he-ribbon or she-ribbon?

[aquamentus_11]

i read about a dilute betadine solution being used as a rinse and bath. sounds like this treatment relies on drowning the mites and using the betadine to disinfect the bites. i'm not sure how truly effective this would be. i agree that she is worth the time and effort for effective treatment, but i can't assured that any treatment will be guaranteed to completely clear the infestation. if i could be assured of completely curing her, i would bring her back.

[Selkielass]

Betadine is certainly effective for scale rot and injuries, but I don't know about its effectiveness for mites.
Mites are mobile, and spend part of their life cycle moving around invisibly- you only see them when they get on to the snake and feed.
Effective treatments kill the mites that are moving around, and wipe out mites before they return and latch on to your reptile.

Treatments that turn the cage into an effective barrier break the reproductive cycle and wipe out the mite population. Pro-vent is sprayed on the glass and any mite crossing the glass dies. End of mites.
Other pesticides may do the same thing (Rid ex etc.) but I doubt their safety for the snake.
Pesticides are far more dangerous to smaller creatures than large ones. its all a matter of body mass.
Pesticides designed for humans are hard to scale down to a dosage appropriate for tiny snakes.

[aquamentus_11]

hmmm the problem is waiting untilt he provent gets here

[EasternGirl]

Well, if you know you are going to treat when it gets there...you could bring her home and put her in a temporary enclosure, a plastic tub/container of some sort, in a room away from Hydra...and do not have contact with her until it gets there. I do not believe that the mites on snakes can live on humans. But I don't know for sure. If she stays in an enclosure that is sealed, I doubt the mites would get out and into your house though. If you needed to feed her before it got there, you could probably use gloves and open the enclosure to put food in...I doubt the mites would jump out...can anyone comment on this?

[guidofatherof5]

Mites will attach to anything as a way to spread. Gloves or whatever.
They must be treated as if they are a plague.

[aquamentus_11]

yeah....this is why i haven't gone back for her. would you guys subject your healthy snakes to that risk?

[aquamentus_11]

i feel like i'm doing the wrong thing and taking the easy way out with this one, but the gf is immovable now despite the contract we drew up lol

[EasternGirl]

Honestly, if I already had the snake...I would not take it back. I would deal with whatever the problem was. My other snakes would have already been possibly exposed to the mites. I would just treat the snake, treat my other snakes. Sorry...but you asked. Just being honest.

[aquamentus_11]

no need to apologize. i'm calling my vet friend tomorrow to allay/affirm things and to get another opinion. it sounded to me like mites were a huge deal (still does) and i reacted the best way i knew at the time.

[EasternGirl]

They are a big deal. I mean they are not easy to get rid of from what I have heard. I would hate to have to deal with them. And I do understand you wanting to protect Hydra, I do. Everyone deals with things in their own way. You did what you thought was best.