possible MITES

[dakota11]

Yes me again with just another concern. I fed Houdini and Striker this evening and I noticed a small grey thing moving on top of her head please tell me they are not mites but just a bug that somehow came in the window and decided to go in their tank, I know unlikely but this cant be happening As a kid I had iguannas and the only time they had mites they were redish. I have been handling her everyday minus feeding and shedding how would I not have noticed this before? Now I did feed them tonight. so the next 48 hours Im not suppost to mess with them but well I do not do well with the thought of bugs.
If I soak them in plain water would the mites drown and float? I just want to know for certain that they are indeed mites.
Also should I replace the aspen with paper towels and if I do that would I be able to see mites if there there?
Third what about soaking hides wood and plant in bleach and water?
I know I have to go get stuff from the pet store but chances are that it'll have to be ordered.
Here they have been doing great growing, colors are looking better than ever they look so healthy this certainly has been one big learning experience.

[dakota11]

Oh I only noticed the one oh her head so far

[Putty]

Try leaving tub in water for about 10 minutes to see if any black spots float up. change whatever substrate you have over to paper towels so that you can see them better. Check the mouth and eye areas for the black spots.

If you do have mites, I suggest using Reptile Relief on the snake and then completely cleaning out any viv it has touched including decorations, hides etc.

[Putty]

Try leaving the snake in a tub of water* Woot for making sense.

[LBoz]

Rub the length of her, especially her head and under her chin/mouth area with a dry, white cotton cloth and see if anything shows up.

If you DO have mites, you'll need this:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52545&highlight=homemade+mite

Hoping it's just a random bug!

[Susielea]

Sorry guys, but I had to put this in........

Please don't be rushing in doing anything to her or the tank, until after she's digested, you do not want to cause a regurge!

[dakota11]

I am just now reading the last post Sue and I went against my many reasons as to not to do anything about it tonight I wish I would have seen your post first then I would have really thought twice before doing this. I got rid of the new aspen I put in tonight washed the viv and put them both in water. They certainly were not impressed!! Now I know my snakes do not like water. Um now there is only 2 hides and I have paper towel on the bottom of the viv. plant other wood and stuff is outside in a bucket. Oh what a mess Ive created. BTW I saw nothing else moving on either of them and couldnt see bugs in the water. If it wasnt a mite what could it be. The history of these snakes (if u saw any of my other posts) would really make sense if it is mites.
Whats really silly is I groom dogs and if they are boarding for the night they get a bath so my home stays flea free I never ever thought about the snakes and possibility of mites.
They are moving around a lot usually if Im in here on the computer they are hiding. I so hope I am not a cause of a regurge!

[LBoz]

Sorry guys, but I had to put this in........

Please don't be rushing in doing anything to her or the tank, until after she's digested, you do not want to cause a regurge!

Drat, you are spot on, Sue. I didn't even see that part about them having just eaten. Good luck....hope he keeps his food down.

[Susielea]

:awcrap: Fingers crossed she will be ok.

I would try and get some more disposable hides in there, got any cardboard boxes, biscuit boxes, paper towel tubes? Anything that can be used temporarily and can be thrown away, if you find out she does in fact have mites.

Once she's digested, my tried and trusted method for detecting mites, is to use a damp white paper towel and gently but firmly rub the length of the snake, pay particular attention to the under chin area, the mental groove is where they really like to hide. If you find any specks on the tissue, crush them with your finger nail, they will bleed out the blood they've sucked onto the paper towel if they are mites, if the towel is clear, try again in a few days :)

Good luck and I hope it turns out to be worry for nothing :)

[dakota11]

crush with fingers YUCK. I have an odd phobia of bugs. If I groom a dog with fleas I take a shower right after (luckly my salon is at home). Did that right after cleaning viv lol. I did let them both slither thru a papertowel on their way back to the viv. But wasn't very precise since I figured Ive stressed them out enough. The worse aside from the thought of a regurge is that for 2 weeks aside from 48hr after feed I have been handling Striker, today I had her out for a good half hour before feeding her I even decided I should change her name since she is no longer furiously striking at me. I suppose she will have lost total trust in me after this.
If I do find out they are yuck then I guess use whatever I can find reptile safe to rid the **********bugs. Ill pick some up tomorrow just in case.
Houdini and Striker are still moving around, this is very unusual for them. I'm going to go find some boxes hey I have a bunch of paper towel tubes that I haven't taken out to the shed yet Ill use those. eeekkkk Im like panicking about this. everything I have read says they are harder to get rid of than fleas that has to be impossible please
England is to far from Ontario to help me deal with this isnt it?!lol

[Susielea]

LBoz posted a great link in the #5 post, about a homemade mite remedy, that is supposedly one of the best there is :)

Don't go rushing out buying all sorts of other products, before you know for sure, it could just be a waste of money. My gut instinct says, it probably isn't, but you will still have to check her over once she's digested, I'm keeping my fingers crossed :)

They are probably still moving around because the tanks have been changed from what they are used to and they will be looking for secure hiding places to settle and digest, just minimise any other stress until after digestion and it should be ok ;)

And yeah, England is a little far away for a help out visit ;)

[dakota11]

Thank you all. Well I have used the nix was worried about them reacting but they seem to be fine. Im not seeing any more mites or bugs on them but going to treat the viv again to be sure. All the time gaining trust with Striker down the drain they dont like anything to do with water or getting wet unless its on their terms.

