they just mated and i know that i am going to have to deal with baby turtles,but i want to know how long it will take, what they will need to make a nest and what kind of food to feed the new turtles.i don't need the answer right away but it would be nice
Answers:
What kind of turtles do you have? If you want to keep the eggs you will need to incubate them, if you think you can't you can always throw them away. If you do want to incubate them you need to know what you are gonna do with all those baby turtles. Also if this is the first time the have mated, the eggs may not even be fertile, so it may be a waste of time to incubate. But you still need to make a land area for your female because if she doesn't have a place to lay her eggs she will become egg bound and could die. If these are water turtles you can take her out and put her in her land area for about an hour each day. You can do this more than once a day also. If she lays them in the water, and you don't get to them in time, throw them out cuz the babies will have already drown. If you pick up the eggs to put them in an incubator, DO NOT turn the eggs.
Although applying principally to the incubation of California desert tortoise eggs, the following suggestions are for all turtle and tortoise eggs in general. Always bear in mind that there is no one method that will assure success and that in some cases an entire clutch of eggs will be infertile and not capable of hatching under even ideal conditions.
Unless the area in which captive tortoises and turtles live is very similar in temperature and soil to that of the natural environment, eggs will rarely hatch if left in the nest. They should be dug up very carefully, the top of each egg marked with a pencil (not a marker; the shells are permeable and the ink is toxic) to guard against turning and jarring, and then placed in an incubator.
Incubators may be anything from the commercial type used for chickens (available at some pet stores, feed stores, or by mail-order) to the homemade variety made from bread boxes, cardboard boxes, styrofoam coolers, small glass aquariums, or even margarine tubs (placed in a warm spot with a few small holes in the lid so oxygen can get in). A light for heat control should be in the incubator, plus a thermometer (either hung on inside wall or placed next to eggs) and, in cases where water or box turtle eggs are being incubated, include a small container of water or wetted-down sphagnum moss for necessary humidity. Eggs incubated without minimal humidity tend to cave in, dry out and not hatch. Most eggs require a small container of water near the eggs, replenished regularly (the water evaporates).
Sand, peat moss or other floor covering may be used, but again this is a matter of personal preference. Some fanciers bury eggs in sand to a depth of an inch or two. Others do not. In 1969 the San Diego Zoo incubated its eggs in sand-filled earthenware crocks, covered with sheets of glass to contain condensed moisture. A hazard to sand is that a newly hatched turtle or tortoise may eat it, become impacted and die. Soft, finely sifted, chemical-free dirt works well for most eggs and won鈥檛 tear the yolk sac attached to all new hatchlings for the first few days of life.
Regardless of method chosen, temperature is the most important factor. Eggs incubated at between 85掳 and 90掳 F will usually hatch if fertile. Experimentation is necessary to determine proper light wattage that will maintain constant temperature. In some incubators, a 7-1/2-Watt light is sufficient; others may need a 40-Watt bulb or more. Distance from the eggs should be 8-10 inches if using a styrofoam cooler so you avoid hot spots on the eggs; this will probably necessitate mounting the bulb in the lid and adjusting the wattage to get a stable interior temperature.
Let the closed incubator heat completely for several hours, checking the thermometer from time to time before finally deciding which size light is best. Always keep a spare light on hand because the original will burn out at some point during the incubation process.
Desert tortoise eggs will hatch anywhere between 76 and 120 days, average time being about 85 to 90 days. Many water turtle eggs require the same length of time. Some of the more exotic species require up to six months (one African Pancake tortoise hatchling appeared after 210 days!); in these cases, it is best to check specific references, look on the internet, or network with other keepers to learn incubation times.
The following incubation times are average ranges: Tortoises, 70-100 days; box turtles, 60-90 days; water turtles, 60-85 days; and exotic tortoises, 100-160 days. Use these times as a guide; remember, there can be exceptions based on external factors.
I don't know.
What you could do is maybe search the web,ask the pet shop or pound there are many things you could do an Id would put like a little like borrow hiding olace in there so they dont have them in the open and turtles are reptiles they will have eggs! Seee ya
I love you
Few turtles automatically lay fertile eggs after the first mating- it usually takes a few practices and some infertile eggs first.
In 2-3 weeks after mating, you should be able to feel eggs around her hind feet.
Eggs should be laid in a drained patch of sand and loam mix in a nest she will dig the day she lays them. The timing for this is variable, but not too long after you can easily feel the eggs.
The eggs will incubate in the nest for between about 20 days and almost a year depending on temps, etc.
