I have had snake mite problems in the past, and we’re quickly solved with a soak in iodine and cleaning the tank with bleach water. I recently adopted a juvenile wild type make and have kept him in quarantine as always. I noticed snake mites about two weeks ago and went about it as I usually would. I have now don’t this three times and am still having the same problem. Does anyone have a different solution I would be able to try? Thank you everyone for keeping such an amazing community!
I suggest using this method. Just make sure not to use the method posted by NERD where they say you can soak your snake in soap water for days at a time.
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Awesome thank you!
The majority of treatments out there or home made remedies may take care of adult mites however they will not eradicate the eggs which often mean re-infestation 30 days later.
The best product out there that anyone should have on hand to treat new incoming snake(s) as a preventive measure during quarantine is either Provent A Mite or Rid Home Lice found at your local walmart.
You simply remove the snake and water bowl, spray the enclosure and place the snake back once dry 30 min to an hour later. The residual effect will usually last 2 weeks, you may re-apply 2 weeks later if you have a severe infection but usually one treatment and you are done.
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Thank you! I will try that out. Do you tho k it would be good to put him in a breeder tub for those two weeks to treat him separate?
It’s will definitely help monitor all aspects of the quarantine, mite, healthy fecal matter etc especially if you use paper towel which I highly recommend during quarantine.
The simpler the quarantine layout the easier the monitoring.
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Sounds like a plan, thank you for the reccommenations.
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@stewart_reptiles recommendations and advice was spot on but I just thought I’d add to some stuff I have used in place of mite spray if I didn’t have any on hand. I would get olive oil in my hands and let the snake freely move through my hands to spread the oil and you will see alot of mites slide right off but I would also be careful as to not get any oil on the snakes head area and then once I was done I would let the snake soak in a bucket with some shallow water so they could still stick there head above the water easily.
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Great advice. Does the oil pull them out of the scales?
It doesn’t neccesarily pull them out of the scales but it suffocates the mites and makes them lose their grip.
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Oh ok, I will try that in the morning!
Just be careful to not get any oil on the snakes hear area and once you aee done to let it soak in shallow water to get the oil off
Ok will do. Is there a specific type of oil to use?
Olive oil/grapeseed oil is what I have used. This wont get rid of 100% of the mites but it has definitely helped me to control the spread of them. The only way to get rid of 100% of them is to do what @stewart_reptiles said while using mite spray. I can second her recommendation on removing the substrate because mites thrive in substrate or anything damp so by doing this you remove eggs or any other hiding in the bedding.
I would be very cautious with oil as it can loosen scales and make them fall, instead if looking for temporary relief from adult mites I would rather recommend a quick soak with 4 or 5 drops of dawn detergent.
Thank you! I think I’m going to quarantine him in a breeder tub for a few weeks to make sure they are gone.
Just one soak? I have heard that soaking them for a long time can cause harm. Is that true?
Just one soak for 20 minutes, again this is meant for temporary relief if required until you can treat the enclosure.
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Okay, thank you for the help!
I have used this method for years:
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