NO!!! IS it MITES!?!?

[Baller99k]

I went to handle my 4 month old corn today, he had two little blacks circle bugs on him...

It had to have been mites, I got them both off..

What do I do now? Is it really bad?

could there be more in the tank?

Help me anyone

Thanks.

[sacrifice.theory]

Change the substrate, clean absolutely everything with a good 5% or lower bleach solution and a bath for your baby would do good, too.
Some people recommend baby oil or olive oil, I find a long bath with the appropriate temp works just fine.

[danielle]

If in fact these were mites you need to completely bleach out the cage with a 10/90 solution of bleach and water soaking all items in the cage as well as the cage and allowing it to completely air dry on it's own. Look over your snake well with a loupe if you have one especially around the scales by the eyes as well as the rest of his/her body. Were these easy to pull off? Usually mites won't simply come off so I am wondering if these were mites, but a good cage cleaning still can't hurt.

[hiddenhollowherp]

They could have been mites, but they might have been little critters that were already living/hatching in your substrate or something else you put in there. They might have come from a neat piece of wood you got outside.. An infested food item.. Mites aren't difficult to get, but they aren't difficult to get rid of if you watch what comes in contact with your snake and its belongings either. My favorite favorite FAVORITE thing to use for mites is jojoba oil (it makes one heck of a cosmetic product too). It is very similar to naturally secreted sebum, so it shouldn't irritate him so long as it doesn't go directly into his eyes.

Get yourself a bucket and a measuring cup (or any container) and fill up all or half of it with bleach, then throw in ten full of water. If you use half or less, you should let it sit until the excess water evaporates. If you use more than half, wipe the sides dry.

Watch for signs of irritation or any more funky little bugs!

[Lyreiania]

Hello...
I went through my own bout of snake mites. And yeah, its gross, disgusting and just nasty. There is a product I used that worked completely for me...its called Reptile Relief, and I got it at Petland Discounts. It was a two application treatment (one a week) and it went on the snakes...the directions are on the bottle....and you also can use it to clean the tank.

Because I was so grossed out, I used that in addition to cage scrubbings with rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide (dont use either on the snake...just Reptile Relief on the creature). Ive read conflicting things about oils on snakes....some sites say its fine, others say it can cause a health risk.

I wish you the best of luck, and my flesh is now crawling in psychosomatic sympathy.

Sincerely,
Susan

[Baller99k]

Oh god...Looks Like I have a lot of cleaning to do.

So basically do my usual monthly change in substrate...and bleach everything.

Then check the snake again, and give him a bath.

About the bath, do I put him in something completely covered in lukewarm water at the bottom? or do i give him some area that's dry? And how long of a bath?

Thanks you guys..

[Chip]

How many snakes/herps do you own? The WORST thing about mites is how easily your whole collection can become infested. Black Knight 2 is the *best* product out there, but it's been recalled (again) right now. Reptile Relief does work, Reptilebasics.com has the best price on it I've found. There are other products for human lice that are effective, if somewhat toxic.
Mites generally look like a ground piece of pepper, and you'll usually spot them first drowned in the water bowl.

[Lyreiania]

Hi there....
Oh my yes, tons of cleaning. I dont envy you. As for the bleach, I advise extreme caution, as snakes are so delicate and sensitive and can be burned if the bleach is the wrong proportions. I found Reptile Relief rather easy, and it is marketed as safe to use...at least, my five suffered no harm from it.

Oh, if you have more than one snake...treat them all, and their cages at the same time...else its possible they can reinfect each other. Mites can hitch rides on things and so travel.

Good luck again,
Sincerely,
Susan

[sacrifice.theory]

Oh god...Looks Like I have a lot of cleaning to do.

So basically do my usual monthly change in substrate...and bleach everything.

Then check the snake again, and give him a bath.

About the bath, do I put him in something completely covered in lukewarm water at the bottom? or do i give him some area that's dry? And how long of a bath?

Thanks you guys..

