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Mite Treatment
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by lanceheads on May 8, 2011
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What is the most proven method for eliminating mites?
I have a chondro python we took in as a donation at the zoo, it's in quarantine, and the poor snake is covered in them. I tried the "new" Black Knight, with some success, and was wondering if there's anything new on the market.
Thanks in advance!
Randal Berry
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by NajaNinja on May 8, 2011
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Well I wouldn't consider myself an expert but I have always had success eliminating mites just using the "no pest strips" that can be purchased at lowes (home depot does not carry these). I soak the snake to remove as many as I can and put the strip in or near the enclosure,within a few days all the mites are gone. Then leave the strip nearby to finish off whatever may be hatching. Just don't put the strip near any feeder insects you may have or it will kill them too.
Hope that helps,good luck.
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by Rob_Carmichael on May 8, 2011
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In my opinion there are too many risks with pest strips due to improper dosages and not knowing how much to use to eradicate mites. I've been using Pro Product's Provent-A-Mite for years as a mandatory quarantine treatment for all incoming animals at our zoo and we have never had a problem with mites. This stuff is easy to use, very effective and we haved never had a health related problem using it. Just my .02. Black Knight is probably similar. The key is to not only treat the cage, but treat the surrounding area...base boards, around the cages, vents, etc.
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by CanadianSnakeMan on May 8, 2011
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Randal,
I second the No Pest strips idea. I've used them at home and at the zoo with great success BUT there are a few factos you have to consider before starting treatment.
1- How well ventilated is the enclosure?
This will determine how large of a chunk of the strip you want to use. Usually a 1cm square of strip per 20 gallons is what you need for a well ventialted enclosure but you may want less for something not as well ventilated.
2- Is the snake under quarantine or already in the main collection?
I have found with mites that the most aggressive treatment is often the best way to go to prevent recurring outbreaks. If there is any chance at all that mites may have migrated to other enclosures, you will want to treat nearby enclosures with no pest strips as well, and spray any cracks, crevices and entranceways to neighbouring enclosures with a pyrethrin spray (which stays active on surfaces for about 2 weeks).
3- What temperature is your reptile room?
Mites have a life cycle of 20-30 days depending on the temperature and they can survive weeks without a blood meal. The warmer your room is the faster they will be able to reproduce. It is important to repeat the pyrethrin treatment on all places that mites may enter other enclosures after 2 weeks of seeing the last mite. Mites will leave the enclosure to lay their eggs so you'll want to kill them before they can return to feed.
Just as an important side note - No Pest strips are pretty nasty stuff. They are impreganted with some serious organophosphates (2,2 dichlorvos - the same type of stuff used in military nerve gas). Make sure to wear gloves when cutting it, and never place it directly in the enclosure - always in some kind of perferated container to prevent direct contact to the snake. I've found good results by leaving it in the enclosure for 12 hours and out for 2 days and keep repeating for about 3 weeks to a month to squash the next generation of mites as they hatch. Also, take out the substrate and replace with newspaper for the duration of treatment for the best results.
Watch for signs of nervous system distress in the snakes. You'll be looking for unsusal movements, twitching, abnormal tongue flicking etc. If you see any of that, evacuate to fresh air and try a different treatment.
Well, I may have gotten a bit long-winded in this post... this is just what has worked for me. I hope this helps you.
Cheers,
Luke
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by NajaNinja on May 8, 2011
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Excelent points randal, I didn't even consider going into the proper size per enclosure but it can be crucial especially with an already unhealthy animal. The strips do have slight drawbacks but all in all if you are consistently monitoring the animal for any changes I do think it is the best way to 100% eliminate mites quickly.
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by agkistrodude on May 9, 2011
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Go to the drugstore and buy a bottle of "Rid" head lice treatment shampoo. (I used the store brand) Pour the whole bottle into a container, and then fill the bottle 14 times with water and pour in same container for a 14 to 1 ratio. Now pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the entire cage and snake, getting everything nice and damp.(remove the water bowl 1st) It won't hurt the snake, even spray it's head. Your done. I had my 1st mite problem in years a while back and this method was highly recommended by a couple of reputable folks. Worked like a charm with only 1 application. No more mites. Take care, Marty
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by lanceheads on May 9, 2011
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Thank you everyone for your replys and tips!
I soaked the snake upon arrival, and that's when I discovered the drowned mites,(after removing the snakes from the bucket) I did use a pest-strip for the first day, and it seemed to help. I re-soaked the snake the second day, and there were a few mites (drowned) left.
Again, thank everyone for their quick responses!
Randal Berry
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by FSB on May 9, 2011
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Hi Randal - For treating a mite infestation on a single snake, my favorite method is the one recommended in Mader - coating the entire snake in plain old olive oil. It's a bit messy but entirely safe for the snake and 100% effective. You'll want to use a large plastic container, such as a garbage can, that probably won't be good for anything else afterwards, and it's also a good idea to use disposable surgical gloves or you'll be oiling everything you touch. Pour some oil on the snake and then let it crawl gently through your hands, spreading a thin coat over the entire snake. Pay special attention to the head: labials, pits, chin shields, and the vent region. After an hour or so you can wipe the snake off with paper towels (water doesn't work) and put it in an entirely new, clean, mite free container such as a rubbermaid with just paper substrate and a bowl of water. Thoroughly bleach or discard the old container. This will kill every mite on the snake, which will often quickly go into a shed cycle. The snake will look like a professional wrestler until its next shed, but the mites will be dead.
Obviously, this method is not going to work with venomous snakes, but fortunately they don't seem to be nearly as susceptible to mites as boids and smooth-scaled colubrids (an interesting mystery). I did have a pair of young rattlesnakes come in that were so covered in adult mites that they looked like hairy bush vipers. I soaked them in a very mild solution of Charlie's Soap (www.charliessoap.com), a biodegradable, non-toxic liquid soap manufactured in Mayodan, NC. It seems to have a deleterious effect on any arthropods, especially arachnids. The mites dropped dead and the snakes are doing fine today, many months later, with no subsequent outbreaks.
Snake mites (Ophionyssus natricis) are extremely stylized in their movements and behavior. They avoid light and are negatively geotactic, meaning that they tend to crawl in a straight line until they encounter an obstruction, such as a wall, whereupon they climb upwards to the top. Hence, mites are more likely to gather at the tops of cages and stands. This also means that any snakes housed above an infested snake will be more vulnerable to infestation. The life cycle of the mite consists of five stages: egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph and adult. Only the protonymphs and the adults feed, larvae and deutonymphs are free-living stages.
I have used the Rid spray with some good effect, though mites sometimes recur and may even develop an immunity to such sprays, as their life cycle is short. I would be extremely leery of using the dichlorvos (no-pest) strips, as they have been shown to cause neurological disorders, especially in boids.
Anyone working with snakes should read the section on Acariasis in Mader. It really helps to understand the life-cycle and natural history of the snake mite when doing battle with these creatures. Know thy enemy....
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RE: Mite Treatment
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by AquaHerp on May 9, 2011
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Randal- I have had good success with ivermectin spray. A little diluted in water goes a loooooong way :)
DH
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