Authored by Todd Cornwell Unique Birthday Party Parties for Kids & Reptile Rescue
Reptile Mites and How to Treat them
Reptile mites, every snake owner hates them. And I don’t care how long you have owned snakes, whether you have 1, or 500. Reptile mites are carried in by rodents, in substrate, decorations, and even you the keeper. The eggs are so small you would never see them. They breed furiously, and from having none on Monday, on Friday your snake could be covered with them. Whether you’re a single snake “pet” owner, or a breeder with 5,000 we all deal with it.
Now the panic sets in, professional breeders have learned how to minimize their exposure. They buy expensive treatments and keep their problems minimal. But what does the average keeper do? We go to the pet store, they offer a few products you can buy. Some work better than others of course, and typically the more expensive the treatment, the better it works.
I was taught a neat little trick over 10 years ago, it’s inexpensive, works every time, and is easy to implement.
Treating for Reptile Mites
The trick is to understand what mites are. Mites are in the same family as ticks, and fleas. They bite and suck the blood out of your pet. Because they’re in the same family, the same type of treatment works.
I have a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, I bought at Home Depot for about $5. I drill a few 1/4 inch holes around the top of the bucket and the lid. It’s washed and cleaned, as a rescue, I get snakes in with mites several times a year, so I use the bucket regularly. I also use it for soaking my snakes when they are getting ready to shed. The lid locks on so is a great tool for me.
Now fill the bucket up with warm water to above where it will cover your snake. Place the snake in the bucket and let him soak 12-24 hours. While your snake is soaking, clean your tank. Dump all your substrate, the hide, and water dish should be cleaned (depending on what type, I wash them, then sanitize by running them through the dishwasher, or if a wooden hide, I wash it, then bake at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours), this should kill all the mites, and their eggs.
Wash, sanitize, and then rinse your tank. Dry it good. When you put in your new substrate, sprinkle Hartz flea & tick powder for dogs (not the carpet kind, the one you put directly on the dog, or the cat powder if you can’t find the dog one), put the snake and hide back into the cage.
Leave the water dish out for 24 hours. This is very important.
The only way the powder can hurt your pet is if it’s ingested. After 24 hours the powder goes inert, and you can put the water dish back in.
In 2 weeks, I take the water dish out again, resprinkle the powder in, after 24 hours, put the water dish in again. And your problem is solved. The powder is about $4.00, and you can treat about 10-15 tanks with one bottle!
Editors Note: The image above goes to the affiliate link for Amazon.com which sells the product for less than $2!