If you go the bath route, make sure the temp is between 80-82 degrees. It will feel cool to you, so make sure you check it before you put your baby in.
As for depth, just deep enough so the snake can touch the bottom but be submerged, if that makes any sense.

What type of substrate do you use?
Before you put it in, bake it or throw it in the microwave to kill the buggies that might be in it.

[Beothon Lover]

get a gallon jug of distilled(has to be distilled) water and a 59ml bottle of Nix(stuff for lice).

squirt Nix into the water but go slow Nix is thick stuff. after all the Nix is in put the cap back on and shake to combine...this will take a few minutes as like i said the Nix is thick. then put some in a clean unused spray bottle and spray the snake, its home(the outside too), and its hides.

put the mix in a place away from light as light will break it down.


i used this when two of my boas and one of my corns had mites and it worked great..and is very inexpensive to make.

[Baller99k]

I only have one snake. I use aspen bedding. Before using the new aspen, wuts the best way to clean it? Microwave? freezer?

What could have caused it?

I put in two new decoration statues, I only washed them with water and forgot about bleach...

Or. I put in a new batch of aspen, that had been put in the freezer before, but this was the second batch of it that I had in a bag in my room until next months cleaning and substrate change....

So tomor I am going to clean the tank and all the hides with bleach...then give petey a water bath...and change the aspen.

god dammit.

[Baller99k]

Also, how long do i bath him for???


Thanks everyone who is helping.

[sacrifice.theory]

Also, how long do i bath him for???


Thanks everyone who is helping.


For about 20-30 minutes just to be on the safe side.
If it wasn't frozen before, there shouldn't be any mites in it.
I would re-wash everything with the bleach solution though.
Also! I forgot about this part, but take the aspen out and use paper towels for a few days to monitor your snake. You can see the mites on the paper towels.

Were the black dots you saw running around? Were they hard to pluck off?

[sacrifice.theory]

Was***** Not wasn't.
Stupid typo's. :p

[Baller99k]

I guessed the typo haha. thx,

I was just going to ask about the paper towels. will do.

All ive noticed so far (without thoroughly looking), was 2 dots on my corn. Both moved a bit when i tried to get them on my finger. I got both off, and one was bloody when i killed it.

This sucks...

Im a first time reptile/snake owner..

[sacrifice.theory]

Well it sounds like you caught them early, so don't get overly stressed about it but make sure you take care of the problem.
They usually have something for mites at all pet stores, so I would look around.
I've heard about the nix solution and a lot of people like it, but it just makes me nervous.
I'd rather use something made for reptiles, you know?
I'm not stepping on anybody's toes, though.

[Baller99k]

Ya I agree, Im gonna clean the tank and everything inside, run my corn through a damp towel, and use paper towels as substrate...

If I see them again i'll buy reptile relief or something.

[sacrifice.theory]

Well, the reason the bath works is because it drowns the mites. -scratches chin-

[tricksterpup]

Ya I agree, Im gonna clean the tank and everything inside, run my corn through a damp towel, and use paper towels as substrate...

If I see them again i'll buy reptile relief or something.

Ok, I recommend going to walmart and picking up the Equate Bedding spray, lice treatment. Its about $4 for a 5 oz can. I recommend using this or nix.
Here is the Nix Formula that Jay put up, it works good. (http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showpost.php?p=458990&postcount=1)

As for washing the snake, yes it helps get mites off the snake. I like using just regular hand soap and use this to wash off your snake. This doesn't harm the animal but helps get the mites off. Do not get any on the snake's head. This should help your pet.

Also remember to treat the cage and around the cage. Mites crawl and move around. So spraying the cage and the area that you had it is a good idea.

Again toss out that aspen. Its cheap I buy huge bags of it for $5. I suggest using paper towel or newspaper for the next few months before adding aspen again.

[Drewby07]

I've been researching this topic lately....and found this thread. I also discovered this link today....

http://gotheadlice.com/faq/treatments/chemicals.htm

Which says that Nix contains "Balsam canada" which is resin from a type of fir tree.....which I would think might be a problem....right?

