Mites

[Laikin]

Hi guys, ive recently found out that my snake has mites. what should i do?
the last time i was worried i watched him for a couple of days and checked on him. as there where no serious signs pointing towards him having mites i ignored it for a couple of weeks for i though i was overreacting and i checked again out of curiosity today and their are a couple black things under his scales and his skin around his neck is looser. i know it was very irresponsible of me to not do something sooner but from what i have read he didn't show any signs of mites at first.

 

[CF Constrictor]

Hi Laikin
To start , i would fill an apropriate sized container (click clack or something similar with a lid) with warm water about 28c , add a little hand soap or mild dishwashing liquid , just deep enough to completly submerge the snake and let it soak for 20 or 30 minutes. Then set up a temporary home for it while you clean and spray its enclosure with mite spray. Use another plastic container lined with white paper and just a small water bowl and a heat mat under 1 end. That way you can more eazily see how badly its infested and keep an eye on how the treatment is progressing. After soaking , look for any mites left floating then leave it in its temp home overnight. Carfuly check the snake and container for mites the next day. If you find any , apply a thin coat of vegetable oil , yes cooking oil all over the snake
[doublepost=1602896129,1602894615][/doublepost]

Hi Laikin
To start , i would fill an apropriate sized container (click clack or something similar with a lid) with warm water about 28c , add a little hand soap or mild dishwashing liquid , just deep enough to completly submerge the snake and let it soak for 20 or 30 minutes. Then set up a temporary home for it while you clean and spray its enclosure with mite spray. Use another plastic container lined with white paper and just a small water bowl and a heat mat under 1 end. That way you can more eazily see how badly its infested and keep an eye on how the treatment is progressing. After soaking , look for any mites left floating then leave it in its temp home overnight. Carfuly check the snake and container for mites the next day. If you find any , apply a thin coat of vegetable oil , yes cooking oil all over the snake

. You dont want it dripping in oil , but covered completely from head to tail. Any remaining mites will be unable to latch onto the snake and will become covered in oil and suffocate. You will need mite spray to treat the enclosure as the mites don't live on the snake , they only feed off it , they lay eggs in any little gap or space suitable place in the enclosure. Mite spray will kill any living mites but will not kill any eggs , so you will need to take out the snakes water bowl , spray the whole encosure , seal it up and leave it for 2 days. Then you will have to repeat the process so any eggs that survived the first spray will be killed. After that i would carfuly wash it inside and out and let it air for a few days. Any questions don't hesitate to ask and good luck. Mites are a pain in the butt , but i assure you this method works.

 

[Laikin]

thanks so much, i dont have any mite spray so do you have any suggestions for where i could buy or possibly make?
[doublepost=1602899183,1602897984][/doublepost]he's busy soaking now,

 

[CF Constrictor]

Any pet store that caters for reptiles or even birds should have mite spray or be able to point you in the right direction .There are different brands.
The small amount of soap in the bath should dislodge most of the mites currantly on the snake. Adding soap reduces the waters surface tension making it difficult for the mites to trap tiny air bubbles , so they let go or drown. The idea is to stop any more mites from getting to maturity and breeding. To get there they have to feed in blood first . The oil will stop them feeding on your snake for long enough for you to break the cycle. Eggs hatch within 48 hours so timing is the key if you see what i mean. Good luck