[Mites] Mites on newly adopted boa

[slone7328]

As some of you may have seen yesterday from a thread, "Peaches" needed to be rehomed by another member on this forum and I was the one who adopted her. When i got her home i set her up in a new enclosure and noticed that she was a bit feisty and timid, but also very restless in her cage moving around all over the place. She is in the "blue" stage of shedding so i figured that and exploring her enclosure were the reasons for that behavior. When I asked questions before i Adopted her i was told she was in "Perfect Condition"... WELL, upon further inspection last night I found that she was infested with Mites. I would like some feed back on how i handled the situation,
***GOOD, BAD, OR INDIFFERENT, ALL FEED BACK WELCOME!!***

All Day today I've been researching since I woke up. Around Noon I started my treatment for her.
Step 1) Green Works 98% Naturally Derived (Dish Soap)/Fresh water Soak *About 45 min-Hour*
Step 2) Fresh water only Soak *About 30 minutes*
Step 3) While she was soaking I took her enclosure outside, trashed all bedding, thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed the enclosure, removed all decor
and scrubbed it with the Green Works soap, Hot water and Tooth Brush, Then baked it @225F for about 2 hours or so
Step 4) Repeat Step 1 and 2 for 30 minutes Each (changing water every time obviously)
Step 5) Repeat Step 1 and 2 Again Just to be safe.....***There were at my estimate 200-300 dead mites noticed between Steps 1-2 and 4!
Step 6) Sprayed her down moderately with Natural Chemistry Reptile spray *Let her sit for roughly 15-20 Min* Hoping to kill all eggs/larvae
Step 7) Soak again in fresh water for roughly 30 minutes
Step 8) Sprayed Down *PRETTY GOOD* with Zilla Tropical Mist (Ingredients are Aloe Vera, Vitamin B1 and B3, emollient, water) for soothing the
bites, irritation etc

As of right now her "bedding" is white paper towels, she has two hides and water bowl. She is acting EXTREMELY CHILL, she has that puppy dog temperament (Crazy to me because I was told she has her "Tudes" and hates being messed with during shed and she was very cage territorial"! I had to take her out and hold her just so I could inspect the paper towels for possible live mites, and to inspect her more in depth. There are ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS WHATSOEVER THAT SHE HAD MITES!! (KNOCK ON WOOD) HOPEFULLY THEY ARE GONE FOR GOOD! But not only that, her temperament from last night to tonight have improved 10 Fold. She seems so much more relaxed, happy and less stressed! We were able to hold her, she explored the couch and us for the 20 minutes she was out (Again, She's in the blue stage of shedding). Since all the treatments earlier today, her skin went from a super dull and dark to now a healthy shiny iridescent look!

Is there a chance that this will effect her shed? should I have waited? Also I have 2 cans of P.A.M on the way (ordered last night). If no more signs of mites occur should i still retreat her in 4-5 days?



Dead Mites after Second Soap/Water

[ShadowAceD]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

Everything you are doing is good to give the boa relief, but will not kill the eggs which are likely embedded in her eyes, her vent and mouth. They will be back in 14-30 days.

People are going to argue about which product specifically to use, but I use Provent-A-Mite in conjunction with everything you did (plus or minus a few steps).

You are in good shape that the animal is in shed.

Here is what you should do.

I would get some of this Provent-a-Mite (you can use RID or NIX, I've used both, I just prefer PAM). Do not use it WHILE she is in shed. Bad things have happened to boas exposed to permetherin while in shed.

As soon as she sheds (TRY TO CATCH HER RIGHT AFTER), pull her out, soak her (try to coax her into submerging her head by making her "recoil" back into), clean the enclosure. Treat the enclosure with the PAM. Let her dry off and put her in the enclosure once it is dry. Do not put water in with her for 48 hours.

Now, the reason you need to do this right as she sheds is when she sheds, she will shed out the eggs leaving minimal chance for reinfestation. Do another treatment in a month, but they should be gone after the treatment following the shed, the second treatment is just to make sure.

[slone7328]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

I would get some of this Provent-a-Mite

Thanks for the advice @ShadowAceD!

