Mites & My Mite Death Program

What are mites?
Snake mites are small parasitic organisms that utilize the blood of the host organism as their sole food source.

How do I identify mites?
After handling your boa, you may notice small black "bugs" crawling on your hand. These are mites. It is also common to see them crawling on the head of your animal. If you check the water dish in a mite infested enclosure, you will frequently find mites drowned at the bottom of the dish.

Why should I worry about mites?
There are two reasons to be alarmed by the presence of mites on your animal:

1. Mites have a short reproductive cycle and can quickly attain a population that can overwhelm the host organism (your boa). A steady loss of blood will weaken the animal and make it susceptible to other conditions such as respiratory infection.

2. Mites can serve as vectors for disease. In other words, mites can feed from a diseased animal and then travel to a healthy animal and transmit the disease.

How do snake keepers get rid of mites?
There are a wide range of practices employed in the hobby for killing mites. You could ask 10 different people at a reptile show and you're likely to get 10 different methods. The most common answers will employ some means of chemical attack using a pesticide. Pest strip, Provent-A-Mite, and Black Knight are probably the most common weapons used in battling mites, but there are new products entering the market each year. I will not discuss these products here because I am not a supporter of subjecting boas to these products. You can find plenty of information about these products by consulting a book on boa husbandry or doing an on-line search about them. Mites are a frequent topic of discussion on the Internet forums. Here are two references where keepers with lots of experience have generously taken the time to share their methods. You can judge their merit.

Vida Precosia International

Pro Exotics

Why don't you support these products?
When I first started building my collection, I had the unfortunate (but all too common) experience of receiving an animal that was infested with mites. As this was my first experience with mites, I sought the advice of others. I was told to obtain "pest strip" at the local hardware store, cut a few small pieces, and place them in a film canister with holes punched in it. I was advised to remove the water dish from the enclosure then place the film canister in with the boa. I was told to leave it in for 10 days. The animal in question was a beautiful 3.5' male Guyanan with exceptional purple coloration. I put the pest strip in with him one evening and left it overnight. The next day, I removed the boa to inspect him and immediately noticed that something was wrong. The animal began twisting its head in an odd fashion. He was looping his head around and around. I put him on the floor. It became obvious that the animal had no control over its movements. It was a frightening and grotesque display.....one that I will likely never forget. The animal died within two days....and so did my use of commercial products for the control of mites.

How do you kill mites?
I use a readily available household chemical called dihydrogen monoxide. Applied in the correct manner, it is lethal to mites. This is the method:

1. Obtain an appropriately sized plastic container. It is especially important for young boas that they be able to "span" the width of this container and support themselves with the sides.

2. Obtain some dish soap in the container. I use Dawn.

3. Obtain warm (82-84*F) dihydrogen monoxide from the tap. The amount of "water" I use depends on the size of the animal and the size of the container. For young boas, I will usually just use 3-5 inches. It is important that the boa does not have to constantly swim as it will tire out. The animal should be able to span the container and support itself. For large boas, I tend to fill the container about 70% full so that their bodies are covered but there is room for their head to protrude from the water and obtain oxygen. I check the temperature of the water with an infrared temperature "gun". It is easy to use water that is too warm for your boa. Your skin is around 98*F so water that is 90*F will feel somewhat cool to the touch. Using a temperature gun or thermometer you will eventually learn what 82-84 degree water feels like. The soap reduces the surface tension of the water and allows the water to interact more easily with the mites.

4. I let the boas soak in the water for 2-5 hours. If it is cool in the house, I will sit a small container on top of my upright freezer so the water will stay warm. For large containers, I will sit it on the floor with a human heating pad under one side. I periodically check the temperature of the water. More frequently, I do a quick visual check on the boas themselves.

5. When the soaking is complete, you should (but not always) have direct evidence of the presence of mites. Skim the soap bubbles to the side with your hand and observe the bottom for drowned mites. One potential complication is that warm water will also encourage your boa to relieve themselves. This is a problem because you won't be able to see the mites. That is another reason I check back frequently. If the animal defecates in the water, I immediately change the water.

6. I have two levels of quarantine - one for known mite carriers and one for mite free animals. While the animal is soaking, I prepare for the possibility that it is carrying mites. I get a plastic container with a white top and just provide a simple arrangement of newspaper and water dish. After coming out of the extended soaking, I dry the animal and place it in the container. This container is kept in an area separate from my normal quarantine rack. Over the next few days, I will take the container to a well lit spot and remove the lid. I immediately flip the lid over and inspect the white surface for mites or their eggs. Mites will tend to lay their eggs at the highest point in an enclosure. If I find no mites on the top, I will check the sides of the enclosure and the water dish. If I find mites, I prepare another soapy water bath and the animal goes back in. If the container shows a lot of mites, I sometimes take it outside, remove the water dish, spray Black Knight inside, and close the lid. I let the container sit with the Black Knight for at least an hour. I throw away the newspaper, thoroughly wash the container with soap and hot water, dry it, and prepare it for the return of the animal. I DO NOT expose the animal directly to Black Knight. The checking and soaking is repeated until I am satisfied that there are no mites. At this point, the animal is placed in my "regular" quarantine area. From my experience, mites are removed after 1 or 2 soakings. Occasionally with a larger animal, I have had to use 3 or 4 soakings to rid the animal of mites. Yes, this is hard work but I feel it is well worth it to have the peace of mind that my boas will be mite-free and also not suffer any health effects from being exposed to pesticides.

There are certainly some desirable results that can be accomplished by soaking your boa. Soaking is BOTH diagnostic & prescriptive! Soaking contributes the following:

• Discover if mites were present on your boa.
• Kill mites.
• Clear their gastrointestinal tract.
• Encourage a good shed.
• Make them sparkly clean.

The Key to my Mite Death Program - the Arrival of a New Animal
The key is to establish a mite-free colony and then have a strategy for keeping it that way. I freely admit that my method would be difficult if you walked into your snake room one day and discovered that you had 40 boas crawling with mites. My main collection is upstairs and I have never had mites in that room. Sadly, you can pretty well expect to get mites delivered to your house if you are obtaining animals at a show or having them shipped in. Don't assume that breeders who are well known and seem to have good reputations won't send you mites. I can tell you that I have received mites from all types. When a new animal is delivered to my house, there is one thing I do before I even open the box. Can you guess what it is? Yep - I prepare the warm, soapy water bath. I open the box and inspect the animal. Open the box in an area that is isolated from your collection. I only let the animal touch my hands...not crawl around my neck or clothes and spread mites that will go undetected. I place the animal in the water and then inspect my hands for mites. Next, inspect the snake bag that contained the animal for the previous 15-20 hours. Start at the top of the inside and slowly roll back the bag to reveal more and more of the interior. It really helps if the bag is one of those clean, white, all cotton bags. I also give a brief inspection to the box. Even if I find no mites, I immediately put the snake bag back inside the box and take it to my attic. It will stay in there for at least 3 months and endure extremes in temperature with no water. If I remove a snake bag from the attic, it goes immediately into the washing machine followed by the dryer. This may all sound a bit extreme, but in my opinion, it is well worth it if it keeps your collection mite-free.