More about mites.

[FitnessFreak]

As far as I'm aware this is no fool-proof way of preventing mites. Obviously precautions can be taken with existing pets, when introducing new animals etc. (quaranteen). Personally, I wouldn't treat your new snake for mites until you know it has them.

ok ty for the advice

[Cazador]

Hey Mike,

I'd offer the same advice as James. It wouldn't hurt to wash it off in warm (~90F/32C), soapy water, but the vegetable oil treatment isn't real popular these days because the snake can't get around as well when it's covered in oil, and it smears the oil everywhere. Some of the oil inevitably rubs off, and leaves untreated patches. That's why the newer treatments have generally gained favor. Yet, all pesticide are designed to kill organisms, and most (not all) work through the nervous system. Others affect their metabolic rate, and essentially cause them to overheat until they die. The only reason they don't hurt or kill larger organisms like your snake as quickly, is that the dose is different (due to different masses). That's why it's generally best to only treat for problems you recognize.

When you get your snake and before you wash it, you can rub it down with a wet, white paper towel and look for tiny black mites crawling around on the paper towell. Also pay attention to whether the snake hangs out in the water bowl. If so, just mention it online, and there will be plenty of people able to give you the right advise. Best,

Rick

[adamanteus]

I read somewhere that snake mites are developing an immunity to Dichlorovinyl Dimethyl Phosphate (the active chemical in "Vapona" and similar products). Has anyone else heard of this? Although I guess that Rick's excellent method of mite control would make such a problem irrelevant to us. Interesing anyway though, I thought.

[Cazador]

James,

That sounds familiar, but I don't remember where I heard it or if it was from a reliable source. I think you know, but just to be clear, I wasn't recommending the vegetable oil technique... just offering a less invasive technique that used to be popular a decade or more ago.

Rick

[adamanteus]

I think (personally) the vegetable oil technique to be a good idea. The oil would obviously block the mite's trachael spiracle (breathing apparatus) and so suffocate it. Probably a good idea to thoroughly remove the oil a couple of days later. I don't know, but oil may effect the natural sloughing process of a snake?

[Cazador]

oil may effect the natural sloughing process of a snake?

Wow. That's a good question. I'm not sure.

Rick

[adamanteus]

I might be talking nonsense there Rick...it's just a thought.

[Josh]

o boy i hope mine doesnt get those mites

[infernalis]

With the current mite discussions, this may be worth a read.

[jitami]

Just thought I'd mention that I did the oil treatment with Sly when we first got him and he had mites. What I did was every other day I would remove him from his enclosure, rub him down with olive oil, put him in another container, clean his enclosure thoroughly, replace paper towel substrate, new disposable hide, and clean water in a clean dish. Then I would return my attention to the snake, rubbing him down again with olive oil, just letting him move through my fingers for several minutes, then I rinsed him with warm water for a couple minutes and returned him to his now clean enclosure. If I remember correctly, the egg to mite cycle is about 3 days and, of course, the oil does nothing to the eggs, which is why I opted to treat Sly every 2 days. While rubbing him down with the oil my hands would eventually be covered in dead mites... I know, gross, but it was obviously working. I did this for about 3 weeks and haven't had a recurrence yet. This was about 7 years ago. He was a yearling at the time and I just didn't like the idea of using poison on him. May do things differently now, but the oil did work and work well.

Geez, I hope saying that doesn't jinx me!