I actually ordered 2 cans of PAM last night as soon as i noticed the mites. Are you sure the Reptile Spray won't kill eggs/Larvae? As far as getting her head under water, she is quite the swimmer. Its almost like she knew what I was trying to do for her and she was helping me help her, she swam under water quite a bit when I had her in the Water/Soap tub. There were clear mites in and around her eyes, but like i said i took her out and saw absolutely no indication of 1 mite whatsoever, I mean i searched. Last night her vent and eyes looked pretty "congested" but are now looking much more clear. Her blueing is just about gone too. Now, when the PAM arrives in the mail how should i go about that? do i continue to use paper towels? or do i put in the aspen substrate and then treat the enclosure? Also when i treated her with the Reptile spray, i misted the whole tub first, that way i was sure her belly would get treated and under her mouth i actually sprayed a cotton ball and wiped and her head too. As far as her body goes, I'm pretty sure she's 99% rid of them. Im not too sure what eggs look like or how to identify them, but I'm hoping the soap/water flushed them out and that her submerging her head helped with eyes, vents etc. To be honest I don't have the balls or trust with her yet to open her mouth and check things out...not that I would know what to look for anyway... Any suggestion

[ShadowAceD]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

Reptile Spray is a topical relief spray only, it has no ability to penetrate the eggs and kill them. Mites have multiple stages in life, their first stages are unable to be seen by the naked human eye (including the eggs). I assure, if you do not treat with PAM or Nix or RID, she will become reinfested. Catching her right after the shed is vital because that's the only way the animal will get the eggs off on her own. The PAM has instructions on the can. Follow them carefully (DO NOT treat while she is still in shed).

Paper towels or newspaper is ideal right now.

[dumboa]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

Your on the right track. Just add In the PAM you ordered and you will be good to go. Stay diligent.
Mites are my worst nightmare. With one boa it's easy to treat but if somehow they get into your entire collection (happened to me once) I just wanted to give up.

[bcr_229]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

Everything you are doing is good to give the boa relief, but will not kill the eggs which are likely embedded in her eyes, her vent and mouth. They will be back in 14-30 days.

Female snake mites leave the snake to lay eggs. This is why PAM works - the female dies when it leaves the snake and travels across the treated enclosure surface, or if she does manage to lay eggs, the babies die when they travel to the snake to feed.

The eggs are almost invisible and neither PAM nor Reptile Spray will kill them. High heat does, anything over 150*F for 30 seconds will do it.

If you don't want to wait for the PAM to be shipped you can mix up a weak permethrin solution by combining one of the 2-oz bottles of NIX or RID head lice cream rinse with 1 gallon of water. Mix it very well - it's easier if the water is warm, put the solution in a spray bottle, and use it just like PAM: spray the enclosure, hides, and the paper towels you are using as substrate. DO NOT SPRAY THE SNAKE OR WATER BOWL. Once everything is dry you can put the water bowl and snake back into the enclosure. Replace soiled paper towels with treated and dried paper towels when your snake makes a mess, just keep a supply handy.

I'm sorry to hear you're having to deal with this. Eradicating mites is not fun, but it can be done if you're persistent.

[BigPaPaErnest]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

one quick question...Do you own other boas? If you do, please have this new one away from them til the problem is fixed. Mites, like others have said, are not visable to the naked eye when they are small, when they are adults is when we see the peppery buggers! Do NOT handle this new boa and then go check on your others, you WILL end up transfering the mites to your collection like WILDFIRE, and then you will a much bigger battle to fight.

I'm glad you did your research and are taking the steps to a healthier boa. Keep us posted.

[slone7328]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

Do you own other boas?

Yes, I own a 5 1/2 month old male which I moved into my bedroom that is probably 30-35 feet from the female. Im 99% sure I have killed all the mites on the female and she is going through a bad shed right now. When she finishes, i will be soaking her, and completely treating her cage all over again just to make sure there are no eggs or possible female mites that I've missed. When i cleaned it the first time though I used Soap and Water, Then vacuumed the whole cage, then went back again with Natural Chemistry Reptile Spray and cleaned it again. There have been no signs of Mites on either snake. My wife has been the only one handling my baby boa and I have her inspect him every time. he is very light tan so its pretty easy to see.

