Looking for some advice

[Ligato]

Hey I just got an adult california Kingsnake from a man who had to rehome him and Ive noticed now that hes settled in and soaked in his water for a bit that there are small black specks that resemble pepper( not alot maybe 6-10 max)in his water bowl so im guessing these small specks are mites. He also sometimes darts out of his hide and kind of rubs himself on the bedding(hes done that maybe 1 or two times since ive gotten him) Not sure if that’s from stress or mites because he has been moved alot lately since i went to get him. I was already planning on trashing all the current bedding he came with and treating the entire enclosure and hides for mites. He over all seems healthy, hes very alert always flicking his tongue and pretty active there are no skin wounds or anything(he actually just finished a shed before i received him so his coloring is great), and because hes black and white spotting small mites on him that could be on the dark areas isnt the easiest thing. Also he likes to move. Since there are only 6-10 specks in his water after he fully submerges himself i doubt its a huge problem YET. My main question is, is it too soon for me to start aggressively treating his enclosure for mites? I’m trying to avoid stressing him out as much as possible. If it is too soon how long should i wait hes been with me for all of 3-4 days now. Thank you for your time. Also I’m newer to this forum and i hope to learn alot from all of you . Also hes around 4 and a half feet so he isn't a baby.

[Jim Smith]

I won't get into the treatment for mites as there are a number of threads here that discuss that in some detail. That said, I would strongly recommend two things.

1. If you have other snakes, IMMEDIATELY isolate this snake from anywhere near your other snakes. Mites have a way of getting from one enclosure to another even across a room. I think they may have the technology to beam themselves between enclosures like the old Star Trek transporter.

Determine if your snake does indeed have mites. The easiest way to do this is to moisten a paper towel and allow the snake to slither through the moist paper towel as you hold it against its skin. Don't squeeze it, but make the snake crawl through with slight pressure against it. When you look at the paper towel, you should see at least some living mites on the paper towel. If so, then look up the threads on treating mites and get started immediately. They can be a real pain in the butt to get rid of. It took me several months and several complete cage cleanings and disinfecting and I still had mites. I finally resorted to predatory mites to kill off the snake mites.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

[Humble308]

When my gopher snake had mites I got pretty aggresive about treatments as it had caused a regurge. Here's what I did, and after a week she was mite free. But folks more experienced than me could probably add to it.

I immediately discarded all bedding and switched out all the deco that was in her cage. I soaped the caged and cleaned it with light bleach solution and then a warm water rinse. While I did all this I let her have a warm bath in some shallow tap water for about 30 mins checking on her often to ensure she didn't drown.

After her bath I sprayed her head to tail in some mite spray (I'll update the brand later) and replaced the bedding with plain paper towels as it allows you to see the mites easier. Change the paper and water every day and every other day I'd hit her with the mite spray. The day after her last mite treatment I gave her one more warm bath to shed off any lingering or dead mites. I did this whole process for around 10 days and after day 3-4 most of the mites were gone. I also hit all my other snakes with the spray twice just to ensure they were mite free.

This may or may not be the right way to do it, but it worked for me and she's eating like a champ and keeping all her meals down. Best of luck!

[Ligato]

Ok thank you i will try the paper towel method he currently is my only snake so no worries about it spreading. I will keep you posted with the results. Thanks again

[jpsteele80]

Yep you have mites, i just recently last weekend found out my green tree had them and then spread to others in my collection, when i brought here home from a reptile show she had them, thought i got rid of them but apparently after a few months they came back so they can apparently live for a long time off a host. As stated above i would put him/her in a container of luke warm water (just above room temp) and let soak for a half hour or so while you clean, again as humble said paper towels work best at spotting them, personally i think Provent a Mite works the best. If you end up using that make sure the cages dries for at least 2 hrs and all the fumes are gone before sticking back in there and dont put water in for 24hrs. if you have other animals you may want to treat all cages and repeat again in 4 months and 4 months after that.

[Ligato]

Thank you all he did have a few mites on him when i tried the wet paper Towel method so i discarded all the bedding/and logs treated the enclosure and put him on paper-towels. I changed them a few times every day and i no longer see any signs of mites. I'll be keeping my eye on it for a few more days before returning him to aspen. Now, all i need to do is get him to eat with me lol

[EL Ziggy]

How did you treat the snake for mites? You may want to give him 2-3 biweekly treatments before returning him to regular bedding.

[Ligato]

i used the suggested wet paper-towel method to make sure he had any there were only a few so i immediately removed everything in the cage(threw away the aspen and logs, boiled other accessories for a bit) then sprayed the entire cage with my friend's can of "Prevent- A - Mite" and let him soak with a bit of "natural chemistry reptile spray" then after everything aired out for a while(also till i could no longer smell any chemicals)i put down a few layers of paper-towel (kept his hot spot at 85-90 degrees) and i changed the papertowels atleast 3 times a day. Now i see no sign of mites, but he is not showing any interest in feeding(hes constricted a mouse thats about it). I read since he is an adult male he might be off food because hes looking for a mate? Can anyone give me any insight on that? Hes still active and i catch him drinking water everyday and passing waste every so often.

[Albert Clark]

He may also be having a reaction to the mite infestation. They carry diseases that can cause inappetance in the reptiles they take blood from. Usually the reptile can recover from this once his immune system really kicks back in. It may take awhile though. Keep his temps bumped up a bit and make sure he stays hydrated. Consider re treating for the mite eggs that were laid but did not hatch out for another 2 weeks. Mites and their eggs are problematic and will return if not treated adequately.

[Ligato]

Ok that makes sense thank you. Also, hes a 4 1/2 foot adult male how long can he safely go without food?

[Albert Clark]

Originally Posted by Ligato

Ok that makes sense thank you. Also, hes a 4 1/2 foot adult male how long can he safely go without food?

Hey, as long as he is hydrated, i would say for awhile. Not only drinking fluids but making sure he gets into a appropriate sized tub if he continues to not feed. In the tub make a shallow mixed solution of water and pedialite. Then allow him to soak for about 20 minutes. Snakes can absorb fluids through their cloaca. Really you only need to do this if he stays off food for extended period of time. Stay on top of your husbandry and monitor it closely, he will bounce back. Dont forget to retreat for the mite eggs.

[Ligato]

Ok thanks again its been about 5 weeks(including the week his previous owner didn't feed him because he was in the process of shedding). Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it. : )

[Ligato]

Took a mouse today finally . Thank you all for helping me through this I really really appreciate it.