The war againts Snake Mites

[Doug]

HI,
Many times we are trying to do the right thing with our pets to keep them healthy and free of mites, but to do this you need a good foundation or understanding of the life cycle of the common snake mite.
It can be a little tricky getting them gone for good.
SO here's a link to a well written treatment plan that also identifies the life cycles so you can see why they keep coming back. ..

VPI Life History of the Snake Mite


I personally only use PAM (Provent-A-Mite), so any additional products listed above should be researched to be sure its safe.when using PAM you are killing the adults, any larva will die as soon as they hatch and the cycle is broken its safe if used as directed , its proven safe, and the snake will be mite free in about a day the cage may take longer but the PAM last up to a month after a single treatment..
The link was to help everyone see how complex the life cycle is and the problems that can occur with a mite infestation.
Doug

[Doug]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

hi,
PAM or provent-a-mite is sold at many petstores and is really cheap, IE (animal Jungle) the really new thing about it you remove all the substrate and the snake , water dish and lightly spray down the cage paying attention to corners and cracks And I usally spray hides.
Thats it for one month your done. don't wash the cage out between treatments the whtie residual is the PAM its fairly inert and will not harm reptiles.
I don't use any wood bark for the very reason you stated most stores are mite infested and you may bring them home with your bark.
I switched to newspaper and haven't seen a mite in my cages in 4 years.
Doug

[recycling goddess]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

i was told to rub my hoggie down with mineral oil to kill the mites while i wait for the provent-a-mite to come in the mail.

has anyone heard of this working?

side effect: our snakes scales are now shedding... each one individually. (when you go fishing and catch a fish and hold it in your hands and you get scales all over your hands... well that's what it's like holding our snake now) - we soaked him in a bucket with a little liquid dish soap in the water.

[Phoenix]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

Doug, Provent-a-mite is sold at pet stores? I'm really impressed with the product, but I always ordered it from Pro Products. It would be great to find a local dealer that sells it. Are we talking Petsmart, Petco, and the like?

[ralphthesnake]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

I have heard of mineral oil working, and have used it on my own snakes with no problems. I also used provent a mite after I finally got it in. You won't find it at petco or petsmart, check your local pet stores.

[recycling goddess]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

the mineral oil made a HUGE mess and made his next molt horrid.

i don't recommend it at all.

[ssscales]

Re: The war against Snake Mites

I've used Equate Bedding lice spray from Wal-Mart, $4.00.
Works great, use same as Provent-a-mite.

We treat our Aspen bedding in our prepared tubs a day or two before they are used, along with our pre-cut sheets of Kraft paper we use in our cages as Preventative maintenance. Haven't seen a mite in almost a year!

We also treat the cages themselves once every 2-3 months.
Winning the war on mites!

[Tecky]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

Ok, so I've only seen 2 mites on my snake in the last few days, but I wanna take care of this before it gets out of hand. I used to own an iguana, and one of the things they suggested was rubbing Benatine on it to get rid if them. It's a human antiseptic, would this be good to use? Or no?

[Phoenix]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

Provent-a-mite seems to be most effective and practical. You simply spray the substrate and it kills all mites on contact and continues to protect for 30 days.

[Tecky]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

Provent-a-mite seems to be most effective and practical. You simply spray the substrate and it kills all mites on contact and continues to protect for 30 days.

Cool, it's safe to spray on the snake correct? Or just wash down the snake in soapy water and spray down the tank?

[Phoenix]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

No. Never spray it directly on the reptile. Simply treat the substrate and furnishings. The mites will disappear entirely form the cage and snake in less than 36 hours; therafter, treat every 30 days. Clay's Ultimate Boa Constrictor Care Manual provides remedies to multiple issues, it might be worthwhile to download it if you haven't already.

[Tecky]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

Alright, I'll be sure to pick that stuff up, thanks for the help. I will check out the manual as well.

[marzz]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

hi all...being the new guy i usualy wait awhile before jumpin in ,any way...for mites i use nix. iv'e been using it for ten years now without any ill effects whatsoever. for the first ten years i tried everything ,and nothing i tried ever lasted. iv'e got 25 cages here and i only have to treat the one time a year. now nix is for human hedlice ,but if you follow my directions it is totaly safe. i would NEVER recomend somthing i'm not using myself. i remember the first time i used it i spent a week waiting for the disaster to happen ,i didnt know the breeder personaly that told me about it. but it works better than anything iv'e ever tried. if you decide you want to try it let me know and i'll give you the recipe...

[ludo410]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

eeek. PAM illegal in calf... so most pet stors will not carry it. i did how ever get it from my vet and convinced to have a local petshop here in the lesser fresno area to order it in. As for the "jungal earth" brand sub it is all kiln dryed so all the larva of ticks, mites, and worms will be eradcated If you choose to keep using it ask to see the dealers herps; needless to say if they have mites RUN and order your sub drect ludo's $0.02

[Dreadhelm]

Re: The war againts Snake Mites

I have had a king snake for a while and have not had a problem with any mites. Could be because I live in the desert of Cali. I was recently purchased by a red tail and I am concerned about this issue. How prevelent is it? I downloaded the guide, but I am curious to know just how concerned I should be. Wouldnt want anything to happen to this guy who is currently on my shoulder as I type this.

Thanks.....