I have a Ball Python... he is about 1 and a half, maybe 2 feet long. I was using a forest blend repti-bark, when I noticed only 3 mites crawling on my boy, I broke them in-half with my fingernail (like you do for fleas on dogs and cats) I used repti-relief.... and they just clustered onto his head (like 4 maybe 5 of them). So I washed EVERYTHING in his enclosure with hot water, and dried it off, I took all of the repti-bark out, and washed the tank with repti-reliefs, then washed it with hot hot hot water, and dried it out. Instead of putting repti-bark in as a substrate I now have Paper Towel, and I rinsed my boy off with luke warm water and dried him off by letting him slither through a sweater of mine, and re-applied the repti-relief to him (it says on the bottle to be used on reptile, just not in their eyes, so I've only ever applied it to his body, never his head)...... I dont see any mites..... did I defeat them? are they gone?
2006-11-30 07:52:32 · 4 answers · asked by Missy C 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Sounds like you did everything right, but mites are stubborn... Only time will tell. Best to keep him on paper towels for a while longer, it's easier to see the mites. He may have gotten them from the bark, so in the future you may want to bake or treat the substrate before using it... Just as a precaution. Good luck! I hope it worked!!
2006-11-30 08:56:28 · answer #1 · answered by snake_girl85 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might have gotten the ones that were alive but maybe not all of the eggs. I would continue to do the washing of the cage and your boy every 2-3 days for a weeks to 10 days to make sure you killed everything. If I am correct the repti-relief only kills the hatched mites and not the eggs.
I hope your boy gets better soon! Good luck!
2006-11-30 16:27:10 · answer #2 · answered by jmrob29 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mites are definalty stubborn. I suggest washing his tank and everything in it in a 5% bleach solution. That will kill any remaining eggs that rinsing wont. rinse it a couple times after to rinse off any bleach residue. Anything wood can be put in the oven (no bleach) at 375 for 15 min. Bleach will soak into the wood. so just bake it in the oven to kill mites and their eggs. You can use 'No-Pest' strips on the room he was in, as a safety precaution. Mites can get out of the tank and be on things in that room; they will just get back into his tank. No-pest strips are at home depot. Just make sure the room is ventilated very well before putting your ball back in there. the fumes from the no pest strips will kill him. So, after the strip does its job (without the ball in the room). Ventilate the room for a day or so; wipe off any surfaces the snake can get on. Then put him back in there. If he flicks his tongue and gets the residue in him, it can make him sick.
2006-11-30 17:45:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok.. like others have said...u might have killed the live ones, but still might have eggs.... clean the cage good, and something that i use to not get mites is, those hanging pest strips u can get at farm n fleet.
2006-12-01 17:34:18 · answer #4 · answered by beast060 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