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Health Issues/Feeding Problems Anything related to general or specific health problems. Issues having to do with feeding problems or tips.

Snake mites and Ivermectin?
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Old 12-16-2010, 01:46 PM   #1
Tinkerbeller87
Snake mites and Ivermectin?

So I got 2 snakes from a reptile show on 11/7/10 and looked them over for mites and didn't see any. I did put them both in a seperate room from my other snake and they have been there since.

I have handled them several times taking care to look them over closely. Also looking in each of their water bowls for signs of mites. Well mid week I found a bug on the milksnake, right under the fold of the chin and was able to picl it off and kill it. But haven't found anything on the cornsnake. Their viv's are right next to eachother. I'm not sure what it was but it did look like a mite.

My question is... is it possible to only have 1 mite? I'm really confused as to how there is only one mite and it's been almost 6 weeks since I got them? I don't see any other signs of mites and they are both young snakes.

I work at a vet hospital that does deal with reptiles but not often with snake mites due to there being so may home remedies out there. My vets want to inject my snakes with ivermectin and then dilute it into a spray so I can treat the viv's. I am concerned about the injections...not the spray. I have read that mostly young snakes have suffered organ damage or even death with ivermectin injections.

Does anyone have experience with one mite seen and none seen after that?

Does anyone have experience with treating young snakes with Ivermectin injections?

Any other support would be appreciated. I also already printed out the Nix treatment protocol off of here that was posted 3 years ago but am on the fence about whether I should do this or Ivermectin. Thanks in advance.
 
Old 12-16-2010, 02:47 PM   #2
rexracer
First, I have to say, for the record, that I know nothing about snake health issues other than what I've learned on this site.
With that said, I wouldn't treat a young snake with anything unless I was sure there was a problem. I'm pretty sure that mites would be obvious long before they were a big problem, so I would continue to do what you're doing and see if anymore show up. It's possible that a flea or some other bug got in there and there are no mites. I sure wouldn't want to give an injection unless I was sure.
But then again, I don't believe in flu shots either.
 
Old 12-16-2010, 03:20 PM   #3
carnivorouszoo
Is it at all possible the milk was wild caught? If so it may have been a tick. Just a thought.
 
Old 12-16-2010, 10:17 PM   #4
Tinkerbeller87
Quote:
Originally Posted by rexracer View Post
First, I have to say, for the record, that I know nothing about snake health issues other than what I've learned on this site.
With that said, I wouldn't treat a young snake with anything unless I was sure there was a problem. I'm pretty sure that mites would be obvious long before they were a big problem, so I would continue to do what you're doing and see if anymore show up. It's possible that a flea or some other bug got in there and there are no mites. I sure wouldn't want to give an injection unless I was sure.
But then again, I don't believe in flu shots either.
Yea, I have decided not to give injections. The young cornsnake is in blue right now so I'm going to wait until it sheds and go from there. I really want to wait and see if i see anything else before I go crazy treating for something I don't know for sure is there.
 
Old 12-16-2010, 10:20 PM   #5
Tinkerbeller87
Quote:
Originally Posted by carnivorouszoo View Post
Is it at all possible the milk was wild caught? If so it may have been a tick. Just a thought.
I guess it is possible? I don't know? The people I bought them from are from california and it is an albino nelsons milk snake so I am not sure if they occur in the wild? Anything is possible though, this thing is CRAZY!
 
Old 12-17-2010, 01:46 PM   #6
Karoni
Quote:
Originally Posted by carnivorouszoo View Post
Is it at all possible the milk was wild caught? If so it may have been a tick. Just a thought.
I was wondering that, too.
 
Old 12-17-2010, 02:52 PM   #7
Tinkerbeller87
It seemed much too small to be a tick though. I've seen ticks on dogs and the ticks I've seen pictures of online don't look like this one did. I have been going crazy trying to find another one so I can put it on a piece of tape and look at it under the microscope at work but for the life of me I cannot find another one!!! It has been since monday 11/13 that I found that one and have checked both snakes and water bowls and viv's daily and cannot find another one. I feel as if I my go crazy over this. lol
 
Old 12-17-2010, 03:09 PM   #8
Karoni
Was it too small to be the nymph phase of a tick?
 
Old 12-17-2010, 03:10 PM   #9
Haarstad
A tick is noticeable larger, you can easily see all of the legs even on the Larva



Mites on the other hand are tiny, here is a picture of one on a snake



and another mite with a finger next to it



There is a big difference between ticks and mites, as for treating... I'm not the man for the job

I know my ticks, when i go out hunting and come back for the day, i have found as many as 23 ticks on me from one day, sometimes you don't find them for a couple days too, that's the part i don't like lol... Oh well, something you have to get use to in northern MN lol
 
Old 12-17-2010, 03:17 PM   #10
Tinkerbeller87
Yea, way too small to be a tick. Those are the pictures I have seen too, thanks for posting them Eric! It did look like the one with the snake. But it is making me crazy why I cannot find another!!! This hasn't happened to anyone? Only finding 1 possible mite, not treating, and never finding another one? I still am planning to treat with ivermectin spray but I am waiting for the cornsnake to shed. Like I said earlier too, I really don't want to treat for something that is unnecessary.
 

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