Mites!!! Oh No

[amaurer2]

Hello all. My BP has mites. The nost recommended treatment that I've seen is Prevent A Mite. Stores don't carry it in my area. How is Reptile Relief by Natural Chemistry? Also, I want to use a 5% bleach solution to clean cage and furniture. Is there a better suggestion. All are welcome. Thanks.

[Jason Bowden]

Definately do a complete cleaning. I've switched to Nolvasan for my cleaning. It's expensive, but comes concentrated and lasts forever.
You might want to add a large water bowl that the snake can soak in. They soak to try to get the mites off. The next time the snake sheds---complete clean again ASAP.

[amaurer2]

Thanks. He already has a large bowl which he soaks in constantly. That was my first clue. I haven't seen any on him but why else would he soak unless he thinks he's a water moccasin? LOL Never heard of Nolvasan. Is it a reptile product or something else? Where could I get it?

[2kdime]

You need to get the PAM

Order it from www.pro-products.com

And James, I've done a lot of research on Chlorhexidine products. If you are indeed getting NOLVASAN, it's kind of a waste of money. Check into the generic which is Chlorhexidine GLUCONATE, and not Chlorhexidine DIACETATE, which is anywhere from like 10 to 20 bucks a gallon.

The Diacetate stuff is rather harsh and good stuff! But it's just overkill for daily routine cleaning, and the generic is just fine, as well as a little safer.

HTH

[kc261]

Reptile Relief, I believe, is one of many products that will kill the live mites, and thus give your snake temporary relief. However, none of the mite products will kill the eggs, so the mites will be back when the eggs hatch. In theory, you could eliminate the infestation by re-treating frequently, before the newly hatched mites get big enough to lay more eggs. However, in practice, it usually doesn't work that way, and I'm not even sure it is safe to treat the snake that often.

Provent-a-mite is different because you treat the cage rather than the snake, and it leaves a residue that will kill the mites as soon as they hatch from the eggs, so one treatment is usually enough to totally wipe them out.

[Clear]

Does pam kill all types of mites?

[littleindiangirl]

What kind of mites are you thinking?

Feeder mites? Don't use PAM on them.

[tims balls]

I use BK2 and it works great. You treat the caging, not the animal. On the snake I use reptile relief.

[MV_BP]

No matter what product you end up using a COMPLETE clean is soo essential because you could have the best spray and it wouldn't help if theres still some left in the setup.

[mainbutter]

prevent a mite is the best way to go, just order it online as stated already in a post above.

Mites aren't a huge deal, and not hard to treat! Just get it taken care of. Clean the cage, provide a big bowl of water for your snake to soak in if it so chooses, and order PAM. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. I can't stress that enough.