Mites on snake

[Callie Stick]

Hey, my boyfriend has a 6ft red tail boa, today he found mites on him I went to petco and ended up getting Natural Chemistry Reptile Spray. I didnt have much of a choice of what to get because there were only two products of mite killer for reptiles and the man that worked there was horribly unhelpful. I doubt he even owned a snake to be honest. I've been trying to find reviews on the Reptile Spray or opinions of the best mite killer to use and I haven't had much luck. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[samatwwe]

Hey, my boyfriend has a 6ft red tail boa, today he found mites on him I went to petco and ended up getting Natural Chemistry Reptile Spray. I didnt have much of a choice of what to get because there were only two products of mite killer for reptiles and the man that worked there was horribly unhelpful. I doubt he even owned a snake to be honest. I've been trying to find reviews on the Reptile Spray or opinions of the best mite killer to use and I haven't had much luck. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Well, Id suggest if thats all ya got, then take advantage of it! lol I just used it on a new arrival snake and it works pretty good. Dont put too much on the snake, I just put it on a towel or my hand and let it run through it, but stay away from the snakes face with it.

 

[andy375hh]

Get on ebay or kingsnake.com and find some provent a mite that stuff will get rid of them the quickest and the best. Also go and get one of those no pest strips that you can hang up and it kills insects make sure that it is out of the tank and that will kill all of them on the outside.

 

[ErinKelley]

Wow I can only imagine how fun it would be to treat a 6 foot snake. I've treated a lot of snakes(and some lizards) for mites but never on anything bigger than a couple feet. I feel for ya, let us know if he/she is doing better if you've made any progress yet.

 

[Miz]

i'm pretty sure he's going to be fine. i soaked him several times to wash off the majority of the mites, then once i wasn't seeing as many bugs in the water i sprayed him down with the mite killer, rinsed him down, then let him soak again with some of the solution in the water. again, rised him completely and let him soak again in more plain water. also cleaned his tank and water bowl thoroughly, and replaced his substrate with newspaper (for the time being) i haven't seen any more of them on him so far, even inside the tank i haven't seen any.

to be clear, he's almost 7 feet. i couldn't believe how many of those things came off of him. well over 1000, easy. i'm thinking the initial hard part is over for sure though. it actually went a lot smoother than i expected. he's a big puppy dog

one question i have though. he's ready to shed any day now. would the remaining mites likely come off in the shed skin?

 

[andy375hh]

i'm pretty sure he's going to be fine. i soaked him several times to wash off the majority of the mites, then once i wasn't seeing as many bugs in the water i sprayed him down with the mite killer, rinsed him down, then let him soak again with some of the solution in the water. again, rised him completely and let him soak again in more plain water. also cleaned his tank and water bowl thoroughly, and replaced his substrate with newspaper (for the time being) i haven't seen any more of them on him so far, even inside the tank i haven't seen any.

to be clear, he's almost 7 feet. i couldn't believe how many of those things came off of him. well over 1000, easy. i'm thinking the initial hard part is over for sure though. it actually went a lot smoother than i expected. he's a big puppy dog

one question i have though. he's ready to shed any day now. would the remaining mites likely come off in the shed skin?

Some will but not all mites tend to get into the heat pits of the snake also Provent a mite will kill off any mites left and has a residual effect to help kill of freshly hatched mites Hope this helps I had to go through the same problem with my boa
heres a link http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=68&de=479984

 

[David_F]

I'd go with the advice given by andy753hh. You can treat the snake all you'd like but unless you get rid of the eggs and larvae (?) you're not gonna do much good. Buy some provent-a-mite, treat the snake, treat the enclosure, and use what's left until it's gone. Personally, I'd use bleach for enclosure cleanings once a month to help....but I don't know what your enclosure is made of or if it's feasible or effective for you.

Good luck.

 

[Lucas339]

if you get PAM, only treat the enclosure!! not the snake!! i have herd several cases of people spraying the snake with it and it can cause nero damage. im not saying don't use it. in fact, i use it and this is the only mite killer i would recommend. it is powerful and effective. just make sure you follow the directions to the T! spary the enclosure, let it dry COMPLETELY, and the put the snake back in.