My Snake Has Mites!
87What are Mites?
Mites are tiny external parasites, and you never want to find mites on your snake. They suck the snake's blood and can transmit diseases. But, unfortunately, they are very common in captive snakes.
You can bring mites home several different ways, including:
- Bringing home a new snake.
- Going to a reptile show or event, or a petstore and playing with the snakes there.
- Bad batch of snake bedding, whether it be aspen or forest bedding.
But, more than likely, the number one cause of mites is introducing a new snake into your collection.
APPEARANCE:
Mites can look like small black beads on the snakes skin. A good indicator that your snake has mites would be tiny white flakes on the snake's body, which are usually mite feces. You can check your snake by running your hand down its body; then check your hand for crawing black dots or blood smears from squished mites.
Many times snakes with mites are found coiled in their water bowls, so dead mites can sometimes be seen floating in the water. Mites will hide in the corners of the snakes eyes, creating a slight lift in the eye rim.
Getting Rid of Reptile Mites
Mites are VERY hard to get rid of due to their rapid reproductive rates. But, if you notice that your snake has mites, or even think that you snake may have mites, it is fixable.
Place the snake in a separate enclosure with a lid, and spray the snake with an Ivermectin solution. Keep the snake in an isolation setup, so that it is easier to treat. You need to treat the snake every five days for a total of four treatments, just to make sure that all the mites are dead.
Other treatments include:
- Placing the snake in a well-ventilated container and putting pyrethrin-based flea powder on the snake.
- Overnight exposure to a section of insecticidal strip. (A 1 by 2" section of strip will treat snakes in a 20 gallon enclosure.) After 24 hours remove the strip, and in seven to ten days, repeat.
- Over the conter- commercial mite remedy such as Reptile Relief. Follow the directions on the bottle. Reptile Relief, among other mite remedies, can be purchased at most petstores.
You want to remember to remove EVERYTHING from the snake's normal enclosure. Throw out old bedding, sterilize any decor (be careful to get ALL nooks and crannies), and thoroughly clean the enclosure itself.
To make sure that you have killed all the mites in the enclosure, to include all crevices in the decor, remove the snake and the bedding from the cage, leaving the decor. Place a large piece of insecticide stripe in the cage, and seal the top with a plastic sheeting. Be careful to tape it completely shut. Leave it alone for at least three days, allowing the miticide to reach all small cracks and crevices. Repeat this twice every ten days. Remember to still wipe the outside of the cage with a mite remedy solution.
And, because mites can travel in and out of a cage at will, you will want to wipe down the area around the cage with a cleaning solution such as Windex.
How to Prevent Reptile Mites
Don't get mites to begin with.
Your best bet when bringing a new snake home is to quarantine the new snake away from existing snakes.
You really don't want to house multiple snakes in the same enclosure, ESPECIALLY if you're bringing home a new snake to put with an existing one. By quarantining the new snake, you can watch for other signs of illness as well. The minimum quarantine time should be no less that seven to fourteen days.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed veterinarian. The methods outlined above may or may not work for your pet. If you have any concerns, you should consult a specialized reptile veterinarian.
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Comments
these thinges are pure evil this is not my first time but i am going to make it my last
what about soaking then in 10%dish liquid 90%water?
I really wouldn't suggest it.
i was wondering if i could spray the Ivermectin solutionon in the cage and let it dry for a day while the snake is kept in another encloser???
You could vtry it. I'm not sure how effective it is. Just make sure to rinse out the cage afterwards. Remember to get all the regular decor and around the cage as well. You'll still need to put something on the snake, too.
i need to know how to get ready of mites in the corpet my snake it a 10 foot brmise and i dont know how to treat her and the corpet they got into the carpet form her incloser can you plz help
Try following the directions outlayed above for the snake. As for the carpet, is it the carpet in your home or the carpet in the snakes tank?
What can you do about the mites on the eyes?
I would consider a diluted ivermectin, but i'm not 100% as to the eyes. I would jsut try to work around the eyes. Consider a vet it you need to.
Another good thing to do is coat the snake in Olive Oil. It lacks the chemicals found in a lot of other mite treatments. I then use Provent A Mite on the entire vage.
what kind of deseases do mites carry? do i have to worry about becoming contaminated?
