Can snake mites kill a snake

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1. 12-31-2008, 07:37 AM #1

   How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

   im getting flame at another forum.
   
   He's saying that & i quote "External parasites are rarely a serious threat to reptiles" and adding to that "Sigh, in that case, most if not all wild snakes would be dead or seriously stressed and they would all be extinct but wow, surprisingly, there's still plenty of them around(there's no one to help get rid of the mites on their body). External parasites are rarely a serious threat to reptiles. And btw, do you know the difference between a carrier and a host? Any moving object can be a carrier for mites,(the mites just have to hop on). And fyi, mites do thrive on humidity(they dry up if the conditions are to dry, but in most cases so would the host, lol), they are able to breed faster if the humidity is high(which btw, encourages all sorts of things to grow). A mite does not seriously injure a snake(it only takes a little blood), therefore, logically speaking, do not harm them. Only infestations(numerous amounts) will do damage to a snake(and that takes time probably months or even years)and by that time, you would have already taken care of the problem(soaking or whatsoever). To compare the sensitivity of a snake to a humans would be as good as comparing the intelligence of a sloth to yours. They have a much more different nervous system and don't feel the same as we do(example given by the numerous amount of cases whereby snakes and other reptiles get burnt by heating instruments because they were basking to long)

   PS- the main reason why infestations happen in captivity is that the snakes are in a confine environment and the mites that multiply are confine with the same host(which would never happen in the wild as)"

   i was there to share to a member on my view on mite. Maybe i may miss some info on mite or other wise. he knows more. but his words got me thinking, or he just mess with my knowledge somehow.

   can you guys, show/tell me how dangerous Mites are on snakes?

   

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2. 12-31-2008, 08:16 AM #2

   Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

   Alright, it says that only a large amount can hurt a snake, well, a few turns into ALOT, so your going to have to treat them sooner or later, and alot of times later is well, too late.

   Mites are carriors of desieses too, so those little outside hosts give your snakes those bad inside parasites. If your breeding people Will not buy from you if you if you are known to have mites. Also, how do mites do good for the snake, so much that youd rather be lazy and not treat the cage with a simple go with PAM? If youve ever seen a snake with mites, youd want it to be treated right away.

   If you had lice, would you keep them just because they little harm, or would you want them out of your hair.

   BTW i just woke up, i'll add to this later if I find ive forgotten something or left a point out.

   Last edited by Beardedragon; 12-31-2008 at 08:22 AM.

   - Matt

   Come here little guy. You're awfully cute and fluffy but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat

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3. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Beardedragon For This Useful Post:

   broadude (12-31-2008),EdShal (12-31-2008)

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4. 12-31-2008, 08:34 AM #3

   Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

   When animals are in our care it is our responsibility to care for them properly. This includes treating them for mites or internal parasites! That is the difference between a responsible and an irresponsible keeper.

   Eddie Strong, Jr.

   

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5. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Wh00h0069 For This Useful Post:

   Beardedragon (12-31-2008),EdShal (12-31-2008)

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6. 12-31-2008, 09:55 AM #4

   Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

   great answers.. great answers...

   

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7. 12-31-2008, 10:16 AM #5

   Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

   I guess they're like fleas on a dog. a small ammount wont do much, but if the infestation gets large enough it could kill

   Ball pythons: 1.2 pastel, 1.0 Black Pastel 1.0 mojave(green) 0.1 spider, 1.0 het pied, 1.0 het clown, 1.1 het albino, 0.1 pos het albino, 1.0 shatter, 0.2 normals, 0.1 reduced pattern, 0.3 dinkers
   Corn snakes: 1.0 blood, 0.1 het blood, 0.1 snow, 0.0.1 reverse okeetee
   Geckos: 2.1.2 crested gecko, 0.0.1 leopard gecko
   Boas: 1.0.1 sand boas
   Other: 1.1 mini australian shepherd, 2.0 cats

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8. 12-31-2008, 10:33 AM #6

   Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

   Like what was said before, when we have snakes in cages they are confined to a small area where they aren't able to get away from the mites. In the wild they may have them but can move and get away from them (most of them). A large amount of mites can kill a snake yes...I've seen it. Maybe more the presence of mites can kill the snake because I haven't seen too many snakes with mites really be in the mood to eat much either.

   And maybe the burn might have been a bad example...how many times have you had a sunburn or seen someone get even worse burns from being out in the sun?

   

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9. 12-31-2008, 10:49 AM #7

   Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

   Mites can carry and transmit diseases to other snakes that could result in the loss of an entire collection depending on the disease being carried.

   If the mite infestation is severe enough the snake can die. (I think this quallify as dangerous

   

   )

   Sometime I wonder about some people would he let his dog or cat being infested by fleas without doing anything? Would he not treat lice on his head if he had some?

   

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10. 12-31-2008, 11:53 AM #8

    Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

    there are a lot of drawbacks to having mites:

    1 - it's simply unpleasant to handle a snake with mites - they look terrible and they have BUGS crawling all over them - ew! then when you put them down you have these little critters crawling on your hands - heebie jeebies for dayyyys.

    2 - if a mite problem goes untreated, you'll notice the snake becomes dehydrated and lethargic. I think mites like blood, so your snake would be prone to anemia with a large enough population of mites, and they start looking skinny and not gaining weight even before the mite problem is evident sometimes. It's not good.

    3 - as has been mentioned, they carry godknowswhatelse that could be really seriously unhealthy for your snake. IBD is thought to be transmitted via mites, for example.

    4 - they're majorly contagious. If you have even one mite in your entire collection, it's time to treat the whole collection. They spread like wildfire, and the only reasonable thing to do is treat everyone right away, for the reasons stated above.

    

    

    Originally Posted by BT41042

    

    Your going to Hell

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11. 01-01-2009, 01:38 PM #9

    Re: How dangerous are mites on your snakes?

    Also... not for nothing... but there is a reason that the life span of ball pythons is longer in capitivity than it is in the wild. Yes, snakes in the wild get mites and don't have PAM to take care of them... but they also don't live as long. Not just the fault of mites, of course, but the things we take care of are what keep our snakes alive so long.

    -Stacey

    1.0 Ball Python... Stanley (gotta start somewhere..)
    0.3 Mice .... Maui, Mango and Mai Tai, aka Satan's spawn
    1.0 Bunny Rabbit... William, aka Bill the Bunny, aka Bill-Bo

    "Honos Habet Onus"

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