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Mites in eyes?

anonhat

anonhat

New member
Hey there. I have a snow corn with a possible mite problem. I changed the substrate and bleached and he's on paper towels right now with his treatment. He's still been eating like a champ and hasn't snubbed any food. He's recently shed but still has a small dark splotch in his eye sockets (The reason why I suspected the mites, and confirmed after noticing the specks in his water dish.) I noticed these splotches have gone from black to a lighter gray in color but they are still concerning me. They're near the front of the eye where our tear glands are. I know fighting mites off is tough, but I've been treating him for maybe three weeks now and although I see none around his nose, chin, anal gland, or on his body they're still in his eyes.

How can I get rid of the final few?!
 
I've noticed that in my snow as well, but he doesn't have mites. The substrate I use is a dark colour and it "stains" him sometimes (I have noticed it in the front of his eyes, along his body and espcially his tail shortly before he sheds). Are you sure this is a remnant of the mites, and not a dirt build up?
 
First, snakes don't have tear glands. Second, are you completely sure they're mites? I'd go ahead and give him a nice soak, just to be safe for now.
 
I would have to agree with Robbie. Give him a soak in lukewarm water. Allow him to submerge his face at will, but make sure he can get his head up as well.

Whatever you do, don't yank them off. If they're stuck on tight, you could rip the sensitive skin surrounding his eye. Don't try to medicate it with anything, because the eye is a very sensitive place.

A vet visit would be ideal, but you may be able to medicate him at home without going to the vet. :shrugs:

Good luck.

Adam :wavey:
 
What did you treat him with?

I use Sevin Dust which will kill mites in a few minutes, one time shot. But for a few days after I would see the dead dried hulls of leftover mites.

I agree with the soaking, about fifteen minutes with some mild dish soap should be all you need to do.

What about decor in the cage? Any wood shelves nearby. If you get mites your wood, toss it out. You'll never get em all.
 
I use Sevin Dust....

but I have in absence of Sevin Dust I have used a small amount of dish soap in a snake bath in the past. Allow for a fifteen minute bath. When you take the snake out of the bath you will notice a slight sheen from the soap. Just rinse under a spicket for a minute or two.

Check out Kathy Love's Corn Snakes The Comprehensive Owner's Guide, section on mites, page 123.
 
In 27 years I've had mites twice.....

in my collection and I used Dri-di (illegal in the U.S. now) once and Sevin Dust second. I have helped others with the soaking method. The amount of soap wouldn't hurt the snake if he did drink. I'm talking a small amount. Don't walk away, if the snake does drink the water, take him out and offer him a fresh bowl. If he had water in his enclosure, hopefully he wouldn't be so quick to drink the bath.
You gotta understand me HHH, when I was a kid things were alot different. The tools of today's herper were nowhere near available to me in the early 80s. Today you can go down to the store and buy a mite spray. Me, I had to use homegrown methods.
Not to freak anybody out but; to rid a snake of internal problems, we would use a tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water.
 
Yeah.. :shrugs: I think I'd rather take my snake to the vet than risk them eating soap. That's just me though. Do what you want, I'm not here to judge.
 
Yeah, like I said.....

I don't soak my snakes, I use Sevin Dust. Cheaper than a vet visit.
This method is in Kathy Love's book as well and she knows a heck of alot more than I.
 
I've been treating him for mites for a while, there's no specks left in his freshly cleaned cage (cleaned a few days ago.) We're currently using paper towels as a substrate to monitor his mites. Before we were using aspen, so it can't be the dye of the substrate. He had mites before (I got him at a pet shop that was pretty bad, but not horribly riddled with mites.) but now his cage has no dots and he has no signs besides his eyes. I'll see if i can get ahold of a camera so i can show you guys what exactly I'm talking about. I'll try the bathing technique.

and of course snakes don't have tear glands! I was saying the location of the gray is in the inside corners of his eyes, just like where mammal tear glands are.
 
My boyfriend gave him a quick bath and sure enough, mites fell out everywhere. After the bath he noticed that he still had the grey in his eyes. We're giving him a longer (like 20 minute) bath this weekend when I have free time.

Thanks for all the help and I'll post back if his eyes don't get better.
 
Continued good luck....

Post a pic when possible. A twenty minute bath should really be all you need.
 
Cflaguy said:
in my collection and I used Dri-di (illegal in the U.S. now) once and Sevin Dust second. I have helped others with the soaking method. The amount of soap wouldn't hurt the snake if he did drink. I'm talking a small amount. Don't walk away, if the snake does drink the water, take him out and offer him a fresh bowl. If he had water in his enclosure, hopefully he wouldn't be so quick to drink the bath.
You gotta understand me HHH, when I was a kid things were alot different. The tools of today's herper were nowhere near available to me in the early 80s. Today you can go down to the store and buy a mite spray. Me, I had to use homegrown methods.
Not to freak anybody out but; to rid a snake of internal problems, we would use a tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water.
Click to expand...

how do you think they purify water?
 
You're recommending adding chlorine to his drinking water?
In the amount of a tablespoon to a gallon of water? (That's 200ppm.)
I would think that would kill off most of his gut flora.......
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of bleach will disinfect 5 gallons of clear water.
 
That's kind of what I thought, but I can't say I've ever tried it. :shrugs: It sounds unhealthy to me. I'd rather get a prescribed treatment from my vet.
 
I'm not recommending anything....

caz223 said:
You're recommending adding chlorine to his drinking water?
In the amount of a tablespoon to a gallon of water? (That's 200ppm.)
I would think that would kill off most of his gut flora.......
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of bleach will disinfect 5 gallons of clear water.
Click to expand...

Again, what I'm saying....

In the 80's it was alot different than it is today. We made with what we had. Today I use differnt methods.
 
Hey, Cflag, I for one am not out to crucify you. I know knowlege and experience were little at a time, be it ten years ago or ten-thousand years ago, we learn from our mistakes. :shrugs:

But please, don't ever recommend this method to anyone. Some people might actually be desperate enough to try it. :nope:
 
I didn't recommend this to anyone....

and today I would not. I simply stated an old method I and many others used at some point. I didn't make it up one day, somebody else suggsted it to me. And it did work. With no harm to the snake. I would hardly call that a mistake.
 
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