Help ball python snake mites

Hello, I have a couple ball pythons I bought recently and they have mites all over them I am starting to realize. I don’t know what to buy to help cure them and get rid of them if you can give me some tips that would be great.

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I hope you have a good quarantine policy. Mites will wander a good distance and will hitch a ride on you or potentially any other pets or items you have going room to room.

This is probably the most passed around step by step post for going scorched earth.

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Are you certain that they’re snake mites and not grain/wood mites?

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Yes I’m pretty sure because there is tons of them is there a difference I should look for

The ‘tons of them’ comment made me suspect they’re maybe detrivorous mites, rather than parasitic mites. Snake mites are black or dark red, and hang on the snake, especially in crevices. Wood/grain mites are lighter in color, crawl around, and can be very numerous on substrate.

Someone who deals with snake mites on the regular should fact check me here. I’ve dealt with snake mites only once, many years ago, and since then have figured out where not to buy snakes so haven’t gotten them again. :wink:

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The only reason I think it’s a lot is because all the black dots under my pied that were never there and I saw some that I could tell they were living do you recommend any sort of mite killer or anything?

The link that @armiyana posted above is certainly very useful.

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Another option, which is generally faster, safer, and requires less work (but can be a bit harder to source and more expensive) is going to a veterinarian for compounded Afoxolaner in liquid form. In dogs & cats it’s used for fleas and ticks, but is also highly effective against snake mites when dosed properly. It’s usually injected into a feeder which is then given to the snake. Lasts a month, or basically an entire mite life cycle. If you dose all your animals at the same time, it should eradicate everything without having to go through as many steps.

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I am going through this exact same thing with my ball python Nessie. Apparently mites are very common in ball pythons from big box stores, though I don’t know if yours were from a big box store or not. A few things I’ve learned:

You should always try to bake/bleach/freeze decorations, but if you can’t, you can also “starve them out” as in bag them and leave them in a very secluded place for about 2 months to break the life cycle of the mites.

PAM (provent-a-mite) and a dawn dish soap bath is how I dealt with mine. If you choose to use either one, please look up specific instructions for both of these and follow them closely to prevent danger or harm from coming to your snake.

If you are unsure whether they are parasitic mites, squish one with your finger and if it leaves a dark smudge or “pops” then it is a parasitic mite. Or if your ball pythons are soaking a lot in their water dish and you see drowned mites in the water. Check around your snake’s face and heat pits, as that is where they like to gather.

Also be aware that your snake might fast or stop eating because they are uncomfortable or because of new changes. Ball pythons are notorious for being picky eaters in general, and I’m lucky this didn’t happen with Nessie but it’s very possible.

One mite can restart the infestation, so make sure, whatever treatment you use, that you do not see a single mite for about 4 weeks before turning them back to regular substrate. Like someone previously said, mites are notorious for being hitchhikers and you don’t want treatment to take longer than necessary because it’s very difficult to keep humidity up while treating for mites, which ball pythons need.

Good luck and we’re in this together! :cowboy_hat_face:

Edit: please find out if they are parasitic mites first, though, so that you don’t cause yourself potential unnecessary stress :slight_smile:

I have not dealt with snake mites “on the regular” but I have a tendency to inoculate all my cages with predatory and cleaner mites and I can confirm that the population of scavenger and predator mites are massively larger than anything you will see with snake mites. Snake mites are almost only seen directly on the animal or, more frequently, on your hands after handling an animal that has them

Another indicator can be animal behaviour. Is your animal continually soaking in the water bowl? Because that is a very common behaviour to mite infestations. And if you take the animal out you can often find a few tine mites floating in the bowl. They are almost always velvety-black with brown or maroon legs

Another thing you may be seeing is springtails. I cannot tell you the number of people that do not know the difference between the two. And springtails will happily self colonize an environment that it is suitable for them. I have them in all my naturalistic cages and I have never once purchased them

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