Mites, shedding, blisters and lifting scales

[LilithLeChat]

Vet said that Loki is mite-free, and he saw only a couple on Gamora. Need to keep up the treatment for 4 more weeks. Yay!

 

[CF Constrictor]

I have found an effective and non toxic way to treat snake mite . You will still need insecticide to treat the enclosure and all furnishings but not the snake. For short term relief you can bathe the snakes in warm (about 28 degrees} soapy water. I just filled the tub with warm water just deep enough for the animal to completely submerge and used a small amount of hand soap and leave the snake in it for about half an hour. Soap reduces waters serfice tension so the mites can not trap air bubbles on there bodies and will drown. You will need to get an apropriate sized clear plastic container to house the animal in for about a week while you treat the enclosure with insecticide. Take out the snake and water bowl before you spray , then repeat again in 2 days time to get any eggs that survived the first spray. As for the snake , put white paper towel or butchers paper on the floor of the container , add a water bowl and nothing else. Then get some cooking oil {veg , canola or olive oil will do} and use a cloth or just bare hands and gently coat the snake with it. You should make sure you get it all over the head { it will not harm there eyes , i checked with a trusted vet first } you do not want them dripping with oil just enough for a fine layer all over. then keep them in the container for a week. Check on it often and in no time you will notice dead mites on and under the paper. Once the mites come into contact with oil they are finnished , they can not get hold of the snake to feed and as they struggle they get covered in more oil and suffocate. Change the paper every day for the duration of the treatment , that way you can see the dead mites accumulate easily. As a bonus it also makes the snake look all shiny and new. But seriously i never liked the idea of intentionaly spraying toxic chemicals on snakes, so when a mate of mine was in hospital and asked me to look after his 10 pythons , i found they were all infested so i started reading all i could find about snake mites and came across this method on another website. I am no expert on anything but i love my snakes and am surprised how well this method works.