You've got some time to do some research for concrete answers. Try these sites for help:
Saturday, May 22, 2010
I have two pet turtles. One is called Tiptup and the other is called Tanktup.?
I keep them in a large tank which has a ramp allowing them to climb out. We recently put a combustion heater in our family room and now Tiptup likes to climb out of the tank onto the ramp. She never did this before. Why do turtles do this? The water is cooler than the ambient temperature so it isn't because she is too hot. Is it to bask in the heat? If you don't know the answer do you know any websites I can refer to?
Answers:
yup.it's 2 bask in the heat.turtles like that.cute names by the way!
see below
1. Get a thermometer so you KNOW what the temps are. Water in the warm area should be 75-80 and basking area about 90.
2. I hope it really IS a large tank. Aim for about 10 gallons of swimming water per inch of turtle. A lot of us use kiddie pools or big plastic tubs.
3. Good websites?
- http://www.redearslider.com
- http://www.austensturtlepages.com.
Sounds like you got some pets without researching what they actually NEED to be healthy. Sadly, alot of people do this with RESs, which what I'm assuming you have. Here is a website I made for people who don't know much about them with the basics of what you need to know so that you can keep your turtle healthy. http://www.geocities.com/radiofemme/turt.
Answers:
yup.it's 2 bask in the heat.turtles like that.cute names by the way!
see below
1. Get a thermometer so you KNOW what the temps are. Water in the warm area should be 75-80 and basking area about 90.
2. I hope it really IS a large tank. Aim for about 10 gallons of swimming water per inch of turtle. A lot of us use kiddie pools or big plastic tubs.
3. Good websites?
- http://www.redearslider.com
- http://www.austensturtlepages.com.
Sounds like you got some pets without researching what they actually NEED to be healthy. Sadly, alot of people do this with RESs, which what I'm assuming you have. Here is a website I made for people who don't know much about them with the basics of what you need to know so that you can keep your turtle healthy. http://www.geocities.com/radiofemme/turt.
I have two baby horny toads. How often do they eat and how big of a cricket can they eat.?
The crickets are strarting to out grow my toads. Do they eat any vegitation??
Answers:
Desert Horned lizards (commonly called horny toads)eat as their main diet, harvester ants and will die without them, they also eat alot in one day. THey also need a uvb bulb that emits 5 percent or higher uvb rays, i like zoo meds reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 and Reptiglo 5.0 or 8.0 and it needs to be replaced every 6 months because the bulb loses its uvb output. It will also need a basking are of atleast 95-100 degrees and a cage big enough so that it can escape the heat if needed (properly thermoregulate) They are very difficult to keep and that site http://www.antsalive.com/ being the only one i know of to buy harvester ants for the lizards food.
http://www.desertusa.com/april96/du_hliz.
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/faculty/pianka/.
http://www.hornedlizards.org/
http://www.antsalive.com/
You can get them to eat crickets? They are generally strictly ant eaters. And no, no vegetation as far as I know.
Edit, and uh. they aren't really toads. However they are pretty cool. When threatened they can force blood out of the sinus cavity below their eyes and shoot blood a fair distance. Certainly a creative defense.
I don't know what to feed 'em . but if they don't work out as pets you could have one heck of a pajama party.
Burn the skin of toads and some chemical therein gives off a smoke that intoxicates. Cherokee Indians found out about this 300 years ago. Their experimentalists sat around smoking pipefuls of dried toadskins, and talking, laughing, and getting shiny-eyed. Or so the scholars now report.
Answers:
Desert Horned lizards (commonly called horny toads)eat as their main diet, harvester ants and will die without them, they also eat alot in one day. THey also need a uvb bulb that emits 5 percent or higher uvb rays, i like zoo meds reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 and Reptiglo 5.0 or 8.0 and it needs to be replaced every 6 months because the bulb loses its uvb output. It will also need a basking are of atleast 95-100 degrees and a cage big enough so that it can escape the heat if needed (properly thermoregulate) They are very difficult to keep and that site http://www.antsalive.com/ being the only one i know of to buy harvester ants for the lizards food.
http://www.desertusa.com/april96/du_hliz.
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/faculty/pianka/.
http://www.hornedlizards.org/
http://www.antsalive.com/
You can get them to eat crickets? They are generally strictly ant eaters. And no, no vegetation as far as I know.
Edit, and uh. they aren't really toads. However they are pretty cool. When threatened they can force blood out of the sinus cavity below their eyes and shoot blood a fair distance. Certainly a creative defense.