You should worry about mites all over your house, but I don't necessarily think that you can "catch" something from them, if that's what you mean. I believe that they, like ticks and fleas, can cause blood problems, but I'm not 100%. You should do whatever you can to get rid of the mites.
damn. im just worried that if she has mites now then she will get them again if they are all over the house.
It is possible, which is why you need to treat the area around the tank, as well as the tank and the snake.
what should i treat the area around my cage with? or should i maybe just move the cage?
I have listed options within the article for cleaning the the area around the cage to make sure that you get rid of them.
i notied today that she has one in the last little pit thing before her mouth. what should i do about THAT one?
Is it a mite or could it be another parasite? Either way you want to try to remove it.
Should you worry about mites getting in your skin or do they just bite you like a flea. Should you wear rubber gloves when you are handeling the snake? I have a ball python about 3 months old and she has mites. I have clean her enclosure and also I sprayed her with stuff i bought from the pet store. I need a new soultion to this problem. Something that works. Please help me? Thanks......
Yes, wear the gloves. You want to minimize the risk of spreading the mites.
I just noticed my balls have mites and i just brought home 2 baby corns what do i do and do i have to treat my whole house carpet? and which is the best method the provent a mite, nix, oils, or betadine ? This is my first time haveing this problem I think we got it from the bedding. Help i really am clueless and don't know which one to use. can people get these how do i get rid of them ?
You baby corns should be housed separated from the balls and on the other side of the room preferrably. That should help prevent them from getting the mites or at least reduce the risk. Also, make sure to house the corns seperately in 2 different enclosures bc colubrids are cannibals and they can eat other snakes at times.
As for the mites, you want to treat the enclosure and complete area around the enclosure. if you see mites in your carpets, then I'd treat that as well with a powder.
I got a new baby red tail boa i got it yesterday found out today has mites.i bleached everything from my 3 cages, cage stand ,carpets blankets, any other advice on what to do for me . The snake is getting a luke warm water bath twice a day for 40 mins. And I am going to call my vet and ask if I should use olive oil.
Make sure to clean around the cage as well. You're off to a good start as it is. Definitely make sure that you let the pet store know that they have mites.
Mice can also be afected by mites. so if you feed live you get the chance of getting mites. dont feed in your cage and feed frozen. mites can get traped in the mouth wile feeding. and grow and start an infestation. I find it best to treat you snake and cage seporatly. bath you snake in "reptile relief" for a day. then I keep my snake in a plastic tub. the mites have a life cycle or 27 days if you can keep everything mite free for 1 month you in the clear. with that said for at least one month after, your still on the look out. one little collony of just 2 can bloom huge one in another 27 days.if it is winter you can place your tank out side and freeze thoes little bastards for 27 days.
you can treat your tank with any product that will kill mites. dont for get that its mainly the eggs you gata worry about. you can use "mite off" or "bk 2" also known as black night" you can even spray. "home flea and tick spray". tick spray will work. you can even spray your home with some chemicles but nothing to toxic. onley cleaning constantly will rid you of them.
for the eyes you can soak your snake in reptile releif for a day. shaking the container to make sure it gets under the scales about four or five times . half say through that time you can look for the mites under the eyes in albinos it is easy. this methed is by far the best methed after the soak they are gone Ive done a baby red tailed boa. and 8 corns. take care and good luck
i had really bad fleas in my apartment and on my cat, i got the fleas off my cat w/ advantage and after that they were bitting me like crazy for a while, but i did carpet treatment and they appeared to be kind of gone. But now they are all over my snake cage all of the sudden and on him, and he is pissed off. i cleaned his cage. -----Do normal house fleas attack snakes------ because these are not mites he had mites along time ago, they are normal fleas..... also since i noticed the fleas my snake tried to bite me four times and he has never done that before???
I haven't heard of fleas bothering snakes, but I guess it's possible. I'd definitely try to figure out how to get rid of the fleas in the house, and that may help get rid of the fleas in and around the snake's tank. I'd try the mite treatment for hte snake cage.
what causes mites in the first place....
they're a parasite, similar to fleas basically. reptiles get them from other reptiles, other animals, etc.
My boa has mites I have disinfected the cage and all the items in it(every day), and washed the snake but they keep coming back what should I do? should you put olive oil on the snake? I think it has come fro the bedding, the snake has glitter stuff on its eyes is it the mites? or is it shedding as it is hiding more than often please help!!
