My Mites Have Disappeared...

[PhiSig787]

I got a case of mites with my two corns a couple weeks ago. I posted asking for advice and have since been taking the necessary steps to clean them. Four days ago I fed both snakes and cleaned them. Then two days ago they both shed on the same day and since I have not seen a single mite, whereas before the shedding I would see a couple decent sized ones on each snake every day. That leads me to think that possibly with the shedding they got rid of any eggs that were still on them???? That would be my hope anyways. I have them on paper towel bedding right now so that I could monitor their condition to see how they're doing.

My question is, is it possible that they have gotten rid of their mites by shedding and would it be reasonable for me to rearrange their viv in a day or two if their condition continues as positive as it is now back to how it was before the problem?

I've never had a mite problem and am learning everyday about keeping snakes so I was hoping someone who has had a mite problem before might be able to shed some light on the issue. Thanks everyone for all your help, this site has been a God send.

 

[coyote]

The eggs are laid in the environment, not on the snake. So, if there were mature adult mites in the viv they have laid eggs in there. This means that re-infestation will occur.

What method did you use to treat for the mites?

Not every method kills the eggs.

 

[Billybobob]

Chances of re-infestation are still very high. I don't think that I have replied to any of your previous post so here is what I do;

First i soak the snake in warm water, while the snake is soaking I clean the viv with a bleach/water solution and then rinse and dry the viv.

Next I get some mite, flea, and tick powder for cats(Not as strong as the equivalent for dogs so I feel it is safer for snakes. Can still cause problems if used excessively) And mist the viv with water then sprinkle the mite powder in the viv(spraying helps keep the powder from freefloating in the viv). Then I lay the paper towel or newspaper over the powder.

I then take the snake out of the soaking tub and dry it off with paper towels. Also I look over the snake for more mites normally they will be on the head of the snake(only part out of the water) may or may not soak a little longer depending on how many/few i see on the snake.

After all of that i will clean the viv in the same manner every day and the snake every 3-4 days until i see no more mites. But I keep using the powder and paper towel in the viv for a few weeks just to be sure.

Disclaimer: I do all of this myself and only offer this information to show how i do things. If you use this method you do so at your own risk and can not blame anyone but yourself if problems arise. Be sure that you know how to use the powder you buy and use common sense.

 

[Taceas]

I always have serious qualms over using products intended for other animals, especially chemicals, on other species. For some reason, things are the way they are for a reason. It took two of our cats to die of cancer before we realized that the vet's recommendation for cattle tick repellant was probably the culprit. The vet later died of the same type of cancer as a lot of the pets in his wake of "cattle dosing".

I've used Reptile Relief with great success for mites. It works by suffocating the mites/ticks. Rather than a chemical pesticide which could have unknown risks associated with it, like feline powders. Its safe to ingest and it even works great on ear mites of cats. The label said it was safe for use on all animals, not just reptiles, and since its not a pesticide, but instead an oily-soapy substance, I didn't see the harm. I usually just spray the viv down, let it sit, and wipe it out. Its also safe for direct application of the reptile.

Another all-natural suggestion is to sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the tub for a few weeks. Its made of microscopic glass-like shells from ancient sea critters called Diatoms. The particles are so small they pose absolutely no danger to humans or animals, and are even food safe for use in kitchens. They work by a physical effect, when the mites or insects crawl through them, the microscopic glass shells slice them open and they dehydrate through their wounds.


:-offtopic
Offering suggestions and then saying that the person is liable for following them is irresponsible, imho. If it has any dangers associated with it that you yourself recognize could happen, why share it if you're not medically qualified?

Oh and btw PhiSig, it sounded as though you housed your snakes together. Please separate your snakes into separate vivs when you get the chance. Mite and parasite transmission is one of the myriad of reasons not to house snakes together. Too bad that wasn't known before getting two snakes.

 

[The Nothing]

having recently been through a mite problem as well, I'm a big fan of ZooMeds Mite-Off. In addition to following the directions of the bottle, my lil corn found a temporary home in an easily cleaned enclosure that had no nooks and crannys for mites to lay eggs... every day the enclosures were bleached, substraite replaced, and snake bathed in slightly soapy water (dove - just enough to break the surface tension of water, then thoroughly rinced).

The best part of the ZooMed Mite Off is that it is safe enough to be used on the eyes. I've not seen anything else that could claim the same, and is very important as that is where mites often hide. With the shed at the end of all these treatments, a total of 4 dead mites were found in and around the eye caps.

if you didn't thoroughly care for the enclosure, your mites will likely return in two weeks as the new eggs hatch.