The eggs are almost invisible and neither PAM nor Reptile Spray will kill them

Im Pretty sure that Reptile Spray will in fact kill the eggs. But just incase you are correct, I have been soaking her every day. ALL STAGES of mites are easily susceptible to Drowning. Check out the link in the thread I posted last night about mites entitled ***Everyone should read this***

[bcr_229]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

Im Pretty sure that Reptile Spray will in fact kill the eggs. But just incase you are correct, I have been soaking her every day. ALL STAGES of mites are easily susceptible to Drowning. Check out the link in the thread I posted last night about mites entitled ***Everyone should read this***

By nature eggs are impervious to most chemicals, which is why they're so tough to kill. They're not impervious to heat though, which is why baking wood hides at 200*F for 20 minutes, or using a jetted steam cleaner/sanitizer on the enclosures and surrounding area will do the trick to kill off the eggs.

I'm well aware of the document and read it years ago. I tried to link it on this thread for you last night but my computer was having issues at the time.

[slone7328]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

So Heres an Update on "Monroe". I have still yet to see any signs of Mites since I treated her. Today I completely cleaned out her cage again, washed it, then took a hair dryer (was blowing heat 140F) and went over the whole enclosure for about 30 minutes, making sure I got into every corner, nook and cranny which should have killed all eggs, larvae etc. I also took some aviation cargo tape and put it around the outside top of the enclosure in such a way that if any mites try to get back into her cage from the outside, they will get stuck to the tape (basically how those yellow fly catchers work). ***I will still be treating the her enclosure as well as my 5 month old male with PAM when it arrives***.

NOW I HAVE ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I COULD USE SOME ADVICE ON

Monroe started shedding prematurely I believe. It was only 1 day after her eyes cleared up. So, with that being said, I assisted her in shedding the majority of her body because she started shedding at the tail. It was a horrible shed to be honest. I soaked her for about an hour then I wiped her down real good with 100% natural Aloe Vera i.e. No added color, alcohol etc. IT WAS PURE. She really enjoyed it I believe because Im sure it soothed all the wounds/ bites from the mites and she started tensing her muscles moving through my hands trying to loosen and shed the old skin. I was able to get everything off except for her head and about 1-2 inches down her neck. Ive left her alone for the day, increased the humidity in the cage, and sprayed her real good hoping that her head and neck will loosen up and come off on its own.

The advice that i need is suppose it doesn't come off on its own, What can I do to help her? She isn't too fond of having hands or anything around her head and I don't want to stress her out more than she already is due to the mite issue, and i don't want to receive my first kiss either lol. Any Suggestions?

[dumboa]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

I would just soak her to help with the stuck shed. I am a huge fan of aloe vera, I use it for sunburns and even drink aloe juice. I would suggest using natural mineral oil to assist with shedding next time.

[slone7328]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

I couldn't find any mineral oil when I ran into walmart, so I figured aloe was the next best thing. Especially with her being infested with mites I figured it would help a lot with the soothing and healing. Where is a good place for mineral oil? GNC? Also she is very skittish about touching or being around her head, how should I go about that?

[bcr_229]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

I wouldn't use the mineral oil, as oils have been known to cause scales to flake off. The aloe should be fine, or you could just bump up her humidity and let her work most of it off herself. As long as her eyecaps and tail tip are completely shed out, and she doesn't have a band of stuck shed completely encircling her body, I wouldn't stress over it. Plus, if you're bathing her every few days anyway for the mites, that will help with the stuck shed.

[slone7328]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

As long as her eyecaps and tail tip are completely shed out

Im not really stressing out as I think 95% of her body shed before it should have, it was the day her eyes cleared up. The only thing I'm sort of worried about is that her head has not shed at all. but it looks like its getting there, probably a couple days at max

[dumboa]

Re: Mites on newly adopted boa

Really? Mineral oil has been recommended by the top guys and in many books. Also I have used it before...
I wouldn't stress unless she has stuck eye caps