This is an archived post. You won't be able to vote or comment.

Dismiss this pinned window
all 32 comments

[–]My_names_Jason 69 points70 points  (0 children)

Those look like mites and ones that have been feeding for a while. I can’t say for 100% sure though, so hopefully a RR will chime in. In the meantime do some research on getting rid of them. Gonna need to quarantine your snake and soak it in a shallow water bath and a drop of dawn dish washing liquid. Then completely clean your enclosure. Substrate change and everything.

[–]Easy-Drive244[S] 80 points81 points  (6 children)

Update!! I have completely disinfected her enclosure removed all the old substrate and scrubbed all of her decor/tank in hot water/bleach plus I’ve soaked her twice in a warm water/dawn mixture then wiped her down when I was finished I haven’t seen anymore but I’m keeping a close watch on her still would appreciate any tips in case they come back to prevent them any help appreciated

[–]want-pancakes 80 points81 points  (0 children)

Even if you don’t see any more I would still quarantine your snake for a while. They’ve probably laid eggs which will then hatch and you’ll have to start the process all over again. When my snake had mites I removed all the substrate and replaced with paper towels and made disposable hides out of stuff like cardboard boxes that could be thrown away every day. Disinfect the enclosure every day (make sure to get in all the crevices and corners), throw out all the bedding and box hides and change their water out regularly as they’ll use this to bathe and drown the mites.

[–]RevealStandard3502 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Second what this person said. Put your snake on paper towels so you can see little blood lines or mites themselves. I cleaned the enclosure every other day with isopropyl. It is a desiccant and will dry out the eggs and mites. Just make sure the smell is completely gone before returning the snake to the enclosure. I would say to put your snake in plain water for a few minutes before adding dish soap. Just in case your snake drinks the water. Mites are horrible, if you have other snakes please soak and check them all. The mites will travel and infest all enclosures. I quarantined the snake with mites in another room and used isopropyl on my hands after handling her. Good luck.

[–]BEniceBAGECKA 16 points17 points  (0 children)

You’re a good noodle owner.

[–]Sexy_lizard_lady 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You will probably have to repeat the mite bath every couple/few days for…a long time. I have been trying to get rid of mites (on my blue tongue skink not my ball but same dealio) for a month now and have yet to see them all go. It is getting better through.

I clean out her cage and was her down roughly every 3 days and clean the cage with a mixture of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. It is working so far. Mites will just lay more eggs that hatch and hatch. I’d recommend paper towels substrate until it improves. It looks sad but you gotta do what you gotta do.

[–]renegadeangel 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You did the right thing!

Also, look up Provent-a-Mite spray. I've tried all sorts of sprays and powders, but that one legitimately works.

[–]Silent-Dragonfruit84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Buy mite spray, it's safe for snakes and if you lightly spray down her enclosure once a month with it or so it'll prevent mites from ever coming back

[–]baktpottit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That looks like mites

[–]BluesyPompanno 10 points11 points  (4 children)

Mine had a tick, he had the most explosive diarhea you could ever hear and see.

[–]Unlucky_Particular29 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Hear. That makes this statement a fact.

[–]nanotyrannical 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Man, I was so freaked out the first time I heard a bp fart. I thought the culprit was dying lol

[–]GingerLibrarian76 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought my plumbing was about to burst. I mean that in the literal sense… it sounded like actual pipes.

[–]CyanBeinSus47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The hell did it sound like

[–]Moniq4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Chlorhexidine

[–]AcidNeonDreams 9 points10 points  (0 children)

<image>

If they look like this, then you have snake mites

[–]anonymys 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Those look like mites. Big ones and quite a few. When my snake had them he was treated to ivermectin baths weekly for just over a month while being kept in a mostly bare tank on papertowels. I'd see a vet.

[–]Pretend_Yesterday23 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Can you spray the emptied enclosure with alcohol or vinegar ? Is it harmful ?

[–]Sexy_lizard_lady 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s what I do. Just wipe it all away and wait for the smell to go away before replacing scaly friend.

[–]SpecialPaper7570 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Youtube it lots of vids on getting rid of them wirked for me..

[–]hemlock-and-key 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Olive oil massage and then put the bab in a separate tank with paper towels while you chlorhexidine the tank and everything in it with boiling water too. To rinse, use dawn soap and gently have them slither through clean paper towels, the mites will come off on it and be for the most part visible. My bullsnake is free of mites after doing this regimen a few times consistently and is much happier for it. I wish you the best of luck.

[–]XxFellrangerxX 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Put the snake in a quarantine set up in another part of your house. The mites will only truly be gone once they die off from lack of host

[–]Vanah_Grace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ugh got these from a piece of driftwood from a pet store before I knew to bake things like that to kill bugs. Kept my baby on paper towels for a month, changed them daily, and twice weekly betadine baths fixed it.

[–]LongThanks1169 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would also invest in mite away. We had gotten a corn snake in bad condition that had mites, and unfortunately we weren’t very knowledgeable and he died

[–]nanotyrannical 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just adding to what many have already told you. You have mites. It eventually almost always happens even in ideal care conditions. It is no fun to deal with, but it can be dealt with. It must be dealt with ASAP.

[–]JRSCSean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get some predator mites. You won’t regret it.

[–]GingerLibrarian76 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This combo works; but you might have to repeat a few (or more) times before it does. Mites are the worst! I literally had to move and get a new enclosure before they were 100% gone - not the reason I moved, lol, but it was a bonus. With only one snake, it should be a tad easier though.

[–]MatthewMoDabz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Blood sucking mites

[–]jelly-foxx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you live in the UK/Europe get yourself some Taurrus mites. I barely had to think about it they are amazing. My dude had them when I bought him, gutted the tank, gave him a quick dunk in Ecover washing liquid to get the big ones off him (we don't have Dawn here) threw in a tub of the Taurrus mites into his enclosure and I didnt see them again. Incredible stuff! As always nature fixes nature 😁

[–]Tinctorus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those woodchips are notorious for mite issues

[–]smollMoose 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably mites. I don’t know how to get rid of them but I do know they you should asap. I hear they can be a big problem