Just received another snake (Saturday) covered in mites within days of receiving it. Lucky for me it is in a really useful tub using my tried and tested technique of running a thin bead of vasoline oround the upper inner of the tub (mites get stuck and cannot pass this bead). Use white kitchen paper with snakes you know have mites, this shows up the little buggers easily. I would now like to educate some people here, mites can be wipped off and the snake LOOKS mite free, but in the ears, around the vent and under the chin they lurk, like germs!
To fight the mite soak the snake daily in the bath / sink, clean out the plastic tub and change the kitchen paper, wash out the hid and water bowl (even better soak in boiling water for five mins). Wash your hands properly before you touch and other equipment or animals in your collection.
Keep this up for a few weeks and you will find no more mites, after 4 to 5 weeks of seeing NONE you are mite free (until some uneducacted sells you another mite infested snake). It seems as though people dont really care if their animals have mites which is just insane. My collection and home have been mite free for over a year, this proves my point. It will be mite free again in four weeks time.
Rant over,
Get educated,
Get informed,
Jason

Ears obviously refering to lizards which can also get mites, sorry was running away with myself

Guys,

Is anyone aware of a vendor other than Defenders from whom I can buy hypoaspis predator mites? Defenders are out of stock.

Disregard that question, people - Defenders came through for me!

I know it's been mentioned already in this thread, but when I came across mites on both my BRB and BCI last year, I used Callington "Reptile Enclosure Insecticide". Flown in from New Zealand and at £26 a pop, cheap it ain't, but I got 2 applications of a 4'x4'x2' and a 4'x2'x2' and surrounding areas, I still have half a bottle left, and I haven't seen any evidence of mites since. I have since (bit late, I know) looked up its toxicity and apparently it poses no threat by inhalation, although it isn't for use on geckos, amphibians etc.
But after reading this thread and posts from those more experienced than myself, I will be sure to use the cooking oil technique if I encounter mites again.

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My Boas1.0.0 BRB CB07:-Malcolm 0.1.0 BCI CB08:-Sheila

I don't understand why any chemicals are ever used really, mites drown in water after 5 minutes. Get the snake infested away from the others in the collection, get it in a plastic tub. Use a bead of vasoline around the top, bath the snake daily (hold it under water with nose sticking out). Change the kitchen / news paper daily and squish any mites visible on that paper.
Keep up the routine and they just cannot survive the bashing!!!!!!
It takes time, but who wants to plaster their snake in chemicals all the time? NO THANKS.

Hi Strat,

I think that mites can be easily controlled where you have a population of small snakes and you keep them all in RUBs or critter boxes, etc.

Where you have large boids in full length wooden vivs, chemicals are often needed to finish the job.

I was trying the water route, but fully immersing a 50lb boa daily was no mean feat.

Also, time is not necessarily on a snake's side. If an animal's been weakened by an infestation, why put it through weeks more pain?

And finally, what reason have you got to think that chemical treatments like Ardap, for example, will harm a snake? Ardap is designed for use in aviaries etc - it is specially formulated to kill mites and other pests without harming the livestock you're trying to protect. It's true you shouldn't spray the snake directly, but exposure to the residue is the whole point. Got any examples of snakes harmed by such treatments?

i'll second the front line, its very good we shred newspaper and spray it onto the shredded paper then put the snake into it or spray it ona towel and rub it on the snakes body. empty out the viv and keep them on newspaper for substrate and minimal furnishings until there is no trace of mites left

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1.1 Dumerils Boa 1.1 Irian Jaya CP 0.1 Jag Sib CP 1.0 JCP 1.0 Coastal CP 1.1 100% het Albino BCI 1.1 DH snow BCI 0.1 Frilled Dragon 1.2 Hypo Tangerine Leo's

I had mites on my 1st Royal, used the oil bath (only needed to do once) and have been mite free ever since.

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0.1.0 Normal Royal
1.0.0 Pastel Royal
0.1.0 Spider Royal

Hey All, I hope everyone is good!

I was wondering why my snakes were so uneasy and fidgity...They have house guest...But somewhere between today and last saturday...they arrived and I dont know where they came from since last saturday I cleaned there cage. I have NEVER seen anything like this. I have been forced to throw all there "toys" away. We are going to start over. I have thouroughly cleaned the cages with bleach and water. I have sprayed the cages with ZooMed spray. I have soaked my babies in water and massaged them in pure Olive Oil AFTER spraying them with the ZooMeds solution. Is there anything else I can do? I want to make sure they are 100% commfy.

Unfortunantly, before I realized the mites, my babies (6 boas)were enjoying a day of exercise, throughout the house and on my neck. When I went to give them their bi weekly soak, there were black specks all over me...I was FREAKED OUT!!!! I threw out EVERYTHING they came into contact with and damn near bleached out my whole house since today was exercise day. I even sprayed my home with household ant,flea,tick spray and will repeat the treatments all next week.

If I have missed anything please let me know. Out of 10 years of snke experience-this is my first mite experience. All of my snakes have been health up to this point and I do a pretty good job of keeping the cages clean, so I really wanna know where they came from. None of the snakes were new to the collection and they are in glass enclosures. I use newspaper on their floors and they ate about 2 weeks ago.

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Harpo