Are there any homemade cleaners or soaps I can use?
2007-01-26 05:27:09 · 10 answers · asked by mingblack 3 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Get some Rid-Mite (or whatever is sold these days... there is probably something better now) from a decent reptile house or pet store that is knowledgeable in snakes.
Get rid of all of the old bedding, including any rocks or sticks, and wipe the tank down with whatever the pet store recommends. In the Old Days we used diluted bleach, being careful to wash every trace of it out.
Do not forget the top to your tank.
I was told that mineral oil was "ok" but I never trusted it. I went straight for the Rid-Mite.
After the mites are gone, wash your hands after handling any snake that you are not certain is mite free. Mites abound in pet stores.
2007-01-26 19:22:47 · answer #1 · answered by j 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The black marks may just be imperfections in his coloring. Try a close inspection with a magnifying glass, you should be able to tell fairly easily if the spots are parasites. You might try brushing the spots with something firm, but not totally stiff, like a toothbrush. If they are mites they will come off, ticks have to be pulled. If they are mites quarantine and treat ASAP if you have other herps. To treat and prevent the mites from spreading there are many solutions available from either pet/reptile stores or on-line, I had a severe case with a red tail boa which we had to treat with ivermectin injections. Good luck, hope its nothing, mites can be a real problem.
2016-05-24 02:20:18 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask many people in the industry and the best product you can but is called Provent-a-mite. they sell it in the local pet store in my area, it is a spray that you spray in the cage, after removing the water bowl and snake. I use it at home, I have 28 snakes and haven't had a problem since using this stuff. I belive it is around $25.00 per can, but lasts for a long time. Just make sure you follow the directions. Good luck!
2007-01-26 06:53:58 · answer #3 · answered by malice6372 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Go to a petstore, they have stuff for just this thing. It is a very strong solvent, you mix a few teaspoons in a gallon of water and use cottonballs to wipe your snake off. You will have to do it several times, maybe once a day for 4-5 days.
You will probably have to completely clean out his tank as well. Throw out whatever you are using as flooring and buy some new stuff and rinse the entire tank out with the same solution you used on your snake. If you have wood or branches you might have to soak them to be sure all the mites are gone from his enclosure.
2007-01-26 05:36:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't know if snakes do water, but I brought an iguana home that had mites. The mites left and climbed on a log when the ig got a bath with a dilute amount of povidone iodine. (enough iodine that the bath was tea colored)
Also Verminix ultrasonic pest repellers. They irritate insects and rodents into leaving the premises, but don't bother reptiles or other mammals. (rodents includes gerbils etc.)
2007-01-26 11:49:36 · answer #5 · answered by moabmusher 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well these are mites and to get rid of them you need to soak your snake in warm water everyday, clean the tank everyday and you will need to go to your local pet store and find out if they have anything that you can use for the tank. you have to be careful with what you use in the tank because if you use anything that is a chemical that will harm your snake and possibly kill him. pet stores have things for the cleaning of the tanks. clean the tank everyday and you will need to change the bedding also, or you can use newspaper while you are treating the tank and the snake. mites are a pain to get rid of but it will be worth the wait in the long run because you will have gotten rid of them. he could have gotten them from the snake he was in with or if you were holding another snake that has them you could have brought them home and they got on him from you holding him. my parents own a pet store and i had to treat all the snakes that were in the shop because they all had mites from not being kept clean or bathed. it took me about 1 1/2 weeks to get rid of them and when they were gone all i did was keep everything clean and you won't have any problems. good luck.
2007-01-26 08:27:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there's not a lot of them (rare, I know, but still) you can try putting him in a bucket with warm water and a -little- soap, the mites should run up to his nose, and hopefully you've got a snake that doesn't mind it's head being touched, because from there you take a paper towel or your fingers or what have you and wipe the mites off your snake's face. There are various cage treatments that you can purchase as well. And after you get rid of them, the pet store I go to puts a piece of flea collar on their screen lids, according to them, it keeps the mites away.... *shrug*
2007-01-26 05:32:40 · answer #7 · answered by gimmenamenow 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
A vet is usually your best bet, but there are things you can get to get rid of them. Be wary of store-bought snakes.
2007-01-26 05:33:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
olive oil is harmless and it drowns the mites i have used this before not just something i heard about
2007-01-26 05:34:55 · answer #9 · answered by fukawthoridy 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Garlic water work great, it does not kill the pests, but it does repel them.
2007-01-26 05:31:12 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