and the snake.

[steelnink]

As far as the mite problem, keep her enclosure simple,[newspaper substrate, and water dish], nothing else, until you are certain all the little bastards are erraticated, and even then, treat for mites and keep the cage simple for another 2-3 weeks.
Daily cleaning with a bleach solution to the cage and a warm bath for your baby will kill the mites.
The handling debate is an touchy subject.
Many believe handling should be kept to a minimum due to stress, others feel, if captive bred, and healthy, handling doesn't present any problems.

I think this "handle as little as possible, it cause's far to much stress", is yet another, piece of wisdom[ lol] that has been passed on by books, articles, and the comp.

I handle mine as much time as i have, they are all on a rotational schedule.
So, everyone gets some "LOVING", every second day,[Too many to handle in one day].

[ReptiGramma]

Oh....My sweet little PITVIPER10....You are so young and so wrong!! My reptiles are in my computer room and I am inhere most of the time or I'm outside letting one of them get some fresh air and sunshine. I have a Sulcata Tortoise that paces back and forth in his cage (aquarium) until I pick him up and he will immediatly settle down and fall asleep on my chest between my boobs!! Happens every time I come in here.
My snake is no different...She reaches to the screen on her cage and waves back and forth until I pick her up. Yes!!!! We sit here and cuddle!! I gently scratch under her chin, where she likes it and get her by my face so that she can smell my breath and YES!!! She does lick my face!!! We like each other and there is nothing you can do about it!! I handle her and scratch her according to the way she RESPONDS to those touches. I am learning what she likes and doesn't like by experimenting with her.....I have respect for her...If I am doing something that irritates her. I stop doing it. If she starts acting like she wants to get down, I put her back in her cage. We are communicating and BONDING!! I am listening to her and watching her body language. She doesn't jump back anymore when I touch the top of her head, but she does if someone else does it. I will listen to her, before I will take the unwarrented advice of someone who is younger than my youngest GRANDchild. You must remember....I am new to this....This is my first snake...But not my last....She and I are both learning about each other right now and we will grow together.... I certainly need all the advice I can get from all of you, and I don't want you to stop posting, but back off and let me bond with my snake. She is gonna get huge...She will need all the human contact she can get. I don't want her to ever be afraid of human touch. That is when an animals insticts kick in and they defend themselves without any thought process coming into play at all.....By the time I am finished with my part of raising her, she will not be intimidated by a warm hand and strike at it as though it were food....She needs attention, and she will get that from me.
She is little. I know that I would be much more comfortable around a huge snake that was handled every day as oppossed to a snake that sat in an enclosed area all day and only handled once or twice a week....I would be afraid, and for good reason...This snake that doesn't get handled very often will not have the TRUST that my snakes will have. ALL relationships are based on trust. You seem to be looking at your snakes as OBJECTS that you OWN!! They are not toys or pieces of furniture that your friends come over to admire....Thinking that what you have is COOL....Therefore YOU are cool....They are living creatures...Love them...Hold them...Respect them...Teach them and learn from them.....All of the Creators creations have a lesson to teach us......You must listen.....
Everyone I ever spoke to about rabbits told me to NEVER touch the newborns....The mother will kill them. I can't keep my hands off them. I snuggle with them and involve the mother so that she doesn't think I am there to kill and eat her babies. It is called TRUST. I have barn swallows that nest in the rafters of the little barn where I spend most of my time. There are 7 other buildings that they can nest in, but they don't. I have, for 11 years, gotten up on a step ladder and reached up and into the nests to count the eggs. I handle those baby birds until they are old enough to leave the nest...The first couple of years, the parents would freak and chirp and snap at me as they dive-bombed my head. Now they just watch from a distance as I play with and talk to the babies...They are no longer threatened by me....I am sure that some of the adults building the nests are babies that I have handled in the previous years. Are you getting my point?
It is not a bad thing to take advice and pass it on to those who have no experience, but rules are meant to be broken....I think that they call these rules 'Old Wives Tales.'
Sweetheart, You need to think OUTSIDE the box...Dare to be different and amaze your friends...I do.
How can you say that handling your snake stresses him out? How do you know this? Does he say to you, "OH, GOD!! Oh, my God!! Put me back in my cage!! I can't stand being touched by you. You make my skin crawl!! I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight if you don't put me back in my cage right now!!!! I am not going to be able to eat this week!!! You had me out way too long the other day, and now here you are again!!! There goes my blood pressure!!! Put me down!!! Put me back in my cage!!!!" That's really sad....
My snake says, "Hey! She finally got out of bed!! I can smell the coffee. She will be in my room pretty soon and come over to say , 'Good morning' to me! I cansmell the coffee on her breath!!Hey! She's gonna pick me up!! Woo Hoo!! I get to get my chin scratched and she will let me cuddle between her boobs. I like her. She breaks the boredom of living in this confined space she calls my cage. She is warm and gentle and I have no fear of her, because she is always there to be nice to me!!"
See the difference? Think about it!!

