snake mite

[kri57a]

my darwin has been soakin in his water for prolly the last month or so, we got him a few months ago, he is coming up to a shed, but found lil black mites in the bottom of his water and can also see them on his body not heaps but a few, just wondering if anyone can give me some advice on how to get rid of the lil critters.

 

[Scleropages]

There is a product called top of decent.The Herpshop and most pet shops sell it.

 

[AM Pythons]

im hearing more that orange medic is alot better, but you have to get the right type, there is 2 different types im told.. someone will know more than me, i have used top of decent & it did the job..

 

[kri57a]

ok cool thanks guys for the help

 

[Jonno from ERD]

Top of Descent is superior to Orange Medic in my opinion. You can purchase ToD from Herp Shop. Just remove the waterbowl, spray the enclosure for 3-5 seconds and leave the snake in there. It's important to remember that ToD won't kill eggs, so you need to repeat this process every 5-7 days, 3 or 4 times, so that you kill any freshly hatched mites before they reach sexual maturity.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

I have used Orange Medic very successfully, either one is safe, the tea-tree oil one is fine.

If your snake is inside, after treating with your chosen product, remove it (and any other animals) from the enclosure the next day (pillowcase for a few hours in another room), leave the enclosure open and treat the room with one of the commercial flea bombs from the supermarket, as per instructions. This will kill any mites which have strayed from the enclosure, and prevent any hatching eggs from developing into adult mites for 6-9 months. I did this in a room 3 years ago and have never seen a mite since.

J

 

[-Peter]

The original form of Orange Medic is no longer available, only the one with tea-tree oil. I have used it without any problems but I know of several people who have. Then again I have had deaths from Top of Descent. Currently I am using Permoxin without any issues even on death adders.

 

[kri57a]

hey turns out the snakes had small ticks. just wondering if anyone can tell me how to use the orange medic, have bathed the snake in warm water to remove most of the ticks and sprayed the cage with the orange medic. is it safe to spray while the snake is in the enclosure or should you remove the animal then spray then leave it ova night. any help would be great.

 

[redbellybite]

How did they get ticks? sorry, but cant understand how captive kept indoors snakes get ticks???????

 

[wokka]

I think Permoxin would be more effective than Orange Medic against ticks. I have used both on snakes and for spraying cages. Both have a residual effect on cage surfaces which I dont think TOD has.

 

[Wally]

As far as I'm aware TOD does have a residual effect.

 

[Waterrat]

How did they get ticks? sorry, but cant understand how captive kept indoors snakes get ticks???????

Neither can I. Are you sure they aren't bloated mites? After all, mites and ticks are more or less the same acarids, just smaller and bigger.

 

[kri57a]

i took it to the vet, and he had a look under the microscope and they were ticks. they had come off one of the other snakes (that we bought off a fella in NT) from the enclosure next to it. how is permoxin used and where would you get it from?

 

[wokka]

From your vet or off the net.

 

[Waterrat]

I would also recommend to see a different vet next time. This conclusion sounds very sus and I have to wonder if this vet ever saw a snake mite.

 

[wokka]

i took it to the vet, and he had a look under the microscope and they were ticks. they had come off one of the other snakes (that we bought off a fella in NT) from the enclosure next to it. how is permoxin used and where would you get it from?

What treatment did your vet recommend?

 

[solar 17]

Permoxin [imo] is a great product as Wokka said...l reckon there could be a wild caught scenario here which is legal in the NT or possibly outdoor enclosures anyway its not the end of the world correctly diagnosed and treated.......solar 17 [Baden]

 

[kri57a]

wokka: went to a vet as i wasnt sure of what it was, have bathed the snake in warm water, to get rid of a few of the ticks, they are very small black ones, not like the ones you get on horses cows and dogs, which are much larger. he recomended usein a insecticide form a pet shop, not sure of the brand.

how is permoxin used?

dont really wanna spray the snake with anything if it is gunna harm it.

 

[lynfrog]

why not just use Top of descent, which will kill both ticks and snake mites. sounds like snake mites to me if so small and not like usual ticks.
vets dont know everything! no one does! doe s that vet have a good experience with reptiles and snakes???

 

[kri57a]

yeah he is a rep vet aswell as normal, as i said he looked at them under a microscope.