redtailboas
02-17-2002, 10:24 AM
My boa has little black mites. What should I do?
Instant Solution
==============================================
Although there are many methods people use to get rid of mites, I recommend that you should purchase the Provent-a-mite product as soon as possible and follow the directions very closely to get rid of the mites.
Mites are one of the hardest things to control in our snakes environment. They appear as tiny black dots on the snake, around the eyes and head, under scales, around the vent area. They are blood sucking pests, that leave small white droppings on your snakes skin. A bad infestation can seriously diminish your snakes appetite, and overall health. They can also spread diseases from one snake to another. Because of the life cycle of the mite, they are sometimes very hard to kill.
This excerpt is directly from Pro-products web site
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Technology has brought with it a lot of new mite treatments. But none have received as much acclaim as Provent-a-Mite. Provent-a-MiteTM is the only patented, Federally approved product that has undergone more than 12 years of research and clinical testing to insure that it will effectively eradicate mites and ticks that feed on reptiles and will not harm the host being treated when used as directed. No other product can make these claims! Provent-a-MiteTM is also the only product that can be used preventatively. Simply treat substrate, racks, enclosure openings, etc. once a month as directed to kill any disease carrying mites or ticks before they can become a problem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although I hate to sound like an advertisement for their product (on which I do not make any money, nor do I even get the product discounted), it is the only product that can safely and easily eliminate the mites.
http://www.pro-products.com
The following information comes from Jeff Ronne:
#1 way to avoid mites! Buy ALL your Boas from Jeff Ronne/The Boaphile!!! (A little Boaphile humor there...)
No mites! Yes it's true. Not one. Any how, mites are really hard to avoid
unless you take every precaution necc.
#2 Always assume any new animal you purchase has mites. It may not, but if you
assume it does and treat it accordingly you can avoid this monumental problem.
Even assume that animals purchased from me have mites! They don't, but DO NOT
BELIEVE ME! I could be lying like many other disreputable and reputable
breeders alike. Many reputable breeders have shipped people animals with mites unknowingly.
#3 No pest strip! It is the only way! There is no other way which really works as easily. None. Any other method is more time consuming and you can chase mites all over for ever and ever and ever... you get the idea. Cut the strip using a tin snips. A small piece of pest strip (4' cage requires 1"x1" piece/smaller cages proportionally) which can sometimes be purchased at the local hardware store or any of the large Herp goods dealers carry them. They are now called biostrip. This stuff is toxic. May destroy your kidneys. Ware rubber gloves and cut outdoors to avoid all possible fumes. I'm not sure that I ever want the whole house to smell like that again. That is why I always treat everything new
BEFORE I bring it into the house. I remove the animal from the container
shipped into my own clean container. Put pest strip in the container or new
clean box holding that container. Discard the shipping container and anything
that came with it to avoid the nightmare. Wash hands before doing anything
else. All this is best done away from home. I sometimes do this at the airport
or outside the car before going home. The animal is left inside the container I
treated it in for several days to ensure the death of the pin head sized
disease carrying blood suckers. They can kill Boas just by running the Boa down
from all the blood loss.
#4 Existing mite problem:
Only one thing will work. Pest strip in every cage, every cage, every cage
(not a mistake/EVERY CAGE YOU OWN)(wheather you think there are mites or not)
constantly for 4 weeks. This is longer than the mites which are still in eggs
will take to hatch. As soon as they hatch, they of course, croak. Pest strip on
the floor around the cage. Pest strip behind the cage. You get the idea. The
mites will retreat somewhere that doesn't smell so bad if you spot treat. Many
breeders have just given up on eliminating the mites because of laziness. This
is what must be done. The pest strip has never caused any problems that I am
aware of with any of my animals. This experience has only been with Boa
Constrictors.
#5 Good idea:
Checking with the breeder who has put his reputation on the line and
claims "No Mites" is a good bet to get the correct advise to rid yourself of
the pestilence sent you by another breeder.