[dakota11]

Hi all havent seen any more mites. It is cooling down here in the evening though last night I had a heat light on. Im wondering if I should put the aspen in again and plug in the heat mat. The heat light causes me concern as even when it is dimmed it causes the plastic to get hot (around the top of the exoterra viv).

[Stevieray]

Hi Dakota, here are some photos of mites, although they were taken with a microscope so the are much smaller than they appear. A lot of mites are invisible to the human eye, like dust mites. I think a lope or good magnifying glass would be a useful tool for inspecting small invaders.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Rust_Mite%2C_Aceria_anthocoptes.jpg/120px-Rust_Mite%2C_Aceria_anthocoptes.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rust_Mite,_Aceria_anthocoptes.jpg)

Rust mite
Aceria anthocoptes


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Flat_mite%2C_Brevipalpus_phoenicis.jpg/120px-Flat_mite%2C_Brevipalpus_phoenicis.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flat_mite,_Brevipalpus_phoenicis.jpg)

Flat mite
Brevipalpus phoenicis


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/House_Dust_Mite.jpg/120px-House_Dust_Mite.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:House_Dust_Mite.jpg)

House dust mite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_dust_mite)
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Yellow_mite_%28Tydeidae%29%2C_Lorryia_formosa.jpg/120px-Yellow_mite_%28Tydeidae%29%2C_Lorryia_formosa.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Yellow_mite_%28Tydeidae%29,_Lorryia_formosa. jpg)

Yellow mite
Lorryia formosa


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Yellow_mite_%28Tydeidae%29_Lorryia_formosa_2_edit. jpg/98px-Yellow_mite_%28Tydeidae%29_Lorryia_formosa_2_edit. jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Yellow_mite_%28Tydeidae%29_Lorryia_formosa_2 _edit.jpg)

Yellow mite
Lorryia formosa


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/MitesMassing.jpg/120px-MitesMassing.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MitesMassing.jpg)

Plant mites forming a reproductive colony


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Trombidium.spec.1706.jpg/120px-Trombidium.spec.1706.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Trombidium.spec.1706.jpg)

Velvet mite

[dakota11]

Stevieray thanks for the picts yuck!!!!!!!!!!! It kinda but not totally looked like well the bottom one withought the antennas and it was grey. I havent heard a respond about the aspen being returned to the tank so last night it was cold so I put it in then today when it was warm and feeding time I sprayed viv housing stuff and aspen then let it dry and put it in the viv. The mat got hot and I didnt want them to get burnt.

[RicardoCruz005]

If you clean thoroughly and give your snake a good bath, you shouldn't have any problems. If these " bugs " or mites show up again, might be good to grab some medication for it.

[dakota11]

I have been cleaning like crazy still cant figure out whether mites or not but Ill keep cleaning. Ive been spraying the viv with the nix salution as for bathing well they certainly dont like that at all. I looked into medication and even the holistic stuff had a ton of warnings thanks all. this is a very informing site

[Jimmysan00]

Where do these mites come from? And how do they get into the tank? I also think i might have mites. Or i'm very paranoid. I have all bran new items in the viv and i got the snake from petco 2 days ago going on 3 So i don't know. I think i have mites cuz i was watching her and there was a small black dot on her and then it disappeared. I have read all the previous posts so this helped me out a lot. Thanks

[ghosthousecorns]

Mites come from other infected snakes (at pet stores, herp shows, and the like) and they can travel to your house by hitching a ride on stuff you just bought at a pet store or spread if you introduce a new snake with mites to your house. And they get in the tank by climbing and crawling in there.
It's not a bad idea to have a bottle of reptile relief on hand even if you don't have mites. Every time I take snakes to an expo or volunteer event, they get sprayed with reptile relief as soon as I get them home before going back in their tubs.

[Jimmysan00]

Not a bad idea at all i think i will go get some tomorrow along with some climbing toys and leaves.

[Jimmysan00]

UPDATE: I've got good news people! NO MITES. It wasn't a mite on her it was a nat. Now my concern is, are nats harmful to snakes? And if so how do i get rid of them. I have no clue how they got in the house or in the viv. I found 2 inside and like 5 on the outside of the glass. I killed all the ones i could on the outside, but i think it'll be to stressful on her for me to go in there guns blazing hunting nats. Are Nats anything to worry about?