Buy the way....She is a really happy baby this morning. Last night after posting in this thread, my little darling attacked and ate two rat pups!!! This morning she is fat and happy!! So am I !!! I was very worried that she was not accepting food. I don't understand why the mite infestation would cause her to reject food, but everyone was right. She wouldn't eat. We must have don't a good job of eleminating them yesterday. Because she ate!!! Instict tells me to back off a little bit today, so that she can digest her food. I think that this was probably her very first meal. She pooped once in her feeding bin, several days ago and it didn't contain any bones....It was a dark green smooth little turd with a liquid that I assumed was pee. It looked healthy. I am so proud of her!! And she knows it.

Keep posting. You are ALL very helpful....Even you, Pitviper10...Now...Go to your room and bond with your snake!!!

Love you all,
D'Yani Walks Far :sun:

[steelnink]

LOL, you tell em Gramma.
You may be new to snakes, but with the way you are thinking, you'll be just fine...
The bond of trust and respect, is devoloped and earned by constant, gentle, interactions between keeper and kept.
A person must work for and earn this relationship.

Good luck with the burm Gramma, i wish you the best....

[pitviper10]

Ok you got me there reptigramma. maybe my veiw on snakes bonding to people was a little harsh, but i never said i veiwed them as an object. I know that when i see a snake that its not an object , but its aliving brathing creature that deserves respect. But as far as keeping the snake until you cant, i still think its a bad move. What if when the snake gets to large for you to handle and you want to sell it, but theres no one to take it? I think that if you cant keep it with you for its entire life then you should take it back to the pet store before it gets to big.

[Brookssayz]

Im new here but ive been reading up on some posts.. i would go pick up some Provent a Mite it seems to work very well i used it on my albino and hes been mite free for 2 months now. Mites usually come in on Rodents or other snakes..if you switch to frozen Mice the Mite problem will become a none isue. unless they are wood mites which can come in from any wood product picked from the wild if u do use something from the wild put it in the oven for a while to kill everything.

[ReptiGramma]

Thank you, Steel......I knew I was gonna like you!! LOL!!

Jay.....I have spent most of a wedding reception talking with a snake person and his family....He said that he will take over raising this little girl at any point in time. I talked with people at the pet store who were looking for a Burmese, but they didn't want to get a baby....They wanted one that was at least 8'. They took my number and I have there's. The pet shop owner's son, who raises snakes, said that they have people come in all the time who want a larger Burmese. I will never dispose of her. She will be a big happy baby, and I will make sure that she goes to a really good home. I plan to move from this God forsaken cold state of Michigan and get set up on another farm in southern Missouri. My tortoises will be able to have their own habitat outside and I may just create an indoor/outdoor habitat for my Burmese. Sweetheart, why do you want me to 'get rid' of her? I am starting to think that maybe you are starting to like me!!?? LOL!!

Brook....I am no expert, nor do I know this to be a fact, but I have been told that most mites are 'host specific.' The mites that attacked my poor little girl are 'cold-blooded mites.' Mites that get on furry little critters, don't want much to do with a cold-blooded animal....They can't survive...I would assume that the same would be true of any bugs that may have come in with the wood I had in her cage. These were definately snake mites. That is what the snake breeder at the pet store told me. I have no reason not to believe him and he has no reason to not be honest with me. I am sold on 'Reptile Relief.' It is an all natural product and absolutely non-toxic.....AND it worked!!

I am happy.....NO....Very happy to say that last night after her tramatic mite treatment and a long water soak.....My baby ate for the first time!! She gobbled down two rat pups that I had gotten earlier in the week and had kept alive by feeding them with a small animal bottle and sweetened cows milk. I am so happy!!! I can't understand why snakes refuse to eat just because they have mites, but I am convinced now that they don't and won't!! It is very probable that she has never eaten before. She is less than a month old. But she acted like an old pro when she took on those little rat pups!!! That whole scene will take some getting used to!!! I am afraid that I have started a habit.....I thought that she might still be hungry, so I quickly warmed up a frozen mouse for her....It was still in her cage this morning... Maybe she likes all the screaming!!!! Ughhhh...............