While snakes are best kept separated, you cannot guarantee that mites will not spread to other snakes in different enclosures. Mites are capable of moving at a rate of 14feet per hour... imagine how many laps around the room you keep them in one mite could make in a night...

 

[Billybobob]

I always have serious qualms over using products intended for other animals, especially chemicals, on other species. For some reason, things are the way they are for a reason. It took two of our cats to die of cancer before we realized that the vet's recommendation for cattle tick repellant was probably the culprit. The vet later died of the same type of cancer as a lot of the pets in his wake of "cattle dosing".

You are talking about using a product desined for cows on cats, there is a big difference in size in thouse 2 animals so the potency of the cemicals would have been alot stronger than what a cat could handel. I think I would have seen a problem with that as soon as the vet sugested it.

Offering suggestions and then saying that the person is liable for following them is irresponsible, imho. If it has any dangers associated with it that you yourself recognize could happen, why share it if you're not medically qualified?

The size difference between a cow and a cat is much different that the size difference between a cat and a corn snake. The type of insectiside in most cat powders is the same as what a vet would give you if you if you had a mite problem with your reptiles. And unless you are a vetrinarian yourself you should not give any husbandy advice either becaues you are not medically qualified. Vet techs don't count either. And I think that it is more responsible to ad that disclamer so that less expiriance people don't try it but it leaves the info avalible for more expireance people. And when it all comes down to it every one here is responsible for there own actions even if the post that they got the info from did not have any dis-clamer. And i if you have a web site where you sell snakes fome and have any info on treating snakes you could be held responible for a novies that used that info and had a problem develop
because of it.

Another all-natural suggestion is to sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the tub for a few weeks. Its made of microscopic glass-like shells from ancient sea critters called Diatoms. The particles are so small they pose absolutely no danger to humans or animals, and are even food safe for use in kitchens. They work by a physical effect, when the mites or insects crawl through them, the microscopic glass shells slice them open and they dehydrate through their wounds.

For the love of god please do not use this method. Diatomaceous earth can cause all kinds of problems in snakes. Problems with shedding, Respiratory problems and intestinal problems just to name a few. Yes it is relatively safe but if you were in costant contact with it even you would realize how it could adversely affect your health.

 

[PhiSig787]

I also purchased Reptile Relief. When first noticed I cleaned the entire viv, let it soak with a bleac solution, dried it, and finally sprayed it with Reptile Relief. I replaced the substrate with paper towels so as to more clearly see the seriousness of the issue. I let my corns soak in a soapy solution for about an hour and then dried them off and applied Reptile Relief which I rubbed over them. I then scanned the scales to see if there were any mites still underneath a scale that I could see and would rub those out from the scales.

I checked both snakes daily and for about a week daily alternating using Reptile Relief and mild olive oil. I was told that olive oil was an old technique used to choke the mites from under the scales as they wouldn't be able to breath.

I changed the paper towels every other day for that week+/- and re-sprayed the viv with Reptile Relief in hopes of killing anything that had gotten left behind. The only other thing in the viv this entire time has been their waterdish which I sprayed down and wiped off and cleaned a couple of days ago.

I'm still observing their viv as well as my corns and there appears to be no more mites. Until just recently I would see several (3-4) noticeable mites on my snakes daily and on the paper towels I'd see evidence of little mites. There hasn't been a single mite, small or large that I've noticed going on three days now.

My herp guy locally said that it can take as long as months to get rid of mites because they're parasites and therefore are very resilient, that's why I am so uncertain that I could have taken care of the problem adequately in two weeks...

Thanks for all the advice, please let me know what you think. I hope I've answered everyone's questions.

 

[Taceas]

We didn't know the product was used for cows. The vet had said he'd been to a recent symposium and it was all the 'rage' because it only took one application a month. This is way back in the day before Revolution, Advatage, whateverelse was on the market and flea and tick collars and dips were the norm.

Adding a disclaimer is all nice in theory, but if it was actually practical people would have one at the bottom of every post they'd made here. We live in a society that is sue-happy unfortunately, but I don't think reptile keeping is in the realm of being sued over quite yet at least for corn snakes.

After all, this is the internet, no one takes us seriously in the grand scheme of things anyway. If being held responsible for "faux medical advice" being handed about that resulted in the death of your pets, that Melissa Kaplan chick would have been buried long ago.

And since when is diatomaceous earth so bad? I've been using it for years to flea-dust dogs and cats with, also as a de-mite/lice treatment for poultry, and it worked beautifully on the last mite infested snake I had bought. I even use it in my kitchen to thwart any spring-autumn invading ant armies.

