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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
 Posted - 07/04/2011 : 23:21:03
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Gutted, came home tonight and checked all 3 to make sure they are all ok and lil man had a small black dot just under his chin. Whipped him out and had a 2nd person confirm it was mites.
Only 2 small dots, both just brushed off so stuck them in selotape for future reference.
I thought i would keep a diary for people in the future and should give a kinda of timescale to things.
This is new to me and i could only do so much tonight.
First thing i have done is to move Samson over to a basic rub. White kitchen paper and a water bowl. Not glamourous and he certainly doesn't like it but it is for his own good.
I have also stripped everything out of his Viv and given it a good clean and disinfection.
I did come across a few more mites. Banging the plastic plants there was a few falling out. I think i found maybe 7-8.
I am hoping that as there are none on him now it maybe as easy as isolate him for a week and strip his viv out completely and start again. We will see 
Next on my list is to bleach/F10 all furniture and viv etc.
I'll also change his kitchen paper daily.
If anybody has any suggestions comments etc i would really appriciate it.
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0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2011 : 23:22:56
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| If anyone knows how they turn up i would love to know. Everything gets cleaned before it enters the viv. Normally by boiling water so i am bemused as to how they are here in the first place. |
0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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gmac
Grumpy Scots Admin
United Kingdom
710 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2011 : 23:36:00
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what treatment you planning to use on the snakes, I say snakes as even though you only found it on one of them, if they live in close proximity to each other i would treat the three for now as if they all have it. Would also treat the housing they are in.
I bathed my boa in water and a bit of washing up liquid worked a treat.
Good luck |
GMac
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Edited by - gmac on 07/04/2011 23:36:26 |
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sandi
Hatchling
United Kingdom
150 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 08:23:50
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I found them very tricky to get rid of. Even when i thought i had beaten them, more eggs hatched and we were back to square 1.
The final and ultimate solution was frontline and i wish i had tried it first rather than waist time and put Boris through all the irritation.
I had him in quarantine, vivs in separate rooms, I also changed clothes between handling either snake.
Good luck! |
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Hammy
New Member
United Kingdom
68 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 08:43:11
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Blimey ! .. I never knew these little critters could be so evasive !
Thanks for the warnings and this thread on treatments etc..
Paul. |
Live for today and let tomorrow look after itself! |
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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 09:25:33
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Truth be told as yet im not sure on treatment. I have heard stories from frontline so a little un-easy with that.
I have checked him this morning and he looks clear, no black dots on the paper either.
So far this morning i have got him out, cleaned and re-lined his rub. I'm pretty happy that there is nothing on him. He is still isolated and looking pretty fed up.
Later on today i will boil everything up and get that cleaned. I'm hopeful that i have caught it quick enough that it is mainly his viv and not him. Time will tell i guess.
I have found an excellent read on mites. I was looking for incubation and life cycles and came across this:
http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_life_history_of_snake_mites
Well worth a read |
0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Edited by - Welly on 08/04/2011 09:27:17 |
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Invalid User
account deleted on request
277 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 09:37:31
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Very interesting link. Thanks.
One of my boas had mites but only a few and so far the bathing in washing up liquid water seems to have done the trick.
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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 15:41:55
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Day 2,
Samson is settled in his rub.
I tried finding some mite treatment today and the best i can get on this short notice is Zoo med Mite off. His viv has been given a good spraying. It's going to get fully stripped and cleaned properly tomorrow regardless but if there is any eggs, mites that i can't see i hope this will go away to stopping them spreading in the short term.
I have decided against spraying Samson directly yet. As there are no signs at this time of any in/on him i don't want to do anything unnecessary just yet.
I am throwing away the wood that was in there and buying fresh.
Both other snakes are ok. No signs of anything. But as a precaution i will be whipping out all substrate and white papering both of them as well as a full deep clean.
I think i have also worked out where they may have come from too.
About 2-3 weeks ago i bought a new bit of bark for him, although i did clean it it's the newest peice and did come from a reptile shop! Not saying it is, but logic suggests it
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0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Edited by - Welly on 08/04/2011 15:55:08 |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 19:20:35
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Welly, I’m so sorry to hear you have mites!
Graeme nailed the first and most important point: you are treating not just Samson, but your entire home. It sucks, but better to go big and be safe than go small and be sorry.
The second point would be treatment method. The two most effective options I have seen are Provent-a-Mite (a spray used to eradicate the pests that was specifically designed for reptiles) and predatory mites (the biological equivalent). Both need to be combined with thorough “nuking” of the vivs and ornaments with bleach or the equivalent. Make sure you treat plants too. If they are fake, bleach them; if live…well, I’d ditch and get new ones.
