maybe mites? - Page 2

gonesnakee · 09-12-10, 02:03 PM

Oil damages their scales & can make them fall in in large groups.
Lots of things would kill them if it was smeared on the snake.
Peanut butter, margarine, mayo, vasoline, hand cream you name it would smother mites on the animal itself.
As far as that goes plain old water would do the trick there with no ill effect as all you ar doing is "drowning" the mites, however none of this would kill mites not on the animal itself nor any of the eggs which would be present in or around the enclosures.
NIX & P.A.M. would not only kill all mites on the animals itself, but any in or around the enclosures as well as any eggs.
Smearing the snake up with ________ doesn't solve the problem & depending what is smeared on it cause more issues than it had to begin with & just prolong the mite infestation as well as it does nothing to the other mites or their eggs. Mark

Freebody · 09-12-10, 02:51 PM

ya that makes sence, i didnt think of it hurting the scale. thx

mykee · 09-12-10, 02:57 PM

Quote:

"should i rub some oil on him "

You should only ever rub oil on a snake if:
1. It's an SPF 30 or more and you plan on leaving him ouside on a sunny day.
2. you plan of BBQ'ing him up for a feast.
3. his muscles are tight and you plan to give him a good rub down.

gonesnakee · 09-12-10, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykee

You should only ever rub oil on a snake if:
1. It's an SPF 30 or more and you plan on leaving him ouside on a sunny day.
2. you plan of BBQ'ing him up for a feast.
3. his muscles are tight and you plan to give him a good rub down.

What about some of "those" videos you see on the internet?

LOL NOT! Mark
P.S. also keep in mind that both NIX & P.A.M. can be very dangerous if not used properly or are used excessively rather than just once or twice PROPERLY

Freebody · 09-12-10, 03:17 PM

sounds great guys

to be honest i got some guys at my old job, burmies and veitnamies guys they grew up eating snakes, burms and retics they say are their favorites, everytime they go back home they make sure to eat some before they come back from holidays.... im like your never coming to my house lol i believe it to as they would bring bbq bats,rats,chicken feet,ciclid fish,oscars stuff you see in the pets stores, and stuff that smelt rotten and chow it down and ask me all the time if i wanted to try some lol great guys but I dissagree with their diets lol

Will0W783 · 09-12-10, 03:25 PM

I would give the snake a 20 minutes in a tub with just enough very slightly warm water and a dash of Dawn (or other mild, unscented) dish detergent to cover his sides but he can still rest in the bottom. Put a lid on the tub and let him soak. When you're done, check the water very carefully. If there are no mites in the water after the soak, the snake probably does not have them.

Personally, whenever I bring home a new snake, it gets a soak to check for mites and to see how bad they are if it does have them. Then it gets Nix if I found anything.

Freebody · 09-12-10, 03:37 PM

my jag and my bredle love to chill in their water tubs 75% of the time. hes back in his water now and no sign of mites on his head nothing in his water

really gave me a scare when i seen what i seen but all signs point to nothing. think i should still get some dawn and try a soak that way? i would need to go buy some as i use a dish washer and dont have anything suitable.

gonesnakee · 09-12-10, 04:02 PM

If its soaking & had mites you would see them in the water or on its head area around its pits, nose & eyes avoiding being "drowned" Mark

citysnakes · 09-13-10, 03:51 PM

if i saw those little bugs in any one of my snake's water bowls i'd just treat everything with PAM to be safe... no soaking snakes to check for mites just straight treatment for all... then practice proper quarantine and you should be mite free for a long, long time... just an opinion.

gonesnakee · 09-13-10, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by citysnakes

if i saw those little bugs in any one of my snake's water bowls i'd just treat everything with PAM to be safe... no soaking snakes to check for mites just straight treatment for all... then practice proper quarantine and you should be mite free for a long, long time... just an opinion.