Besides, its not in any amount that's going to make any difference in the long run, unlike your "dust the cat flea powder around, but make sure not to get too much cause its bad 'n stuff". You only need a tiny tiny amount for a short period of time for it to be effective. Some mite treatments can kill reptiles, yet most people still use them. Nix, no-pest strips, Sevin powder, ivermectin, etc.

They're not wading in it by any means, and the amount I use I can barely see when I get up close. I stick my fingers in the bag to get coated, then wiggle them back and forth over the viv floor to dislodge it and then spread it around, making sure to get along the sides and corners. Then cover with newspaper and be done with it. I can't remember that case of mites lasting past 8 days.

I'd much rather my snake have a minor case of the itchies than be neurologically damaged by chemicals intended for a mammal. :shrugs:

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I had a mite problem last year from 'rescuing' an unwanted snake, I got rid of them but it was a bear, they will keep coming back unless you are thorough! Here's what worked for me:
-Isolating the snake with the mites to a seperate room
-Reptile Relief spray (with several follow-up applications)
-Complete changes of aspen shavings, tank was emptied and sprayed with a bleach solution and then 'Reptile Relief' sprayed and rinsed clean again every week (in the meantime the snake would get a 'bath' in mild detergent and water)
-no more adopting/rescuing of questionable snakes no matter how sorry I feel for them!
-all newcomers I put through a quarantine in a different room
I think this issue has come up quite a bit on this forum, so it's a good candidate for the 'search' button.

 

[PtDnsr]

Right now I'm a big fan of Provent-A-Mite. I found some mites on one of our snakes one day and cleaned her off and cleaned the cage and then found more on another one the next day. Needless to say, all of our snakes cages got cleaned and treated with this stuff. I found 3 or 4 on one of the snakes a few days later and haven't found any since. My dad has also used the Reptile Releif along with the Provent-A-Mite (to treat the snake and the bedding) and it has worked well for him.

~Katie

 

[Billybobob]

I'd much rather my snake have a minor case of the itchies than be neurologically damaged by chemicals intended for a mammal. :shrugs:

Most boxes of diatomaceous earth recommend that you keep pets away from it and also recommend that you ware gloves while handling it. Snakes have a slower metabolism that mammals because they are cold blooded which means that if some of the powder from the diatomaceous earth is breathed in all of the little cuts that form take longer to heal than they would in mammals leaving them more open to infection. Plus a constant itching on a snake could cause stress. It can cause problems with sheding because of the same reason it kills insects plus the fact that when in shed the small cuts on the surface of the skin cause the shed to break some times resulting in an incomplete shed. Back when I was 17 after my first mite infestation(I had already taken care of it) I tried diatomaceous earth as a preventative measure so I would not get mites again. Allot but not all of my snakes started to have sheding problems and respiratory problems one even died of a intestinal infection, the vet i used at the time said that the diatomaceous earth was mostlikely the cause. So I stopped using it and low and behold the problems stopped with my snakes. that is why I say you should not use it for mites.

Taceas after you used it on your snakes did you notice any problems. Just curious because I used it long term as a preventative measure and you did not so it could have been the prolonged exposer.

 

[Taceas]

Well I wouldn't recommend my ferret digging in a bagful of it by any means. After all, I've had dish soap recommend gloves when using.

But I see no problem with using minute amounts for a short period of time in mite-infested snake bins. I only used DE for 5-7 days, I credit Reptile Relief for doing most of the hard work on mite killing. The DE was just to make sure stragglers didn't return in one piece. Once I was assured the mites were eradicated, the snakes were bathed and the tubs washed out.

I also got my DE at an organic market, which I don't know if that makes any difference. But it said premium DE with less dust; it even made a point to say that. It's too bad I gave the bag of it to my mom for her persistent ant problem.

Allot but not all of my snakes started to have sheding problems and respiratory problems one even died of a intestinal infection, the vet i used at the time said that the diatomaceous earth was most likely the cause.

Well if you use so much that you can see it, for weeks on end, yes you're probably going to have problems. But substrate or husbandry conditions could have been at fault as well, unfortunately no one will know for sure. Although I don't know why you'd use it as a long-term preventative, once mites are eradicated, they're eradicated. They don't just spontaneously appear one day to run amok.

However I do seem to go through seasonal periods where a few of my snakes will have shedding issues, but nothing drastic. Its mostly related to autumn time when the furnace is just coming on and drying the air out more than they're used to. After a few weeks, back to sheds like normal. I don't know if anyone else experiences something similar or not. No humid hides or other additional husbandry accessories added, either.


Anyway, I believe this is an obvious case of "personal preference". I prefer not to dose my snakes with chemicals not intended for them, and tend to go the more holistic approach. After all, I don't kill flies on the wall with a bazooka, I use a fly-swatter.

:cheers: