Newbie With Mites

[DrSquat]

Hello everyone. I'm very new to this scene having just purchased a Woma and JAG hatchy. Unfortunately it seems as though the Woma came with mites. I've the forums and followed the de-infestation advice from K Brothers youTube vid using Mac mite. I did this yesterday and has her in her tub since last night. When I checked her this morning there was plenty of dead mites in the bottom of the tub but she still has quite a few on her. I tried washing her down using a clean Chux and water, got a few off. My questions are; will the mites still attached die from the Mac mite I already used or should I try the tub of water trick? if the water is the go what do people recommend; plain old water or something in it and how long do I keep her in there? Soz for the long post. PS the jag also came from the same owner and she is fine - no mites anywhere but I treated her as well. Thanks

 

[pinefamily]

Welcome to APS.
Did you strip the tub and spray it with the spray as well? Also wash everything that was in the tub thoroughly. You will need to put paper towel down in the tub to keep an eye on the mites. Keep checking for another day or so, then repeat the treatment if there are still mites.

 

[DrSquat]

Sure. Stripped, sanitised and treated the enclosure. I also did the same to her transport tub and left her in that for the night. Thought I'd try and treat her in that because it's smaller. I'll wait a day or two and treat her again before I try the water method.


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[pinefamily]

Sometimes the mites take a bit longer to die/drop off. That's why the paper towel is good: change it every day (or more), until you don't see any mites.

 

[dragonlover1]

another trick is to wipe olive oil down your python as it drowns the mites,also you can use a flea bomb in the enclosure with the snake out of course

 

[Ashleyyedwards7]

I recently had mites for the first time too. First I used a flea bomb in the room then used Top of decent spray in the enclosure (much the same as mac mite I believe) and fully cleaned out the enclosure/ soaked everything in hot water with a bit of permoxin. I bathed her in a diluted permoxin solution for 5 min then rinsed her in fresh water. The mites all dropped off her. I'm repeating this today (13 days later) as you have to break the mites' breeding cycle and get any that may have survived.

 

[pythoninfinite]

another trick is to wipe olive oil down your python as it drowns the mites,also you can use a flea bomb in the enclosure with the snake out of course

Don't use oil of any type on the snake. It can be very damaging to the skin, and the other treatments suggested here are far better. I would suggest using a flea/cockroach bomb to fumigate the room and enclosure (leave it wide open during the treatment). The residue won't hurt the snake, but will kill any mites in the room and the enclosure, and prevent further infestation as it stops hatching eggs from developing.

When treating the snake itself, be sure to swab thoroughly around the eyes and the labial pits - mites will congregate under the scales around the eyes because the skin is thin and very vascular, so it's easy for them to get a blood meal.

Here's a pic of the shed skin of a snake I recently treated with Orange Medic - you can see the dead mites around the eyecaps - these couldn't be seen until the snake shed (which they often do after a mite infestation is treated).

Jamie

 

[DrSquat]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I guess I'll know in a month or so if I got it right!