How do I treat a Ball Python that has ticks?

Question

I just pulled 3 ticks off my 2 year old female ball python. Very disappointing considering I keep her cage very clean and that I just bought her from a breeder. Anyway, these 3 were all I could see, and I presume these aren't the last of them. I checked my other ball python who lives in the cage underneath and she doesn't seem to have any ticks. Is there some kind of treatment that I should be applying to either the cage or the snakes to permanently remove any ticks or traces of ticks?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Typical for so-called "breeders" who are nothing but wild caught importers. If this was a captive breeder then he sure doesn't take care of his stock well. It is likely that there is more wrong with your snake as well, such as internal parasites.

Segregate your two snakes now, before you infest your other one. Discard and replace the substrate and clean the tank. Use a substrate that is heat treated to be parasite free if you are using wood mulch or shavings. Some people recommend fly strips or chemical insecticide containing products to place in the tank to prevent ticks and mites. I don't normally recommend them because an active snake can climb up and get stuck to fly strips, or unnecessarily expose themselves to harsh insecticides.

DO NOT use commercial mite and tick sprays, etc. that are commonly marketed in pet stores and pushed by people. The insecticides they contain have been known in many cases to make a ball python ill or cause blindness, or death of the snake. Such insecticides are nothing more than a diluted nerve agent ( pyrethrins -ethrins ).

A safer alternative is to do one of the following:

1. Coat the snake with a liberal layer of olive oil or mineral oil and leave it on the snake for 30 minutes at a time. A similar method is also used in survival medicine to remove ticks from people. This will smother the tick by cutting of it's oxygen supply. When it can't breathe, it will release it's grip and crawl out to seek air. Soaks in water may assist, but water has a surface tension that does not always allow it to penetrate under scales the way that an oil will. If the water does not penetrate, then the tick will have an air bubble surrounding it allowing it to still breathe.

2. Coat the snake with liquid Panacur antiparasitic ( also known by trade name Safe-Guard or the drug name Fenbendazole ). Fenbendazole is the safest antiparasitic medication for reptiles and has a wide safe dosage margin, meaning it is very hard to overdose. You can find Fenbendazole by the name of Safe-Guard in farm and feed stores, or at the vet by the name Panacur. It is usually sold for about $5 a liquid ounce, though a vet once charged me $12 an ounce. However it's worth it.

Fenbendazole may take a week or more to work, and you should reapply at the end of the week, but it will come in handy to also treat gastrointestinal parasites that this Ball more than likely came with. For internal parasites, dose @ 50-100mg/ per Kg of body weight. Most liquids have concentration of 100mg/ml. Repeat after 2 weeks. Of course wait until after you are done with the topical applications and rid the snake of the ticks before you start oral dosing.

DO NOT REMOVE TICKS WITH TWEEZERS. Any doctor or person versed in first aid would tell you the same. If you follow that advice, yes, you WOULD have to watch for infection...because pulling a tick out with tweezers normally decapitates them. They won't release their grip, therefore when you pull on them, their jaws remain in the animal and can caused infection of the wound.

Answer 2

Chances are that you have just aquired a "captive hatched" Ball Python directly imported from Africa. The little ticks are a silvery brown color (about this big ..o ) and hide well under the scales.... right ?
Pick them off carefully with a pair of tweezers and watch for infection. (The more that you look for the ticks, the more you will find.. have patience, you will get them all).
The ticks have nothing to do with your husbandry of the snakes... they came in with the new one from your "breeder".

Answer 3

Any of the above is great advise except one. NO FLEA COLLARS! Flea collars are formulated for dogs and cats. And ferrets. The amount of toxins on them can be fatal to a snake. They make special flea/tick dips for reptiles. It might be a good idea to take him to a qualified herp vet to check them out. If the breeder takes such poor care of their snakes then he may also be sick. Ticks spread disease like Lyme disease. If the snake heppened to pick up Lyme disease from the ticks, it may not be harmful to him, but may carry it and transmit it to you. Better safe than sorry, for both of you.

Answer 4

You'll need to get mite/tick stuff to clean the snake and cage and everything in it with. PLEASE register in this forum and post your question. These people will give you the best advice and tell you exactly what you will need to do to get rid of them!!! If you don't want to register then at least search for a thread that has the answer you need. I guarantee you will find what you need to help your little snakey get back to health!

ball-pythons.net


My name on there is Karma

Answer 5

There is a product called Retiile Relief that gets rid of mites and other parasites. It works really well, and I use it in my terraniums at work.

Answer 6

put them in warm water for about thirty min........do this almost everyday...or you can put a flea collar in their cage.