Holla back, ya'all!!!
Gramma

[pitviper10]

every thing is clear to me now. sorry about all the chastisment. i was under the impression that you going to try and find someone who would take the snake, i didnt know that you already knew someone who would. Im sorry if i came out being rude of impolite i was just thinking of whats best for the snake. Now that everything is clear to me of the futuer of the snake i am happy to admit that i was wrong about most everything i said. i now know that this snake is gonna live a happy life being with. I wish you the best of luck.
p.s. what do you mean that you think im starting to like you?? thats kinda weird.

[ReptiGramma]

Jay...You teenagers always take everything with a sexual undertone!! LOL!! I didn't think that you were being rude..I think that you are intelligent and genuinely concerned about the welfare of my snake. Which is cool....Don't apologize for having an opinion...I certainly have a few of my own...In case you didn't notice!! LOL!! I was never once the least bit angry with you....I just took it as a challenge...No anger!!! LOL!! I think it was neat that you kept it up. I really was wondering why you wanted me to get rid of her so adimately....Did you want her for yourself? LOL!! You can't have her right now...We are still bonding!
There is nothing wierd about you liking me.....My 15 year old granddaughter lives with me and all of her friends like me....I'm the coolest Gramma around....In fact, I'm cooler than most of their parents!! I'm an old hippy...My left ear is pierced 10 times, from top to bottom...My nose is pierced..I wear beaded and silver bracelettes that I never take off..also 6 or so ankle bracelettes..6 silver toe rings, and I have tatoos!! So don't take me too seriously...Life is too short...Find the smiles and don't apologize for having an opinion...And don't go away!!
I have been thinking of a name for my baby girl....
India
Samurai
Kryshna
Kahlua
Sumatra
What one do you like?
What did you name your snake?

Goodnight, Dude
Gramma :sun:

[pitviper10]

i like sumatra. it sounds cool.

[steelnink]

Well Gramma, as for the sexual undertone, you did mention snuggling between your boobs,lol.

Kahlua is a keeper, for sure.

[Rosy-enthusiast]

I like Kalua too! Definatley a cool name. I like the name "Uri" I named my hermit crab that :P But thats more of a male name and shes a female so Urisa :) You tell them gramma! Geese, you write your sentences really good, you know how to put stuff really good into words!


Rosy-enthusiast

[Ch3m1cal_x]

name it anything to do with an alcoholic drink :D Kahlua :) thats a must have name lol i think ill name my next crestie martini or something lol good name ideas tho :) n good luck with ur new pet

[ReptiGramma]

My Granddaughter's friends liked the name Kahlua too. But I already named her Kryshna and worte it in permanent marker on her soaking tub that I just bought her. I am thinking that when I get my Ball, I will name her Kahlua. It has been voted in. thanks to all who cast their ballot!!!

I just treated her with Reptile Relief for the second time. I don't think that there were anymore left on her, but i just wanted her be rid of those nasty critters!

[steelnink]

kryshna sounds good too, anything besides Monty.
Just a tip Gramma, try to get a yearling bp, already established [feeding], it'll save you alot of headaches.

[Rosy-enthusiast]

For some reason, Bps arent my kind of snake, but I had one for a little while, she was a baby and ate very well. I may get another one, one day.

Rosy-enthusiast

[deborahbroadus]

You go Gramma! Who am I calling Gramma, I am a Nana myself of 4 gorgeous young boys! :zi: You think like I do. I just got my first Ball in February and tempermentally because of my handling, he's very relaxed. Eats while we are watching, comes out of his hide when he "hears' us walking past (if he's not sleep). Doesn't slither to his hide when I reach for him, and curls "happily" around my wrist while I am on the computer...merrily flickering that tongue as he investigates. Mine "loves" to sleep on my belly. While I don't usually have him out for more than an hour, I do take him out often and haven't observed any signs of stress, but...HELL, I would get stressed if I had to keep him out an hour, I have too much to do :bugged: ..that's why I love snakes, they don't require as much attention as a dog, cat, or other animal, and I agree with you totally about handling and trust.

However, the young man (pitviper) does have a point about keeping them till you can't. When you can't anymore, and if you can't find a home, will you have him put to sleep? :eek: Remember you got the dear while he was a baby so you bonded...others are leery of taking on a full-grown Burm and the expense involved. Perhaps you have youngsters that you can get involved in his care so that they also can bond (older teenagers, young adults) and then they learn as the snake gets older..perhaps they would take over the care? Explore your options, but please understand that the kind of people that would take on a full grown Burm are few and far between. Or you could strike up a relationship with a breeder and investigate the possibility of them wanting him when he matures for breeding purposes?