The third issue is where they came from. Usually they arrive on an infected animal, but I am also familiar with cases where they have come in on supplies, such as moss bought from a reptile store. It sounds like your case may fall into that category. :-(
Fingers crossed for you (and him!), |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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sandi
Hatchling
United Kingdom
150 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 20:13:03
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I tried the predatory mites, hypoaspid miles, they were ferocious and should have done the trick but unless you have enough snake mites to keep the hypos fed then it wont work. They need more than a small infestation to stay alive through their own life cycle.
As for where snake mites come from, they are indigenous to all snakes and reptiles, not just our exotic pets, so by taking a walk in the country or even park, we can bring them home with us. Our adder, smooth snake and grass snake, common or sand lizard, sloe worm.....bla bla bla! |
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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 23:01:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Snakesitter
Graeme nailed the first and most important point: you are treating not just Samson, but your entire home. It sucks, but better to go big and be safe than go small and be sorry.
I fully intend too. In the very short term i hope i have stopped or slowed down the mites whilst i try and get something. Which leads me on...
quote:
The second point would be treatment method. The two most effective options I have seen are Provent-a-Mite (a spray used to eradicate the pests that was specifically designed for reptiles) and predatory mites (the biological equivalent). Both need to be combined with thorough “nuking” of the vivs and ornaments with bleach or the equivalent. Make sure you treat plants too. If they are fake, bleach them; if live…well, I’d ditch and get new ones.
This is currently my biggest headache. I can't find bugger all. Preventamite is impossible to find in the uk. I found Zoo meds Mite off, but this seems to be oil based. I will however use chlorine. I have access to it and will use a diluted solution. I use it for furniture anyway and once throughly rinsed off it should hopefully do the trick (for the viv's not the snakes of course). I can't wait to order something from the net and hope it gets here within a week. Not the ideal situation but as long as the outcome is the same. Gives me a chance to order something then for the future
quote:
The third issue is where they came from. Usually they arrive on an infected animal, but I am also familiar with cases where they have come in on supplies, such as moss bought from a reptile store. It sounds like your case may fall into that category. :-(
I think, that they came in on a piece of bark. Now i normally cholrine dip and rinse. This time, in my haste to get off on a weeks break i ran it under a hot shower to clean it off. I can only think it wasn't hot enough. It is my fault as i should have done it properly. But i will learn and hopefully others by my mistake.
Thanks for your advice, gratefully recieved
Paul |
0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 00:04:04
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| Good luck, Paul. Let us know if you need anything, and please keep us posted! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 00:10:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Snakesitter
Good luck, Paul. Let us know if you need anything, and please keep us posted!
Will do, I am writing this while my king snake is trying to get up my nose. Lol. Always amaze me these things |
0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Edited by - Welly on 09/04/2011 00:12:17 |
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scubadude
Snake mite
United Kingdom
38 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 06:51:03
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welly sorry to read you're fighting the battle with these little buggers, and that you couldn't find proventamite in the UK, can I recommend trying Callingtons mite spray, I've used it succesfully with my mob, it has the same active ingredient as proventamite (D-Phenothrin) but at a slightly lower concentration, as an aside I've read that this has also recently been licensed in Australia as safe to spray directly on the snake, I prefer to remove the snake and waterbowl, spray as directed give it 30 minutes for the mist to dissapate and pop the snake back in followed by the waterbowl 24 hrs later.
Hope this is of use. And good luck with the battle. |
1.0.0 Classic corn snake - Dodge,1.2.0 Normal Royal - Palin, Lyssa & sofia,1.1.0 vanilla royal - Baskin & Robbins, 1.0.0 granite royal - Detritus
1.1.0 crawl cay boas -Maya & Pech
1.0.0 Hypo hog island boa - Harley,0.1.0 Hog island Boa - Babe
oh maybe some more to come
   
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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 11:26:54
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Ahhh, Callingtons is just what i need!
Just need to find some now.
Day 3,
All 3 snakes seem clear. No black spots and certainly no mites on snakes. Samson is still in a rub, spending half his time in his water bowl (which isn't out of the ordinary) I am just getting ready to strip his viv down and give it a damn good chlorine wash. For those that have seen my viv it is poly lined, so i am going to strip that out and re apply new sealeant.
Substrate change and F10 with the other 2 as well.
I will be trying to find that Callingtons so i can use that as a treatment soon as. |
0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Welly
Hatchling
United Kingdom
164 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 21:01:27
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Well that was a pain in the ass. All day to clean.
There were no signs of anything in the other 2 at all but to be on the safe side did them anyway.
I have also come up withe the idea of using muslin on the vents too. Allow the air in and no nastys. |
0.1.0 Royal Python
0.0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Topic |
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Mites Diary
