I’m less concerned about the breeder I got Lenore from (who is very reputable and has great reviews on MM, I felt good about purchasing from them because I recognized the name and had considered ordering a boa from them online in the past), but more just the general exposure to the expo environment with a bunch of animals, which could include some from less reputable sources.
Also, I got home from the expo to find that my water heater was leaking and had flooded my outdoor water closet, so I couldn’t immediately take a shower when I got home. And after five hours of driving, several hours at the expo, and dealing with cleaning up the mess left by the water heater, I was exhausted and went into my room (where my other two snakes are) and collapsed on my bed, still wearing the clothes I wore to the expo. Mostly I’m just kicking myself for not practicing better biosecurity protocols when I got home.
But what’s done is done. All I can do now is be vigilant going forward. I do take some solace in the fact that the only animal I handled at the expo was the one I took home. I haven’t seen any mites in any enclosures, so I think I’m most likely in the clear…unless some eggs hitchhiked with me. So I’ll continue to be extra-vigilant for the next few weeks, just in case. If mites do appear, I’ll deal with them. I only have three snakes, so even if “the worst” should happen, it should be manageable.
(This is how my anxiety-laden brain works. I panic, then try to rationalize myself out of the panic. Sometimes I’m even successful. )
Thanks, @caron, as always, for your kindness and support.
I know some on this thread are concerned about pesticides and rightfully so. This is not up for debate. Pests happen at some point to everyone. Wither is be scaly or furry friends. And let’s just prop up our fellow keeper here and all help her get thru this! If pesticides are the issue… there are natural ways. I’ve use Baby oil to treat an all glass aquarium before instead of mite treatment. Mites can lay their eggs down in the silicone/aquarium sealant and hatch out many weeks later and boom infestation all over again. You can also quarantine the snake in a tote with paptowels and wipe the snake down daily with baby oil, then rinse with warm water to get any residual oil off the animal. This method will take more time and dedication but it will work I promise you. I’ve done it. I learned this trick from an old Herpetologist who works for IDNR. Good luck! You got this!
Ps. Also watch out for pitted snakes the mites like to hide in their pits. Pay close attention to the face and jawline.
Thank you so much for the support and tip. And welcome to the forum, we are glad to have you here. I’m about to head out to run errands and will pick up some baby oil.
Has anyone used alcohol to clean yhe enclosure, let it dry, then washed it thoroughly with soap? My husband wants to try this as I give all of them a soak but I wasn’t really sure if it would even kill any eggs or any who escaped extermination.
Thank you to everyone. I love all your thoughtful and kind responses.
Hello and welcome to the forum! Yes totally agree that we need to prop each other up in times of need! And yes you are so right about those little monsters getting into the cracks and crevices. The little demons!
Don’t beat yourself up too much, i took my Nanners outside once so he could touch grass and i could get some nice shots of him in the sunlight. A week later i found a few little buggies under his scales. I picked off the ones i found on him and crushed them for biting my baby angel, then i gave him a dawn soap soak, and hosed off everything else in his tub with bleach water, he only had his hides for a while. Once my mite sprays came in from amazon, everything got sprayed down and recleaned a second time. I think im lucky because i only saw the few and haven’t had any since. I keep Nanners on paper towels anyway, so i think that helped.
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