Transferring Mites

[Uriel]

I was at a pet store about 2-3 weeks ago looking at their selection of ball pythons, which were all housed together (around 20+) and looking rather unhealthy. I considered buying one and even held a couple because there were a few hi-yellows with nice patterns which looked to be in decent condition and were very cheap, plus I felt bad for them. I didnt get the pythons, but when i returned today i found that the pythons were all gone, and when I asked about them i was told that they were all being quarantined & treated for mites. I got worried, because I had held my snakes the day i held those ball pythons. I usually wash my hands before & after i hold my snakes, but im still concerned... since then my snakes have all fed fine & have shown no signs of odd behavior, nor have i found anything in their scales, but i dont know much about treating mites since ive never encountered them. Any suggestions on what i should look for as far as signs of infection & treatment?

Thanx in advance,

-E
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Any suggestions on what i should look for as far as signs of infection &amp; treatment? </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Well for starters...It's not infection but rather infestation that you would be looking for. Mites are a type of parasite that &quot;love&quot; to live upon your snakes utilizing them as a host for their life sustenance.

You could have carried some mites &quot;on you&quot; othet than on your hands possibly. Just check the snake[s] that you have closely to insure that they are mite free is all. Take a white paper towel and wet it, then run it down the length of your snake[s]. If there are any tiny black dots on the paper towel, then yes you now have mites to deal with. If not, you most likely did not transfer any of them to your collection at all. There are a multitude of ways in which to deal with the eradication of mites. We have an extebnsive care sheet on this site for such also. Just check it out is all.
[addsig]

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[oheresy]

Uriel, what petstore was it?
[addsig]

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