Extreme Mite Issue

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hannah_ciara
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Extreme Mite Issue

Postby hannah_ciara » Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:50 pm

So previously I posted about my new Indonesian BTS having mites.... and she still has them. I have been doing everything that I've been told to do on this site. Paper towels instead of bedding, soaking, wiping her with mite spray, boiling everything in the cage, transferring her into a tub and bleach the cage (which she still is in the tub and not her terrarium). My issue is that it keeps getting worse and worse and I am unable to handle her very well. For some reason through all my efforts she is still very fussy and I have come to terms with her just being a grumpy lady and that I can't get her to like me, so i guess what my question is what else can I do? I work at a veterinary hospital and there is a BTS there and I have spoken with my boss countless amounts of times about things I can do, which lead to no result. All the signs are there, multiple black bugs on her (everywhere), raised scales, and white feces residue. I feel so guilty for all of this and I can't help but think that I might have to re-home her. Please help!
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Tokkay
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Re: Extreme Mite Issue

Postby Tokkay » Mon Dec 18, 2017 8:08 pm

I've never personally had mites on my skinks, but I have worked at a pet store and helped treat mites on a variety of lizards and snakes before.

Have you tried any other medicated sprays/ointments/etc. besides the one you mention? It could just be that she needs a different or stronger prescription. I think we've used Eprinex (maybe? It was something with an E) and had pretty good results from that on anoles and ball pythons, but I believe there's some other stuff you can try as well. Our vet actually had us treating both the reptiles and their cages with the Eprinex.

My suggestion would be to keep only 1-2 plastic hides in the tub with her while she has the mites. Throw out any wood products that she may have come in contact with since she's had the mites as well. Definitely soak her twice a day in lukewarm water, it really helped with some of our animals at work!

You can also try working some of the mites off of her. With some of our lizards and snakes you could actually use your finger/fingernail and run it with a little bit of pressure down the scales with mites under them and kinda push some of the mites out and rinse them off, if that makes sense? You won't be able to get them all off this way, but if you can remove as many as you can it'll really help.

Has she also been in for an official examination? I believe that some animals are more likely to have mite problems if they have other issues going on causing stress (could be wrong on that though- it's been awhile since I've treated anything with mites!)

You may have already done some/all of the steps above, but I hope it might help a little bit! Good luck with it, I know mites can be a pain in the butt to get rid of completely.
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splashy07
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Re: Extreme Mite Issue

Postby splashy07 » Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:17 am

I once had a mite issue when I took in an affected snake, and again when I purchased substrate from a store that kept it under the 'sick bay' in the back room. There's this spray called Reptile Relief, worked wonders for me. I sprayed down every cage and rack with it, and it is also safe to spray directly on your lizard. Just avoid the eyes, but do a gentle wipe with a warm damp paper towel in the area, as sometimes they will congregate on the head when you are soaking your lizard. Rogue mites when looking to lay eggs may travel quite a distance form your pet's cage. I sprayed everything in the surrounding areas also. All you need is one pregnant female and it starts all over again. Good luck! Mites are a pain in the butt, and I am allergic to any type of insecticide which I wouldn't recommend anyway. This stuff worked. I actually overstocked on it, in the event the situation presented itself again. I no longer take in anything, and only buy my substrate from non-livestock sellers.
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craigb
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Re: Extreme Mite Issue

Postby craigb » Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:54 am

The only thing I will add is that a single treatment seldom works. There are always eggs that get missed. I have treated my backyard for fleas.
I spray the insect killer and then repeat every two weeks as needed.

I did the same thing with a wild caught gopher snake I brought home. Take everything out of the enclosure then clean and treat the enclosure and all fixtures (I use Provent-A Mite). That will take care of 80% of the mites. Repeat the same thing in 2-3 weeks to get more or all. If you use wood or stones as fixtures you may need a third treatment.

Before I put any new wood or plastic "toy' in my cage I put it in my microwave for 30-40 seconds just to kill any visitors....


Just a snake and dog guy giving you my 2 cents...
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Ignorance is priceless

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