More about mites.

[adamanteus]

It certainly sounds like a good safe method of destroying mites... the oil would block the trachael spiracle (breathing apparatus) of the mite. I'm not sure if olive oil might have a detremental effect on the snakes' sloughing process though, if it was not thoroughly washed off. Obviously you did wash it of properly, but if others were to copy your method, I think particular care should be taken to ensure that the snake was completely free of oil after each treatment.

[jitami]

Yes, I did rinse him off, but only in warm water. I doubt the water removed all the oil. It did not seem to have a negative effect on sloughing. I actually think we got our first good shed following the treatment, but honestly don't remember the timing exactly. This is all anecdotal evidence, of course, and James makes some very good points. I think I'd be worried about drying the snake out by washing him off with dish soap more so than adding oil?

[adamanteus]

Maybe the oil has no bad effect on sloughing at all.... I'm simply speculating.
Obviously it worked very well for you, Tami.

[jitami]

I think it's a valid concern James. I'd like to hear from other's who have tried it. Since we were having shedding issues prior to that it's hard to be sure.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Sometimes I use a bit of olive or vegetable oil on a snake that has for one reason or another, dry or rougher-than-normal skin... I read about a few people on other forums who rub it onto their snakes as a skin treatment regularly and tried it....have found that it does a great job in making their skin smoother, softer, shinier, and the slough is generally a better easier one for the snake, especially problem shedders.... I've been doing that for almost 2 years now with dry skin and tough sheds, and I've not yet noticed any problems, just shinier smoother skin! I don't slather them in it, just a few drops on my hand and evenly rub down the length of the body and kind of rub it in... You could also use mineral oil.

as for mites, boy were they a pain. I noticed the mites leaving the snakes and congregating elsewhere also!!!! I was so baffled one day to find a huge huddle of mites on one of the snakes that had them's hides.... and I sort of made the connection that the snake was shedding... but not all of them went off the snake.

I used the shed to my advantage. Once the snake went into blue, and came back out and it's skin was clear again, and I was sure it was time (after so long, you can just tell), I would take the snake out, first place them in a warm soak for a few minutes to get them all wet and remove as many mites as possible, then I would manually start the shed at the tip of the nose and gently work the entire shed off the snake myself, keeping my hands thoroughly wet the entire time. If you can peel the shed off all in one piece, or pretty darn close, and avoid touching the snake where shed has already peeled off (to avoid accidental re-infestation), you can actually instantly de-mite the entire snake... because the shed is a complete barrier, all of the mites are left stuck inside the now inside out skin and boy do they FREAK when they realize they are screwed!!! Once this happens, put the snake into a clean holding container and then you need to NUKE the snakes enclosure with cleaning, throwout anything wooden or put it outside for a bit over a month, dispose of anything disposable, scour the water dish and of course the cage itself too. If you successfully rid the enclosure of mites, they should not come back because you peeled the last of them off the snake yourself!!!

[infernalis]

Great advice Shannon.......

[charles parenteau]

Prevention is the best ,I keep my garter on scott towel or in aspen wood bedding ,something pale or with in the back help really help to see the first mites...
sometime with bark and all the decoration makes more difficult to detect mites and makes perfect hidding place for eggs.
I also use white ceramic water bowl ,you see the drown mites in the bottom..

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I also use white ceramic water bowl ,you see the drown mites in the bottom..

same here!!!

I get ceramic bowls from walmart's dinnerware section, they are about 4 inches wide, pure white and only 88 cents each!!!!

[mtolypetsupply]

Does anyone know anything about internal or lung mites? I ask as a friend has some really pretty sunglow corns with URI's that were (external) mite infested when he got them. In researching on the net, it seems a URI can be secondary to a lung mite infestation (among other things like lung worms and other ickies). Has anyone dealt with this? Is it common? Curable? How transmissible?

[infernalis]

Good question Stephi, Can't hardly wait to read the replies.