I wouldn't.
Exposing all your snakes to toxic checmicals for no reason is not a good idea.
Both P.A.M. & NIX are toxic afterall thus why they kill everything & the eggs etc. Something to always take into consideration when using either.
Neither should be used unless actually required.
They should not be used as a prophylactic but rather as a cure.
There are lots of perfectly harmless "bugs" that you may encounter that have zero ill effect to the animals that are nothing to worry about & definitely not worth subjecting your entire collection to potentially harmful chemicals over. Mark
P.S. of course I agree if proper Q is always practiced one never has to treat their entire collection ever, but just the odd new aquisition that arrives with more than what you paid for

Freebody · 09-13-10, 04:31 PM

if i had seen other bugs in his cage or anything i would have either taken him and his cage out of that room or have taken the other cages out and treated the entire room for sure. i would never treat unless i was 100% sure that animal needed treatment as i think its bad idea as well to subject an animal to toxic chemicals for no good reason just to be safe. I had just put new snakes in the room but i got all my snakes from great breeders but i guess @#$% happens so i will start putting new snakes in quarentine before they enter the snake room from now on.better safe than sorry if thats what you mean by proer quarentine

happy to say i have checked and checked and checked again and their is no sign of any bug in that room in any cage and his water is still clean, i dont know why their was the bugs i seen in his water or how they got their but all is good

im really thankfull for everyones help and sugestions and support

Cheers

citysnakes · 09-14-10, 01:26 PM

Mark, i guess i should have been a bit more clear...

my previous post was not meant to imply that entire established collections should be treated with PAM because of a few fruit flies buzzing around but was advice directed specifically towards the OP's situation.

i concluded, that in this situation, since the OP has to question whether these bugs are snake mites or not and a bunch of his snakes are constantly soaking in their water bowls and also because we are unaware of his quarantine and husbandry practices, which i had previously assumed before reading the post above that they may not be the best, he should treat his entire collection for mites.

i do agree with you that treating established snakes with potentially harmful chemicals as a precaution is unnecessary but i do treat every single quarantine tub with PAM before any new additions arrive as a precaution and i dont see any quarantine method as proper without a prelim PAM treatment (but thats just me...).

gonesnakee · 09-14-10, 01:41 PM

I used to NIX all new ones as well in the past, but have since changed & only done so when required for sure.
I too am pretty confident on where I aquire most all of my snakes from now as I am pretty selective compared to say 5 years ago so its not as big of an issue, quarrantine that is.
I used to take NIX to the shows & would spray all my tables & the perimiter prior even setting up back in the day LOL
Where does caution end & paranoia begin eh? LOL
I'd rather be called paranoid then treating an entire collection for mites though as I'm sure is the case with you as well ? Cheers Mark

citysnakes · 09-14-10, 06:50 PM

haha ya man im the same way, i may be considered paranoid but youre not going to find a mite in my collection.

im gonna keep that little tip in mind and treat my entire table with PAM next show i do...

shaunyboy · 09-15-10, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gonesnakee

Hopefully just fruit flies as they tend to be attracted to the water & usually drown in it.
I have noticed there seems to be a lot of fruit flies towards the end of summer here as well. If you have fruit eaters you likely have FFs.
Inspect the snake in question really close around its head, nose & pits as thats where mites like it best.
See if it starts soaking or any other signs.
If it has mites you will find some on the snake & they will squish red (blood) as has been suggested.
DO NOT I repeat do not use any type oil on your snake.
If you decide it is mites & a treatment is required go with the NIX treatment of Provent A Mite if it is available to you.
NIX of course is readily available everywhere & if you need the proper "care sheet" for use I can send you a link to the TARAS forums if it is not already posted here on site somewhere.
Not likely they are wood mites if you do not use shavings, sometimes there will be little gnats in the summer around that are attracted to the feces & water dishes as well & & also "springtails" which are all harmless of course but anoying & paranoia causing as well LOL Mark

have to agree with the above mate

i would never use oil on any of my snakes.it makes me cringe every time someone on a uk forum suggests it.

mites are the size of a full stop in this post...........

as chuck said if you give one a squish with your fingers you'll see blood.

horrible little dudes but easy to kill

provent a mite all the way for me,does exactley what it says on the can

cheers shaun