Mites??

[Jessica_101]

I just got back from vacation and my snake has these little things on it. I dont know what they are, theyre really really small (like a pencil dot) and white and they move around. Theyre not around the snakes head, just sort of on his body. Theres probably about ten of them. He is acting normal, eating fine, and isnt soaking in his water dish or anything . Anybody have an idea of what they might be? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[robertS]

most likely mites.remove ones you can see.and get something to get rid of them.make sure when you use mite treatment to clean up everything in your cage as well.

[Herp Whisperer]

Jessica
Those would be the dreaded snake mites. They look like the period at the end of this sentence, and are generally black, red, or white.
No worries though- just takes a little work.
Here's what I do when I have this problem- I'm sure other folks have a favorite method, and you'll probably get a variety of answers. One thing however- DO NOT let your vet inject Ivermectin. Ivermectic kills snakes fairly often, and there are better ways.
First, get another container for your snake- Rubbermaid is fine, it's temporary. Don't keep your snake on wood chips or other natural substrate- it took me years to learn this lesson, but use astroturf (fake grass) or newspaper, butcher paper, etc.
Leave the temporary enclosure bare-bottomed, no substrate at all. Give your snake a bath- if he'll soak quietly, let him soak for 30 minutes or so- many of the mites will drown or simply wash off.
Buy some De Flea Reptile Relief, by Natural Chemistry, online or at the pet supply. I just discovered this stuff fairly recently, and damned if it doesn't work- years ago I would have scoffed at anything over-the-counter. Spray your snake directly with the rep relief, do not dry, and place him in the temporary enclosure.
(An alternate is Provent-a-Mite, which works well too)
Now take his regular enclosure outside, if possible- if not you'll just have to be careful. Mix up a gallon or so of a 5% bleach/water solution, and thoroughly- and wetly- wipe down his entire enclosure, and let it sit. If you can, submerge all of the enclosure's "furniture" (Hides, tubs, water dishes, etc) in a bleach solution and let it sit. After about an hour, thoroughly- and repeatedly- rinse and dry the enclosure and furniture.
If you use any wooden items, wrap them in foil and bake them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (tree limbs, wooden hides, etc) If too large for the oven...I'd replace them.
You can put it all back together, but let your snake live in the bare rubbermaid (or whatever) for about 2 weeks, then wet him with the reptile relief again. Give it a day, then you should be ok to return him to his regular enclosure- inspect him for mites, particularly around his eyes, the crease in the bottom of his lower jaw heat pits (if applicable) etc. If he's clean, you're probably ok.
Wild snakes have mites- and it isn't generally a problem for them. The snake moves around alot, and regularly sheds his skin, and the mites. In captivity, however, he's stuck with them- and they multiply pretty quickly. (This is the reason for the second snake treatment, to get any newly hatched mites)

Oh- if you see "about 10 of them", there are alot more, guaranteed!

Good luck- most of us have been through this at some point(s)!

James

[gonesnakee]

First off how do we know they are snake mites for sure. Well folks the easiest way to tell is too observe the ones you can see. Are any attached to the snake? If so squish those ones first, is there blood when you squish them or any others you squish? If so most likely snake mites. Also snake mites are not white they are usually red or black. I've never seen or heard of white ones anyhow. What type substrate do you use? Is it any kind of bark or wood chips or shavings? Ever see wood mites before? They are tiny lil white suckers that have been known to casue us snake folks undue stress thinking that somehow we have become infested. Any new snakes lately? How long have you had the snake in question? Snake mites don't just show up. The snake either had them the whole time & you are just finding out about them or they were introduced by another host, thus a new snake. There is the rare occassion that you could have picked up a "tag-a-long" one that you had on yourself by handling someone elses infested snake or being at their place & having brought it back on your clothing. Best bet to quarrantine new ones & as part of that a precautionary mite treatment. Never handle others snakes, specially at a petstore & then handle your own. With the exception of herp shows I shower & change before touching my stuff after handling others stuff, specially at a store. Anyhow if they are mites the post above is the basic type treatment, though I'd recomend NIX or PAM (provent a mite) both have the same active ingredient & both kill mite eggs as well. Not sure about the other product mentioned, but the treatment is similar. I would give everything a good cleaning as mentioned & also spray it all down with NIX or PAM too, hope they are just wood mites, Cheers Mark