You need to change the bedding and clean out the entire cage, decor, and the outside around the tank, as well as the snake. I'm not sure why you're using olive oil though. Use an actual mite killer for reptiles. If you're using the same bedding and haven't cleaned the snake, then no wonder the mites are coming back.
I have cleaned it out and keeping on newspaper until they are all gone and I keep disinfecting the decor- taken some out and left it, and cleaned cage every day, but the yellow dot stuff in the snake eyes that looks like glitter is it mite eggs? how do I get rid off them? or is it shedding? help!! thanks the last comment did gave me really good advice to go on!!!
My snake has not been the toilet since I got him a few weeks back is the something wrong? should I see a vet about it? thanks
I'm not sure about the yellow dot. I have never heard of that in a case of mites. It could be something else. I'm not really sure.
Sometimes it takes longer for them to pass what they've eating. Is his belly hard? Has he been drinking? It could be that he's just not done digesting. If the belly is hard, then it could be impacted. By a few weeks isn't usually that bad.
Hi i just got 2 new boas about 3 weeks ago and i have 3 other snakes the 3 have never ever had mites and the new boas didnt seem to either but for about a week my one boa was soaking in water like 24/7 and now my other is and i have seen a few mites in there water and a couple on there hides but not on the snake the 2 boas that have mites have been in the same room as my other snakes the whole time but im wondering if it is possible that the mites havent spred to the others? Or is it highly unlikely?
It is highly likely that the mites have spread, especially if you're housing all the snakes in the same enclosure. Mites can travel outside the tank, and there is high possibility that your other snakes could get them in their tank.
Nice hub, I was going to post one similar to this, but I saw this one and see no further need. I would say (reading some of the questions) that ivermectins should be avoided. The margin of safety is very slim. Overdose is very easy to do. Furthermore, if there are any turtles in the room and you handle ivermectins and contaminate the turtle cage that could be fatal. Turtles are very sensitive to ivermectins. Lizards and snakes too are sensitive but less so than turtles. Chrysanthemum derived products (permethrins and pyrethrins) can be used with some safety in reptiles. I have successfully treated reptiles with permethrin 10 (a large animal product) that I diluted to about 1%. Spraying the cage with a mist of this and allowing it to dry has been successful without changing of the furniture. Substrate should always be changed.
I would not recommend a no pest strip. The reason is that the concentration of the pesticide cannot be regulated, the exact pesticide used depends on the brand of the strip, and the amount of time it needs to remain in the cage is far more than 24-48 hours, depending on the species of mite. The no pest strip method also depends on mites that move about after feeding. Some species (and many species of the mite's larger cousin, the tick) do not move about but just settle down into the substrate.
I would also not recommend flea powder. The powder can get into the lung of the snake and cause pneumonia. Remember that most species of snake (sunbeam snakes and booids have a small vestigial left lungs, though other groups have these inconsistently) have only the right lung. Most gas exchange actually takes place in the cephalad (cranial) 30% or so of the lung. The caudal portion of the lung is generally modified into an air sac. This means that any lung irritant can do major damage since they have such a small amount of lung tissue doing most of their gas exchange. I have seen the results of flea powder use, and it is not pretty. Best not to risk it. On the other hand, the lesions in the lungs are fascinating if you are a pathologist.
My advice is to not treat your animal for mites if you can help it, but go see an exotic veterinarian and let them suggest a method that works for them. I generally treat my clients pets, that way owner compliance is not an issue.
When my snake got mites i cleaned her and treated her and her cage then after i got Derdra (my baby aka snake) out of the house i bug bombed my house shaved my head and all the mites be gone. you don't nessseserily have to shave your head either but i look good as a skin head =p
mites carry lyme disease so be very careful not to get them on your person or let them infest your home. When treating with permethrin remember that a second treatment is needed after 6-7 days to kill the new hatch of mites. To kill mites in your carpet you need to use borax powder or arm and hammer powdered laundry detergent. Rub it into your carpets, vacuum, then reapply for a week to kill the adult and larvae. If your home is badly infested you will need to keep doing this to your carpet to keep from reinfesting. Mites are horrible parasites so be very careful to eradicate them quickly and thoroughly.
mites r hard to get rid of > but i use listerine and water it help draw them out in the soak.
Shaddie says:
2 years ago
VERY nice hub, thank you for posting such helpful information for snake owners.