Illness & Disease - Easy ways to prevent mite infestations

Most mites that enter collections come from other snakes who are infected. Therefore, the goal should be to avoid all contact with snakes infected by mites:

• De-contaminate you and your clothing after handling other people's snakes b/f going home to yours.
• Quarantine any new animal for long enough that you know for sure they are mite free. An inspection with magnifying glass around head, eyes, and vent is necessary - and about 20 days of close observation.
• NEVER buy a snake from a pet shop.
• Avoid purchasing snakes from unreliable breeders.
• If you rescue a snake with mites, quarantine it in another building than your collection and treat mites there until eradicated.
• Never bring into your collection any wild caught snake without a thourough quarantine period of observation.

Another way they get in is from the environment. Never introduce mites to your collection from the environment:

• Don't put anything made out of wood into your enclosures. Whether they come from an infested pet store, or the wild environment - lots of wood harbors mites.
• Don't use wood chips or bark as a substrate - it creates a breeding ground for the mites.
• If you let your snake outside for very long, soak them before returning them to their enclosure - may or may not be at risk depending on your area.
  
• Spray Provent-A-Mite around the area where you keep your snakes to prevent them from crawling in and finding the jackpot!
  

How to erradicate mites