Mite Treatments

[guypettigrew]

Originally Posted by snake mon

hey to get rid if mites and ticks ive been told to use sumart called vaponar its like a sort of air freshner that sits inside the viv so ive been told have you heard of it

Vapona has gone out of fashion nowadays due to the possibility of it causing long term neurological damage.

Don't even know if it still exists!

Guy

[mowog44]

Mites ....for the first time in over 12 years of snakes - grrrrrr !

I hate mites !!!

I've ordered some Hypoaspis from defenders but have a quick question.
I guess I already know he answer but I'll ask anyway.

Is it best to remove all the substrate (in this case - inch layer of orchid bark chip) from the viv before applying the hypos?

I was thinking of just putting a layer of newspaper back for a while.

Cheers

[mowog44]

Well .....
Out came all the substrate and in went the hypoaspis.
(very quick delivery from defenders.co.uk by the way)

I'll let you all know if it works (inc how quick and how effective)

[paulrimmer69]

its actually illigal now as something in it was found to be carcinogenic apparently

[Daniel87]

ive had a ball python given to me 3 days ago and lets just say his skin was crawling with mites (in realy bad shape) used mite off.. soaked the viv and him with the stuff.. and bathed him every day and well im happy to say looks like there pritty much gone now .. i think its done the trick Touch wood lets see what happens

[jon harvey]

Yes, I had the same problem. I used Frontline spray on the snake and on the rub. However, the little blighters were using the eyes as a refuge and escaping the Frontline. I ended up bathing the snake in a tub full of warm water and mite off (as it is only soap anyway).

After 2 soaks and a bit of careful work around the eyes with a cotton bud dipped in miteoff I appear to have got the buggers. I don't think mite off is particularly good on its own or used as directed, but it makes a good anti mite bath and is safe to use around the eyes where most harsher chemicals cannot.

Jon

[MrsRaven]

I have been lucky and haven't had mites for a long while, but I do quarantine any new snakes unless I am 100% sure of where they come from. The last time was about two years ago when I bought a baby BCI from a local pet supplier, and he was crawling. I washed him to get the mites off, and didn't use anything on the baby himself because he was so small. He was put into a mite-proofed viv, and it took two weeks to get him completely clean.

I use Provent-a-mite in the tubs, also spray a strip of newspaper and let it dry, then place it in a spot where the snake will pass over it frequently. I use frontline on the snakes, and spray the carpets and wipe round the outside of the vivs with Indorex. Their pharmaceutical vet assured me that it will kill snake mites in the environment but wouldn't reccomend it for use on the animals themselves.

Even if I haven't got mites I still use Indorex, because we have dogs and cats and it kills fleas and ticks too.

[James King]

Another great helpful post thanks alot

[LEdwards]

Ive used frontline too. Unbeatable. Ive tried other stuff but its not so great. But what do you mean by nervous problems?

[jojojay]

I found that soaking and olive oil works a treat. I also remove bedding and scrub everything that can be scrubbed and soak. That that cant goes in the bin asap. My corns had mites a few months ago and i soaked and oiled a few times, removed aspen and used kitchen roll for a month. Seems to have done the trick.

I always soak and oil my new snakes JUST INCASE and keep them on kitchen roll for a month. I do have a OCD when mites are concerned.