Instant Solution
==============================================
Although there are many methods people use to get rid of mites, I recommend that you should purchase the Provent-a-mite product as soon as possible and follow the directions very closely to get rid of the mites.
Mites are one of the hardest things to control in our snakes environment. They appear as tiny black dots on the snake, around the eyes and head, under scales, around the vent area. They are blood sucking pests, that leave small white droppings on your snakes skin. A bad infestation can seriously diminish your snakes appetite, and overall health. They can also spread diseases from one snake to another. Because of the life cycle of the mite, they are sometimes very hard to kill.
This excerpt is directly from Pro-products web site
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Technology has brought with it a lot of new mite treatments. But none have received as much acclaim as Provent-a-Mite. Provent-a-MiteTM is the only patented, Federally approved product that has undergone more than 12 years of research and clinical testing to insure that it will effectively eradicate mites and ticks that feed on reptiles and will not harm the host being treated when used as directed. No other product can make these claims! Provent-a-MiteTM is also the only product that can be used preventatively. Simply treat substrate, racks, enclosure openings, etc. once a month as directed to kill any disease carrying mites or ticks before they can become a problem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although I hate to sound like an advertisement for their product (on which I do not make any money, nor do I even get the product discounted), it is the only product that can safely and easily eliminate the mites.
http://www.pro-products.com
The following information comes from Jeff Ronne:
#1 way to avoid mites! Buy ALL your Boas from Jeff Ronne/The Boaphile!!! (A little Boaphile humor there...)
No mites! Yes it's true. Not one. Any how, mites are really hard to avoid
unless you take every precaution necc.
#2 Always assume any new animal you purchase has mites. It may not, but if you
assume it does and treat it accordingly you can avoid this monumental problem.
Even assume that animals purchased from me have mites! They don't, but DO NOT
BELIEVE ME! I could be lying like many other disreputable and reputable
breeders alike. Many reputable breeders have shipped people animals with mites unknowingly.
#3 No pest strip! It is the only way! There is no other way which really works as easily. None. Any other method is more time consuming and you can chase mites all over for ever and ever and ever... you get the idea. Cut the strip using a tin snips. A small piece of pest strip (4' cage requires 1"x1" piece/smaller cages proportionally) which can sometimes be purchased at the local hardware store or any of the large Herp goods dealers carry them. They are now called biostrip. This stuff is toxic. May destroy your kidneys. Ware rubber gloves and cut outdoors to avoid all possible fumes. I'm not sure that I ever want the whole house to smell like that again. That is why I always treat everything new
BEFORE I bring it into the house. I remove the animal from the container
shipped into my own clean container. Put pest strip in the container or new
clean box holding that container. Discard the shipping container and anything
that came with it to avoid the nightmare. Wash hands before doing anything
else. All this is best done away from home. I sometimes do this at the airport
or outside the car before going home. The animal is left inside the container I
treated it in for several days to ensure the death of the pin head sized
disease carrying blood suckers. They can kill Boas just by running the Boa down
from all the blood loss.
#4 Existing mite problem:
Only one thing will work. Pest strip in every cage, every cage, every cage
(not a mistake/EVERY CAGE YOU OWN)(wheather you think there are mites or not)
constantly for 4 weeks. This is longer than the mites which are still in eggs
will take to hatch. As soon as they hatch, they of course, croak. Pest strip on
the floor around the cage. Pest strip behind the cage. You get the idea. The
mites will retreat somewhere that doesn't smell so bad if you spot treat. Many
breeders have just given up on eliminating the mites because of laziness. This
is what must be done. The pest strip has never caused any problems that I am
aware of with any of my animals. This experience has only been with Boa
Constrictors.
#5 Good idea:
Checking with the breeder who has put his reputation on the line and
claims "No Mites" is a good bet to get the correct advise to rid yourself of
the pestilence sent you by another breeder.