mite info + why does my snake always do this..

[Mike521]

Hey all, I believe these forums are where I posted about 4 months ago asking for advice on how to get rid of a case of mites on my red tail boa.
Several people recommended Provent-a-mite and I ordered it and it worked PERFECTLY, I applied it once and have not seen a single mite since then. Amazing that its so easy to get rid of these things when the right product is used, and I struggled for so long with Ivermectin (from the vet) and ridmite from the pet store.

Also I'm wondering if anyone else notices that their snake does the same thing here:

my snake seems to ALWAYS wait for me to clean out his tank before he goes to the bathroom. It seems like 95% of the time that I clean his tank, within 3 hours of putting him back in the nice clean tank, he lets out a huge crap. I think he does it on purpose to drive me crazy lol
Does anyone else experience this? do they just like to crap on a cleaner surface?

thanks in advance, see ya's later


PS. I posted this on another topic but no one read it and I realized it had nothing specifically to do with boa's so I put it here

[JasonBrennan]

I usually figure that when I clean a cage or water bowl, I will be recleaning it at least one more time with in 24 hours! My younger snakes all seem to dump right after I change the water, while the older ones don't do that. Of course, the younger ones feed more often, so they have more to process (relative to their size).

[Mike521]

LOL good point

lol, yeppers almost without fail and the boas luv a nice clean water to do their business. Helpfull hint, clean the day of defication, usually (but not always) they will be running on empty.

[LdyDrgn]

I replied to this thread in another forum here, but I'll do it again, I guess. LOL

When you get the snake out to clean it's cage, it gets exercise from being handled. This helps things move along, so to speak, and when you put the snake back in, it eliminates.

[Emily-Fisher]

Perhaps he is really scared about something? I agree, stress could be the reason although my corn snake has never deficated right after I clean his cage...strange.

[Mike521]

hmm well I wouldn't go for the stress thing strictly based on age--cause my snake isn't young, he's um around 7 years old.

I was also thinking--you know how they say that if you put certain reptiles in warm water, it makes them go to the bathroom? well when I clean out my snake's tank, I put him in a bucket of lukewarm water. It was a habit I got into when he had mites, and now I figure no reason not to, it'll get him clean if he's happened to take a crap and crawl in it before I cleaned the tank out.
anyway maybe thats why? but I don't put him in lukewarm water, I put him in like, I dunno, cooler water but not too cool. and he doesn't go to the bathroom in the water, he waits between 1 and 3 hours

I think he does it just cause he hates me. he's laughing about it on the inside, I know he is.

[Bryce Masuk]

its probley the fact snakes like to scent where they live just like most animals when you put new shavings in his scent is gone and they are just putting it back in just like thing all are slightly different so your snake may need to mark his terriory to feel secure