Ball python help needed!

Question

ok i just got a ball python two days ago and hes very healthy and nice ate a mouse yesterday i love him... but i just looked at him and he has these like teeny weeny brown bugs on him about 8 or so cralwing on him... what are they, are they harmfull, and if so how do i get rid of them ever since i noticed them hes been alittle bit less active! please help thank you!

Answer 1

it could be mites are flees if you see any brown stuff in the water bowl be sure to soak him in warm water and use a towel to rub off any still hang on to his scales.

Answer 2

Sounds like it may be mites.

best thing to do is take him to the vet.

But you can get something from the pet store that may work.

But if it was mine I would get him to the vet for medications and how to apply it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

They are mites, which is very common with reptiles.

Get him a bowl of water that he can fit into - he will most likely curl up tightly in the bowl and it will drown the mites (this is what happened with my ball python). Keep changing the water in the bowl, he will keep going back in there until all the mites are dead and the itchiness subsides.

Also make sure to keep his cage SUPER clean during this period - I'd probably not give him any bedding at all so that the mites have nothing to hide in. Keep the cage bare and dry, except for the bowl of water and maybe a box for him to hide in if he wants it.

If you set this up and he won't get in the water you'll have to take him to the vet. They will be able to give him a shot to help the problem.

Answer 4

they are mites...simply letting your snake soak in his water dish will not get rid of the mites.  if left untreated mites can kill your snake eventually.  

Mites are a pain in the butt.  We brought mites home by handling snakes at the reptile shop one time.  Treating for mites is time consuming.  Take the snake and soak it in a plastic tub...enough water (lukewarm about 80 Fahrenheit) to cover the back of the snake.  Let the snake soak while you do the following.  Take all cage accessories out of the cage if you have logs you don’t have to throw them away…set them aside in a plastic bag tied at the top.  I’ll explain what to do with those last.  With the other cage accessories, bowl and hides put in the bath tub and completely cover with hot water.  Spray the substrate with reptile relief, to kill the mites so that they don’t fall to the floor while you are bagging it up, bag up the substrate tie the top of the trash bag and take it to the dumpster.  Liberally spray your tank with reptile relief…I mean spray it all over.  Take the lid to the tank outside and spray it all over also.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes.  If the tank is light enough carry it to the yard and hose it out then dry it completely, also hose off the top.  Bring the tank back in.  Spray the tank again lightly with reptile relief and use a towel to dry it off.  Put new substrate in the tank and put the water bowl and hides back in.  

Back to the snake now.  Make sure the snake has immersed his face for a second otherwise mites will just run up to his face…the eyes especially.  Take your snake out of the water take a q-tip or cotton ball and spray some reptile relief on it and use that to get on top of the snakes head…don’t get the reptile relief in the snakes eyes or nose or mouth but do get it on top of the head and under the chin.  Then spray your snakes body with reptile relief and use your hands to make sure it gets over the snakes whole body.  Use a dry cloth to get the excess off…you don’t want it dripping off of the snake but you do want it all over your snake.  Then you can put your snake back in his tank.  Also before you put your heat lamp back on take a cotton ball and wipe it down with a bit of reptile relief…mites get everywhere…they are evil!!!

If you have logs for your snake bake them in the oven (250 – 275 Fahrenheit) for 2 – 3 hours.  Allow to cool completely before using them again.

The bad news is you might have to do this every three days two more times to break the mites life cycle.  They are a bit like getting rid of fleas it takes more than one treatment.  Like I said we got mites from the reptile store but I did this and I had to do two treatments and the mites were gone.  If you don’t want to use the normal substrate until the mites are gone it won't hurt to use white paper towels for lining the snakes cage, white paper towels also allow you to see mites more easily so that you will know for sure when the mites are gone.  And then after you have eradicated the mites you can put the normal substrate back in.  If you use the cypress mulch substrate you can freeze it for a week prior to use and then bring it to room temperature before using OR you can bake it at 250 – 270 Fahrenheit for 2 hours in a baking pan.  I do both when I buy new substrate…I freeze it for a week then thaw it out then I bake it and cool it before I put it in my snakes cage.  I still do that just because I never never want mites again.  I had 14 snakes when I had to deal with the mites…it took me literally all day to clean each cage.  

It takes probably about an hour or 2 to do the whole process.

Reptile relief is the ONLY thing that is totally safe to use on the reptile other things can harm or even kill your snake.  This is time consuming but it really is the only safe way to be rid of mites.  

Good luck!!!!!!

  

Answer 5

Take him out of the cage and put some warm water in the bathtub and lay him in there, not to deep only enough to cover his back. If he is to small to get out then go clean the cage. Scrub it with some dawn or other dish soap and rinse it out good, put new bedding in there, and wash all dishes before returning them to the cage. get your snake and rinse him very well with warm water check him over before you put him back in his clean cage and make sure you dont see anymore. if so try and get them ALL off!

then put him back in the cage!

everything should be ok then!

Answer 6

Do you have and cats or dogs they could possibly be flees, i get them in my tanks sometimes when its SUPER hot like it has been lately, change out the bedding and clean everything to make sure there's none left and see if they return, it happens to me like once a year. Good Luck :)  

Answer 7

I would do just like Lorimartow said I had the same problem but in addition I also had to treat the floor area around my snakes enclosure.