Anyone have pics of mites?

[JoeyBagadonuts]

Does anyone have any pictures of mites? I would like to be able to identify them.

[jazzgeek]

Mites are not difficult to find. They look like little grains of black pepper on your snake. I did some Googling, and found a few shots magnified under a microscope, the first at 10X, the second at 400X. Enjoy.

regards,
jazz

[abell82]

That second picture is a tick which is actually much bigger than a mite :grin01:

[KatieL]

Jazz is right when he says they look like pepper. The easiest place to check for them though, is in the water bowl. Usually snakes will soak to relieve themselves of the adult mites on them (they drown and fall off), so looking for "pepper" in the bottom of the waterbowl will give you a pretty good idea. You really can't miss it once you know what you're looking for. :)

[JoeyBagadonuts]

well, i found 2 mites on my snow corn. so how do i get rid of them?

[Lennycorn]

well, i found 2 mites on my snow corn. so how do i get rid of them?

Try scrolling down on this page and you will find some threads on the topic.

Good Luck. :cheers:

[KatieL]

Snakeamateur209, had a similar question to yours, and rather than retyping everything I told him, I figured it would just be easier to post this link:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30635

If you have any other questions, just let us know. :) Hopefully this will answer some of your questions, or at least get you pointed in the right direction. Good Luck!

[Lennycorn]

Snakeamateur209, had a similar question to yours, and rather than retyping everything I told him, I figured it would just be easier to post this link:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30635

If you have any other questions, just let us know. :) Hopefully this will answer some of your questions, or at least get you pointed in the right direction. Good Luck!

Katie,
Have you read this link lately, It states a couple ways to solve the mites problems but the first is with the use of Nix which, from what Kathy Loves states, has killed some snakes. So please warn owners of this.
Sevin is the course she recommends.

[kimbyra]

Sevin Dust!?! I would be worried using nix, nevertheless Sevin Dust. If it can kill fire ants, it certainly kill a snake. Pet store have reptile mite spray - why not use something made for snakes? Then there is always the luke warm bath then rub on some olive oil treatment.

[PtDnsr]

For mites I use Reptile Relief on the snake and Provent-A-Mite on the bedding. I've never had to use them on anything that is younger than a well sized yearling though. The Reptile Relief I use to run over the snake (staying well away from it's head) and the Provent-A-Mite I use on the bedding. As long as you follow the directions I have had no problems and once I used it on all of the bedding for my adults that were in one room (where the mite problem started with 1 snake and rapidly progressed) it was gone. You just have to find out what will work for you.

~Katie

[KatieL]

Katie,
Have you read this link lately, It states a couple ways to solve the mites problems but the first is with the use of Nix which, from what Kathy Loves states, has killed some snakes. So please warn owners of this.
Sevin is the course she recommends.
Lennycorn,

Yes, I have read the thread, and that is why I like to use this link, rather than just posting the nix protocol. Not only does the thread display my preferred method, but it also gives information about other methods as well, so that way the reader can make an informed decision.

I know Kathy Love mentioned that she's had calls from amateurs with dead snakes due to a nix treatment, but she herself said she did not know if they had been overdosed or not. That is why I am sure to mention that when using the technique listed in the thread I have never had any problems, and I've used the nix treatment a LOT (when I began my new job, ALL of the snakes at the center were infested with mites).

I personally would never use Sevin on my snakes, and I know a lot of other people who have similar feelings on using such strong chemicals inside their homes. I also have one friend who swears Sevin killed his hatchlings. Obviously, I don't know if it was completely related to the Sevin or not, but I'd rather not find out. (Not that I am contradicting Kathy Love's method...it just isn't for me)

In any case, I have had a huge amount of success with Nix and have never had a problem with it, even on the tiniest of hatchlings. I'm know I'm not the only one with this experience, and perhaps it just comes down to a matter of preference.

After reading the thread I linked to they should at least have a general idea of the direction they want to head in. It's a very informative thread.

Hope that cleared things up for you a bit :)

Katie

[Lennycorn]

Lennycorn,

Yes, I have read the thread, and that is why I like to use this link, rather than just posting the nix protocol. Not only does the ........... a very informative thread.

Hope that cleared things up for you a bit :)

Katie

No not really.
Seems like you and Kathy are contradicting each other. But I guess that's the gray area that owners need to decide. I was just concern that a warning should have been put in place for a new owner. Know that armatures make mistakes. That's all. I did post this same link once and got flame on for the same reason. I have looked it up in Joejr14 FAQ section and he states both treatments but doesn’t supply information. Luckily I haven't had mites yet so this is a problem for me. :wavey:

Lennycorn

[SnakeCreations]

Hi All -

Just my .02 :p

I obtained a very pretty amel from a petstore last month. Lucky for me, I'd been reading just about every post, every day on this website and did my own research as well when I discovered that my guy came home with some stowaways....grrrr

Because my guy is so small I decided on the least invasive reccomended.

After removing everything, I placed him in a new sterilite with just a doubled over paper towel to give him a place to hide, and a new water dish. I cleaned the sterilite and his water dish with a diluted bleach spray.

I soaked him for 15 - 20 minutes then I sprayed and wiped him with Reptile Relief. I looked for the Prevent-A-Mite for his container, but couldn't find it. I did this every 4 days. The paper towels made it super easy to see mites that were crawling around his cage. After the third treatment, so less than 2 weeks, I couldn't find any mites. Wooo Hoo!

I also sprayed his shelf and the uth his cage sits on.

Cudos to you all - this is a great website with a wealth of information!

Tonya