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Sticky tape use on mites

eddiehm

eddiehm

Kindergarden Graduate
hello, i see all the mites treatment you guys use, which i have no access off. (nix, sevin..)

over here, i got access to human lices treatment and dog flea shampoo.. i may try this route.. before that

my milksnake got mites. i can see them. can i use sticky tape (not duct tape sticky) to remove crawling mites that i see? then topping the treatment with of the shelf lice/flea/mite treatment.

how long does mite stays underwater before they drown?

i was very surprise of why my milksnake likes to be soaking in water. when inspect, saw mites crawling on the body..
 
ugh...sorry, no Nix in your area :uhoh: ...whoops..lol...um, I'm not sure...hopefully a professional will be along soon to offer some advice :)
 
I'd be wary of harming your snake with the tape. Also, I don't think it would be very effective; mites tend to get UNDER the scales, and the ones you see crawling are in the minority.

It is possible to remove mites without a shop bought mite treatment; it just makes life a bit harder! A very strict cycle of cleaning and sterilizing and bathing the snakes can do the trick. I recommend you throw out anything that can't be easily sterilized, and definetly change out all old bedding and so forth.

I also recommend you place the snake in a 'minimal enclosure', such as paper towel substrate, not much cage furniture, as this makes mites easier to monitor and minimises the places they can lay their eggs.

Good luck!
 
over here, i got access to human lices treatment and dog flea shampoo.. i may try this route..
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Also, I'd avoid using treatments designed for dogs or humans. Chemicals that are safe for them, may prove fatal to reptiles.

Usually, you need something that is guaranteed reptile-safe by the manufacturer. Could you buy something over the internet from another country?

can i use sticky tape (not duct tape sticky) to remove crawling mites that i see?
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I would avoid using the tape on the snakes, but in the enclosure you should be ok to dab at the mites to pick them up. Don't leave the tpe in with the snakes - it sticks fast to scales and can be a terible problem to remove. Do you have "Blu Tak" where you are? It's a sort of sticky putty used for sticking posters on walls. I should imagine this will pick up mites and it doesn't stick to scales.
 
I've heard tales Dog fee shampoo is toxic to snakes. So big nono.

Even heard of Dutchy's from Refona? I've heard very good stories about them. I once used them for wood mites and they gobbled them all up then died. Perhaps they'll ship oversees. 100% harmless. Unless your a mite.
 
Look at the mites.

ohh.. dog flea shampoo is a no no? i just brought a bottle.. :uhoh: but is not strictly for dogs. its a flea & tick shampoo for cats & dogs. i hope i can refund the bottle..

Anyway.. upon, searching the www i found this http://www.anapsid.org/mites.html they recommend Betadine. i dont see anyone recommending this to their snake. im quite accessable to Betadine, its an over the counter prescription. can i use this & the advice?

humm.. its a bit to late as i had my ways on the mites. i took a masking tape as it does not stick as sticky as duct tape. roll it up, and roll it over my milksnake name rainbow.. (yeah, blutak.. why didnt i think of that earlier..) surprisingly, rainbow just stay still when i did this. it took two small rolls, to remove the sighted mites. i also change to a smaller enclosure, full paper flooring & i vaseline the top & around the lid of the enclosure as to prevent escape mites. oh, in the pic below.. i kinda pull off a few scales.. is rainbow going to be ok??

his previous enclosure with corncob bedding​
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Poor Rainbow. soaking herself as to drown the mites. Look at the neck area.​
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change him to a smaller enclosure with paper towel bedding. should have taken a fuller shot..​
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the masking tape & two mini rolls i have use​
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mini rolls close up​
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Mites close up​
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Oops.. pull of some scales..​
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look at them nasty teeth​
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there.. neck look much cleaner​
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The Big moving mites is remove. My next plan of attack is the eggs, they have lay. Hopefully all goes well.

Pls advice. And if you want to see more of the mites pics..
You guys can see here.. http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u122/highresvid/Pueblan MilkSnakes/
 
Betadine is safe for snakes, so you can try that. However, it's normally used as an antiseptic, for cleaning wounds. It might get rid of mites, but I've never heard of it being used for that before.

It's worth trying - let us know how it goes. Remember to clean the snake, the tank and all the equipment with it.
 
Oops.. pull of some scales..
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Yes, that's why I advised against using sticky tape on the snake. Please make sure the snake doesn't come into contact with the tape - if you pull scales off you could end up with an open wound.
 
Tape isn't going to get rid of mites under scales nor the eggs. You might as well rince your snakes and whipe them well with paper towel. Safer and as 'effective' as tape.
 
You need to put a layer of petroleum jelly around the top of your viv to stop any from crawling out and reinfesting your viv at a later date.
You can also cover your snake in the same stuff as this will cut off the air supply to the mites
 
sorry you all. i wasnt harming the snake. (that the last thing i would do) i was using masking tape. it barely sticks to the snakes skin. its like post-it notes stickers. no too sticky.. i was flicking the snake skin with the masking tape edges.. i can see lots under there where the masking tape can pick the moving mites & probably the eggs.

so people dont use masking tape or any other tapes. easier to just bath your snake in very diluted flea & tick shampoo. And then rinsing them 2-3 times until no traces oof shampoo is felt.

about the pull scales. Luckily there was no bleeding or anything like that..

i fed him today & ate with appetite. i notice he's not hanging in the water dish. (good sign) or its either the mites eggs hasnt hatch yet. i'll give him a bath tomorrow.

can i use vaseline instead of petroleum jelly? How much should i cover the snake with the vaseline, 1,2,3 layers? then what can i use to clean the vaseline with? normal soap or use the flea & tick shampoo? where do i apply the vaseline? The whole body + head + around eyes + around the nose?

When the snake shed. does the mites, the eggs, including hiding mites & hiding eggs sticks to this old shed?
 
Vaseline is the same thing (just a trade name). Cover you snake from head to toe in a fine layer, this will cut off the air supply to the mites, Its not a fool proof method but it does help. It does work around the top of the viv though.. to stop escapees.
MIKE
 
Nanci said:
This may be a dumb question, but could you buy a mite treatment on eBay? Could _I_ buy it and ship it to you??

Nanci
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Good call Nanci. Get him/her a bottle of Nix and send it to him/her. I am sure distilled water is pretty much available anywhere so he/she will be able to make some Nix Mix. (I like the sound of that ;) )
Jay :cool:
 
I'm not going to the store and buying Nix!! :eek: I'll send some mite treatment, though. Ok, I guess I'd send Nix if that's what he really wants. What's the preferred mite treatment, just supposing I could actually send it?

Nanci
 
Nanci: you are so kind. But i think shipping to my country would cost more that the product itself. thanks again. Im a HE.

Today, i bath her in tick & flea shampoo, i use 1/4 of the recommended dosage but did baht her about 3 times. and i got her a fine layer of vaseline on. hope the shampoo dont harm her...
 
I used a very diluted bubble-bath with fragrance-free shampoo until I could get up the courage to use diluted frontline on a q-tip to dot under the chin scales of each snake. I got a mite-killer spray for hutches and cages that was safe for small animals and cage birds that I used to spray the rack shelves and new viv-decorating bunches of flowers (which I let air thoroughly before putting in with the snakes). I never had any sign of mites alive or dead from the rest of the snakes but found tons of dead ones in Pancho's tub after treatment.
I still spray the shelves every couple of months and also spray new decorations just in case there are any eggs anywhere to hatch out. I was horrified to find out how mobile and persistent mites are.
I think if I had any signs of mites again I'd mail-order nix!
 
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