Mites or ticks.. I NEED HELP

[python757]

Hey everyone, i purchased a coastal carpet recently and i brought it home to realise a couple of days later that it has ticks or mites.. im not sure which one it has all i know i that they get under the scales and suck the blood from it.. .. if anyone knows how i can resolve my problem i would so gratefull..

Cheerz everyone,
python757

[VixenBabe]

Well mites are very small, you might notice small red things crawling around , or a white dust on the snake ( theyre faeces) Ticks are much larger, you wouldnt have a problem seeing one if its fixed itself to your snake

[python757]

true but does anyone no how to get rid of them for good

[junglepython2]

Get a product called Top of Descent, the herpshop sells it. Also isolate the snake from any other reptiles you own.

[beeman]

have you had the new snake in quarentine since you brought it home
or was it housed near any others you own?

[python757]

No i put it in quarantine straight away.. ..

[beeman]

Get a can of top of descent, remove the water dish from you enclosure
and give it a spray with your snake in there( about a 2 to 3 second spray burst)
leave it for about an hour and then remove the snake into a holding tub and clean out
the enclosure and wipe it out with f10 disinfectant, place newspaper in the enclosure and put the snake
back in.
repeat this every 6-7 days for a month and you should clear the prob.
Remember do not handle any other snake during or after doing any work on the infected snake

[beeman]

You may want to watch your other snakes if you have handled them
before you noticed the problem

[mungus]

Who the hell sold you that snake ???

[Pythons_Reptiles]

Hi
you also need to inform whoever you got it from, make sure they fix the problem so nobody else gets stung.

[hodges]

If you are having problems trying to figure if it is ticks or mites buy the new reptiles australia mag it has some great information on the topic..or even just do a google search or something similar.

[Pythoninfinite]

Easy to tell between the two...

Ticks are larger, brown, and are usually stuck to the snake. If the critters are small, pin-head sized things that leave a brown (blood) smear when you wipe them with your finger, they are mites. And mites are actively seen crawling on the snake and cage surfaces.

Ticks would indicate a wild-caught snake.

Mites drown very easily in water, so the best way to remove them from your snake is to place the snake in a secure plastic tub of water (not too cold, and deep enough to cover the snake, but enough space for it to breathe) with just a few drops of dishwashing detergent in it, and leave it there in a warm place for 24 hours. This will drown any mites on the animal while you are dealing with the cage.

Without disturbing anything in the cage, spray your Top of Descent throughout the cage, on decorations, up in corners, and across any substrate, close the cage and leave for the 24 hours the snake is in water.

Remove and dispose of EVERYTHING in the cage (plastic garbage bag, sealed and removed from the reptile area), Then wash the cage with whatever disinfectant you choose. Line the floor with butcher's paper (white), add a new shelter (plastic box is good - easy to clean) and place the snake into it's newly cleaned home.

Spray the cage again with ToD after 10 days (after removing the animal).Use butcher's paper for a month and check frequently (at least daily) for mites - they can be seen very easily on butcher's paper.

There is no need to spray the snake with any insecticide - as i said, mites are easy to drown, so why risk exposing your animal to ANY chemical if it's not necessary.

I alway place new acquisitions in a clean white pillowcase for at least 24 hours after arrival - this will show immediately if your new critter has mites, and then you only have to treat the animal, no enclosures.

Get on to it straight away - if mites become established in your collection you will have a very big problem to get rid of them.

Jamie.