one more mite question

[jay76]

As you know, I'm trying to treat a young burm for mites. I did a check on him today and several of the mites are way deep under the scales. Will they still come off with a shed? Or is there something else I need to do about them? Thanks

[Zoe]

Well, you should soak him for a couple of hours in a nix solution to kill/drown the mites. Some may stay stuck under the scales, but they'll come off with his next shed.

Zoe

[Jayson]

Heres what ihave done and works well.

get a container of water (luke warm) large enough for the snake to fit in.
add a small amount of listerine (mouthwash) like a cap full to 10 litters of water put your snake in it for about 30mins
take him out rinse him off good with a wet cloth (preferably white) then you can see the mites coming off and sticking to the cloth.
while you are waiting for the snake to soak clean the cage with water and bleach at 30:1 (water:bleach)do not use this tank for a week keep the snake a rubbermaid or somthing easy to clean, because you will have to repeat cleaning the snake and container everyday for at least three days in a row.
after 3-4 more days clean snake and container again then put him back in his origional cage. then after another week i do another full clean.
This has worked 100% for me on 3 diffrent occasions.

Note: make sure your snake is not drowning, but also make sure he goes under water a few times as mites like the eye sockets and the chin folds.
also two sided tape wraped around the outside of the tank will ensure no new mites will get in and no old mites will get out to lay more eggs.

Jason

[jay76]

Thanks, Zoe, I'm still trying to convince him Nix is safe and effective. Him getting off his duff and getting more Ivo would be ideal since then we can start in on the mites without waiting for him to make up his mind...

Jayson, I haven't heard of listerene before, and the guy who owns the burm is reluctant to try new things... I'll keep it in mind though. Thanks!

[V.hb]

What jayson says works perfectly however this is what I do its a little different. After soaking the snake, do it for about an hour. Take him out dry him off then coat him with a thick layer of mineral oil and leave him on newspaper.. It took one treatment for me on an infested BCI and all mites were gone.

[Lisa]

I like provent a mite. same active ingreadient as in nix and i think it's black flag. instead of being a liquid it's a vapour and is far more effective. it's so effective that YOU DO NOT TREAT THE SNAKE, you treat the enclosure. This is great for when the mites are coming from somewhere else, such as your substrate. It's availble at many herp shops and pet stores. while treating the enclosure i like to let the snake soak for a bit.

If you do go the way of provent a mite read the directions 3 times.

[BoidKeeper]

Make your own home made proventamite using nix shampoo. Like Zoe said let him soak for a bit in some of it.
Here's what I've done in the past.
Spray snake inside a rubbermaid. Take out all substrate from the cage. Spray down the cage then add new substrate (newspaper) and spray it again. If you hide boxes are plastic spray them down too. Put that snake back in the cage with out a water bowl for 24hrs. That's all there is too it. But the water bowl back in and go on with life. Repate the whole thing in 5-7 days just to make sure but one treatment is usually all it takes. If you suspect mites always look in the water bowl you'll find them dead in there if you have any.
Good luck,
Trevor

[Lisa]

As a preventive measure we spray when ever we change the substrate (cypress mulch). no hitch hikers that way.

[jay76]

Thanks for the useful advice everyone! I think I'll take a look for some proventamite tomorrow (and read the label 3 times )

Does bleach and hot water kill mite eggs?

V.hb: I assume the mineral oil should be kept out of the snake's eyes, right? Just like other treatments?

[Lisa]

I think bleach either gets into the silicone or breaks down the silicone, i cant remember which. also you can't use it to treat substrate and if your substrate is the source of your mites changing it won't be enough.

[BoidKeeper]

You can't legally get proventamite in Canada. No need to use bleach and hot water if you spray the cage with the nix mixture.
Cheers,
Trevor

[KingFfaj]

if you cabt get proventamite in canada, then just make sure you get some other kind of "PYRETHIN-BASED spray to spray on the snake, then just rinse of, its the only way to be sure. For the cage you COULD get a pest strip about an inch square in a bottle in a ventalated cage( dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate) ((or dichloros)) but be care full coz this stuff kills EVERYthing if use incorrectly

[ANACONDASAURUS]

This product worx very well and I know it's available in Canada!

NIX and Other Delousing Products
One person reported using NIX (an over-the-counter preparation for human lice infestations, similar to Rid and Pronto, which contain the same ingredients), mixed 50/50 with water, applied to the snake. It was left on for no more than 10 minutes. The snake was then rinsed thoroughly to remove all solution residue. It was reported to have been effective. Another person reported using NIX full strength on his two snakes. He left it on for ten minutes and then put the snakes in their enclosure, into which a No-Pest strip had been placed. One snake died within 24 hours, one survived but was weak. Organophosphate poisoning from No-Pest strips can, and have repeatedly, caused damage to the reptilian (and other animals) central nervous system; many have died. It is not known in this case whether it was the full strength NIX, the No-Pest strip, or both in combination that cased the death of one and subsequent health problems in the other.

[Wildkingdom]

I use nix and it works awsome. I mix 1 bottle of nix to 4 liters of water. I mist the snake and enclosure very well and nix does the rest. In most cases ther is no need to repeat but I would just to be safe.

Tim