[RobbiesCornField]

get a gallon jug of distilled(has to be distilled) water and a 59ml bottle of Nix(stuff for lice).

squirt Nix into the water but go slow Nix is thick stuff. after all the Nix is in put the cap back on and shake to combine...this will take a few minutes as like i said the Nix is thick. then put some in a clean unused spray bottle and spray the snake, its home(the outside too), and its hides.

put the mix in a place away from light as light will break it down.


i used this when two of my boas and one of my corns had mites and it worked great..and is very inexpensive to make.



I used this treatment when my baby burm had mites a few months back. There were literally hundreds that had been hiding not only in the bedding, but in the decorations, in between his scales, in his eyes, etc. Since I used it, I haven't seen a single one since.

The only thing I would add to Beothon_Lover's instructions is to remove the water bowl for at least 24 hours. This way, your snake can't get in and wash it off/drink it.

[TripleMoonsExotic]

Which says that Nix contains "Balsam canada" which is resin from a type of fir tree.....which I would think might be a problem....right?

The original Nix mite treatment I believe has been credited to the Bean Farm. I would imagine if there was a concern about a bit of fir tree resin in the product (which is heavily diluted for reptile use anyway), they would no longer be recommending the treatment.

I've used Nix to treat my entire collection and now use it to treat all new arrivals as a preventative. I haven't had any issue and it does get rid of mites quickly. I've never had any success with Mite-Off or Reptile Relief.

[RobbiesCornField]

I've been researching this topic lately....and found this thread. I also discovered this link today....

http://gotheadlice.com/faq/treatments/chemicals.htm

Which says that Nix contains "Balsam canada" which is resin from a type of fir tree.....which I would think might be a problem....right?

Because the solution is diluted so much, in my opinion, it shouldn't have any ill effects. It didn't when I used it, but that's just me.

[Drewby07]

Ok that works for me! I noticed some mites on one of my ball pythons last night....then on the rest of the ball pythons in the rack....but luckily not on the corns. Looks like this weekend will be spent tearing down the snake room and spraying EVERYTHING.

Spraying the racks/ walls / floors down will offer some protection as well, correct?

[RobbiesCornField]

Ok that works for me! I noticed some mites on one of my ball pythons last night....then on the rest of the ball pythons in the rack....but luckily not on the corns. Looks like this weekend will be spent tearing down the snake room and spraying EVERYTHING.

Spraying the racks/ walls / floors down will offer some protection as well, correct?

Yep!
Here's how I did it.
Before taking each snake out, I sprayed the tub they were going in with the Nix solution. I sprayed them down once I put them in, too. Because the walls of the tub were coated with it, if I missed any spots on their belly, they covered it by crawling around. Then, I took out all of the bedding and decorations. I sprayed down all decorations (especially those with nooks and crannies), hides, and walls. Instead of bedding, I put them on paper towels for the next couple of weeks (making it easier to spot the little buggers). For the first 24 hours they have it on, I didn't provide a water dish. I didn't want them swimming around and washing it off.
I haven't seen a mite since!

[Drewby07]

Sounds like a plan....I know what I'm doing this weekend!! WOO HOO!

Guess it's a good time for a nice spring cleaning.

Here's a good question.....what should I do about my brumating snakes? They are in the laundry room......maybe treat them when they come out in a couple weeks? Wake them up now and treat everyone?

[JackH]

I posted in another Black Knight question thread here, but I found the stuff. It's being sold by the company directly at http://www.airosol.com/black-knight.html

I'm trying to get the word out since I know how frustrating it was when I couldn't find the stuff anymore... Hope this helps!

[Corny Noob]

Well since the problem was from the end of last year beginning of this year I sure hope they got the problem settled by now :)

[JackH]

LOL yah. But maybe someone else will see this when they get "teh mites" and won't have to do all the searching themselves.