[Herp Whisperer]

Ok, I guess I need to get a little more technical for some folks.
The snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis, goes through several stages after hatching- The first stage after the hatch is larval. The larvae are white, have six legs, and exist for about 24 hours.
Next the larvae become protonymphs, which, again, are white or light yellow colored. They have 8 legs in the protonymph stage. Protonymphs can appear red if they are engorged with blood, but their natural color is white or nearly so.
Protonymphs then become Deutonymphs, which are dark colored- red or black, and large- probably engorged, although it is not believed that they feed during this stage, which appears to be purely transitional.
Finally, the mites reach the mature, or adult, form. Adult Ophionyssus natricis can vary in color from ivory to tan to dark red or black- although they are actually an ivory color, and the darker variations are due to blood engorgement.
So essentially, you can ignore these mites and wait to see if they get darker in a week or two (while they are laying eggs) or you can assume they are snake mites now, and treat the snake and enclosure.
As for Nix, several herpetological and veterinary newsletters I receive have reported reptile deaths after using Nix as a mite treatment. I have never used it myself, but I have known people who have- it may be safe, as there is no control nor even info on how these reptiles were treated with the stuff- the deaths may be from improper usage and not the chemical itself. However, with proven products like Reptile relief and provent a mite available, why risk it?

Good luck!

James

[gonesnakee]

As for Nix, several herpetological and veterinary newsletters I receive have reported reptile deaths after using Nix as a mite treatment. I have never used it myself, but I have known people who have- it may be safe, as there is no control nor even info on how these reptiles were treated with the stuff- the deaths may be from improper usage and not the chemical itself. However, with proven products like Reptile relief and provent a mite available, why risk it?

Ah I guess you missed part of the facts there

I'd recomend NIX or PAM (provent a mite) both have the same active ingredient & both kill mite eggs as well.

PAM & NIX are one in the same, as the active ingredient is the same chemical. The only cases I have ever heard of NIX causing death in snakes is by folks applying it directly to the snake in full concentration (it is diluted with a gallon of distilled water if the treatment is done correctly). PAM is a reptile specific product that you will pay a lot more for & is only available in herp stores, whereas NIX is far cheaper & available at any pharmacy. As far as mites being white well it seems you know lots about them, but they can't even be seen by the "naked eye" at the stages you are refering too, so I guess likely why everyone considers them to be black or red. You have assummed they are snake mites right off, something one might want to verify before putting their entire collection thru full blown mite treatment don't ya think? Maybe you are not famililar with wood mites but they come in wood products occassionally & are harmless to herps & are often mistaken for snake mites. Something you might want to also research as you come across the type that likes to get a little more technical LOL & while you are at it check out the active ingredients in the products you are suggesting using over the ones you are suggesting not too. If the active ingredient is the exact same how can one reccomend one to be safe & the other not I am a snake breeder & myslef & most all other snake breeders I know all use NIX as a precautionary measure with all new aquisistions as part of a quaratine procedure & in the event of a snake actually arriving in a shipment with a mite infestation NIX has worked successfully every single time with zero ill effects in my experience & that of all other breeders I know. I just attended one of the largest shows in Canada this weekend & every snake breeder there was using NIX on all of their new aqusistions as well as on their stock that they took home after the show to ensure that no "tag-alongs" were brought to their tables by other vendors or attendees. When one keeps literally 100's (couple of friends of mine keep 1000's) of snakes (some high end specimens worth as much as $10,000+ each) you don't want to risk your collection/livelihood. NIX (& Provent-a-mite) has been proven time & time again as one of the most effective treatments for snake mites whether it be precationary or for eradication. If we are talking one snake I would say go for it (treatment), but in the case of multiple snakes or a large collection ensure they are indeed snake mites before going into a state of paranoia over possibly harmless wood mites. Not worth the time & effort & stress on yourself or your collection. Cheers Mark

[gonesnakee]

http://www.albertareptilesociety.org/Caresheets/nix.pdf Oh also should mention DO NOT use NIX or any other mite treatment in the presence of Arachnoids (death to them) or amphibians (can also be fatal). Don't want to cause harm to other possible residents of ones reptile room. Mark