[dakota11]

Welcome to the world of mites James lol . Did you check out the link about the diluted nix? Well I have been spraying everything with that stuff (be sure to dilute it though).
Jen does that reptile relief have a bunch of warnings? Im almost positive that was one of the names of products I looked at. it says something about not to inhale it? I have 2 parrots that share the computer room with the snakes so I have to be cautious or rearrange things. can you tell me more info on the product and what the brand is?

[Jimmysan00]

I have nats. So i'm gonna try using those sticky fly strips to catch them before they get through my mesh screen

[tricksterpup]

I have nats. So i'm gonna try using those sticky fly strips to catch them before they get through my mesh screen

I would clean out your cage and use Paper towel. Clean out your room as best as you can. There is something attracting them. Find that before you buy strips. If everything is CLEAN then you should not have to worry about bugs.

[Jimmysan00]

Roger that! Will do.

[Jimmysan00]

So i cleaned my tank out and changed the aspen bedding. Washed all the sides inside and out. I also properly installed my digital probe thermometer and Rheostat. I'm starting to wonder, since my temps are officially right now, and it was too hot before. If the extra heat was attracting the nats. Now that i am in the 85-88 range i do not have any nats at all. Just a thought. Thanks for all your help and patience people.

[tricksterpup]

So i cleaned my tank out and changed the aspen bedding. Washed all the sides inside and out. I also properly installed my digital probe thermometer and Rheostat. I'm starting to wonder, since my temps are officially right now, and it was too hot before. If the extra heat was attracting the nats. Now that i am in the 85-88 range i do not have any nats at all. Just a thought. Thanks for all your help and patience people.

that is just to warm for your snake, I would drop it down more. Also, did you remove the aspen? I would use only paper towel until about 3 weeks. This is to make sure everything is fine.

[Jimmysan00]

well i did a lot of looking around and most sites say 85-90 and not above 90. Plus its better for digestion especially for youngins who are eating every 5 days. I am currently getting 80-85 on top of the aspen. Which is lower than the 85-88 range i had before. But if it spikes over 85 on warm days and stay under 90 i'm cool with that. The snake will go to the cool side if she doesn't like it.

[ghosthousecorns]

Jen does that reptile relief have a bunch of warnings? Im almost positive that was one of the names of products I looked at. it says something about not to inhale it? I have 2 parrots that share the computer room with the snakes so I have to be cautious or rearrange things. can you tell me more info on the product and what the brand is?

I just saw this - sorry I have been having comp issues.
There is nothing on the bottle about birds or inhalation, it does say not to spray it in your reptiles' eyes or use right after a shed and not to use on amphibians.
It gives this email to ask questions - answers@naturalchemistry.com
And not to natpick, but Jimmy - the spelling is "gnat" - ;)

[Jimmysan00]

well i took care of the GNAT problem, thank you for the correction i had no clue. And now i do have mites for sure. I took everything out of the tank, and cleaned all the furniture, water dish, hides, and tank. I then let it all air dry and put the tank in the sun today, with the mesh top covered in plastic and ceramic wrap, but the tank only got up to 100 degrees so that didn't help. I rewashed the tank about, and tonight i will be using the HOMEMADE MITE REMEDY as per post #5. I do have a question about the NIX solution. What is the mixing ratio? 1 full thing of Nix added to the distilled water or 1 cup of the nix added to the distilled water? I saw that dakaota sprayed the entire tank and furniture is it safe to spray and put the snake back in the tank, as long as there is no water dish for 24 hours? Or do i need to spray and wait 24 hours then put the snake back in it? Or do i wait, and then rinse tank, and then add snake? Sorry but i'm so confused about all the details and i looked at the thread about the homemade solution and had questions and got no reply. I know Dakota used this solution, so hopefully you can get back to me on step by step instructions. I don't want to chance hurting my snake so i won't do anything till i hear back from you guys. Thanks in advance!!!

[tricksterpup]

well i took care of the GNAT problem, thank you for the correction i had no clue. And now i do have mites for sure.

Why do you think you have mites? Do you see them mvoing on your snake? are they on your hands when you pick it up? Is your snake on paper or paper towel??


Also, what is so hard understanding this post?

It does not say to put the water bowl back in the cage/bin/viv. Leave the water bowl out of the encloser for 24 hours so the active ingredients have time to work. The NIX MIX dissipates in about 24 hours and is then rendered useless. If you are worried about the NIX MIX then wash the snake off first by giving it a bath. Give the snake some water for a couple of days then treat again. Follow the directions exactly and you will have no problems.
Jay :cool:

And calm down, yes he hasn't responded to you after a few hours but its a Sunday, he has kids and family too.

[Jimmysan00]

i saw multiple mites on her eyes, and around her mouth, and when i put her in a tub of water 6 came off. i am 100% sure she has mites