Bought this girl and another from a local expo about a week or two ago and today while feeding I noticed 4 grayish looking dots moving around that were pretty active. I’ve never dealt with these things before and I am panicking. The other baby is much darker so I can’t see anything but they were so close together (I’m seperate tubs) right next to one another so I wouldn’t be surprised if she had them to. Give me some advice guys!
If they are moving I’d say so. Pop any you see at the moment and plan for tomorrow with this…
Snake Discovery - Mites https://youtu.be/k7_ybK-6_N0
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I’ve got some mite stuff coming that’s supposed to go on the snake and kill the mites. Plan on drowning their tubs in a mild bleach solution and washing in soapy water after. The two of them are in their tubs but with just temporary throw away hides and paper towels.
The issue with a lot of mites products is that they do not aadress eggs but mainly the adult stage so unless you are using PAM (Provent a mite) or a homemade brew (which I would not recommend since I do not know your level of experience), you could be looking at re-infestation.
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Can PAM be used on the snakes though? I got the natural stuff as a immediate solution cause the corn is so small. I didn’t want her system taxed.
Long term is something I’m still working on, and working on making sure none of my other snakes were exposed. I don’t think so but I’m considering giving everyone a bath.
Natural Chemistry will only target adult mites, unlike Provent A Mite
Provent a mite is not a product that you apply on the snake but in the enclosure, once applied you let it dry for 30 minutes before placing your animal and the water dish back and it takes care of the rest, the residual effect can last up to 30 days and for advance cases you can re-apply every two weeks.
If you have 1 snake with mites you should treat ALL your other snakes, mites can use you to hitchhike if proper quarantine were not followed and all it take is one to have a full blown infestation in 30 days, and if you only treat one snake at the time it could turn in a never ending story hence the importance to treat everyone with a product that addresses all stages.
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She was the last snake handled today and didn’t plan on messing with anyone else today. They were in quarantine and still are until further notice. I planned on treating everyone with the spray I got. Would a quick spray with PAM in my other tanks/tubs be enough or would I need to toss everything and do a deep clean with PAM?
All you do his spray the enclosure with furniture in it, everything but the water dish.
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Okay thanks! I’ve got some more bedding on the way and I’m still gonna toss hides that are throw away hides anyways just in case. Might also bake my bark and wood pieces.
I have used this product with success before.
Had a snake come home from a show that appeared healthy there, but must have picked up some hitchhikers while being handled/on display. I treated the enclosure in the same way you would with PAM, and the snake lightly while avoiding the head. Additionally you can soak your snake in water to drown some of the mites or eradicate them from hiding under the scales. I would switch to using white paper and clean and treat the enclosure until there are no traces of mites - as well as for a decent period after that to ensure any new mites that hatch are killed off as well.
I know PAM is probably great stuff and the go-to for many people, but I needed something fast and liked the idea of a product that felt a little less toxic… Just one opinion!
And like Deb said, treat all your snakes - whether you see mites now or not.
Paper towel is better to use while you are trying to get rid of mites because you’ll be able to see them easily and they wont have places to hide and re infest your snake. Also you have to be careful with alot of those mite products. They are dangerous and can kill your snake. I personally would use olive oil. Rub it onto the snakes skin. It smothers the mites and isnt toxic to the snake. Doing that combined with cleaning the enclosure every couple days should break the mites cycle. Good luck!!!
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So an update of sorts. I’ve ordered a can of PAM and plan on doing a complete bedding change and spray down of all my tubbed snakes. Haven’t seen any mites on anyone else but not taking the chance.
As for the baby corn who def has them used first treatment today of the natural stuff, sprayed some on my hand and while holding her let her squirm through my grip. Only saw one nite die immediately from it though. But then overall today only saw two. It doesn’t seem like a big infestation yet?
Anyways I plan on doing the spray on her again tomorrow and for the day after. But does anyone know if it’s supposed to kill over time or upon contact? Cause those mites burrow between her scales where the spray doesn’t reach without a lot of work and stress on the baby.
Not sure whether it kills on contact… I would definitely treat the enclosure, let it dry, then add your snake and spray a mist over her, avoiding the face. Repeat that procedure every couple of days (?read the bottle about recommended frequency-just a guess) until there’s no sign of mites. And then probably continue to treat for a few weeks past that.
While you’re cleaning the tubs, a soak in lukewarm water can sometimes help some of those mites buried under the scales to come out. Good luck!
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