I don't know what to feed 'em . but if they don't work out as pets you could have one heck of a pajama party.
Burn the skin of toads and some chemical therein gives off a smoke that intoxicates. Cherokee Indians found out about this 300 years ago. Their experimentalists sat around smoking pipefuls of dried toadskins, and talking, laughing, and getting shiny-eyed. Or so the scholars now report.
i have some hermit crabs and?
i have some hermit crabs and to my suprise a couple weeks ago there where legs all over the tank and to my suprise one of my crabs had molted!9shed his skin and gets new skin) but now the same carb is losing legs all over the tank it has only been a couple weeks can someone help me because i love those little guys and dont want to lose them :(
Answers:
Dropping of limbs is a very bad sign.
Causes of this are the following.
Stress
over-heating
too dry
over handling
improper tank conditions
improper diet
improper substrate
aggressive tank mates
At times of stress, illness or incorrect tank conditions a crab can drop it鈥檚 limbs. You may notice a crab looking
under the weather, and then further notice a leg or pincher missing.
Many times this is due to stress or injury. It may be a
battle wound from a fight in the tank or an injury from a fall or getting stuck.
Other times it is from a tank that is too hot or you disturbed a molter.
The best thing to do is to make sure the crab鈥檚 diet is rich with calcium and protein and watch over it. Another suggestion is a salt water bath to help clean the open wound and help it heal faster.
You will need to ISO this crab and make sure the tank humidity and temperatures are within the correct range and monitored 24/7 with the use of gauges. 75%-85% relative humdity and 76-82 degrees F.
Also make sure you provide both fresha nd natural oceanic/marine salt water in large pools and both waters are de-chlorinated. Fresh fruits, veggies, meats, fish and whole grains as food, never offering the same things 2 times in a row and food available 24/7
Sand and moist coco-fiber or a mixture of the two are the approved substrates aand a solid tank lid with lights is also another must.
Also each crab must have at least 4 extra shells available in the tank at all times of the proper size, shape and type, paying attention to the opensing size and shape as well.
GEL LIMBS
When it is ready and recovered strength it may start growing a gel limb, which will continue to enlarge until it is time for the crab to molt. Then that gel limb will turn into a new working limb, just a smaller version of the original and it may take several molts until that limb is back to the original size.
Just watch it's molting seasone will be over soon.
I worked with a lady who had some, they dont live very long %26 yes they do shed %26 lose legs. You need to change out the shells also. did anyone tell you that? b/c they will need bigger shells. I believe she started with 5 %26 within a year and a half they were all gone. And one out lived the others by a good 4 months. Sorry.
Okay. Make sure there's plenty of moisture in the tank, and a few shells available, just in case it wants to change.
They might be fighting.
Land hermit crabs have the potential to live MUCH longer than a year and a half, if they are cared for properly and they do not contact some sort of parasite or disease. Some crabs can live up to 20 years.
hermit crabs do that and if you have more than one it may be the others shedding and moving on in the new shell. keep a close eye though and all should be fine.
Answers:
Dropping of limbs is a very bad sign.
Causes of this are the following.
Stress
over-heating
too dry
over handling
improper tank conditions
improper diet
improper substrate
aggressive tank mates
At times of stress, illness or incorrect tank conditions a crab can drop it鈥檚 limbs. You may notice a crab looking
under the weather, and then further notice a leg or pincher missing.
Many times this is due to stress or injury. It may be a
battle wound from a fight in the tank or an injury from a fall or getting stuck.
Other times it is from a tank that is too hot or you disturbed a molter.
The best thing to do is to make sure the crab鈥檚 diet is rich with calcium and protein and watch over it. Another suggestion is a salt water bath to help clean the open wound and help it heal faster.
You will need to ISO this crab and make sure the tank humidity and temperatures are within the correct range and monitored 24/7 with the use of gauges. 75%-85% relative humdity and 76-82 degrees F.
Also make sure you provide both fresha nd natural oceanic/marine salt water in large pools and both waters are de-chlorinated. Fresh fruits, veggies, meats, fish and whole grains as food, never offering the same things 2 times in a row and food available 24/7
Sand and moist coco-fiber or a mixture of the two are the approved substrates aand a solid tank lid with lights is also another must.
Also each crab must have at least 4 extra shells available in the tank at all times of the proper size, shape and type, paying attention to the opensing size and shape as well.
GEL LIMBS
When it is ready and recovered strength it may start growing a gel limb, which will continue to enlarge until it is time for the crab to molt. Then that gel limb will turn into a new working limb, just a smaller version of the original and it may take several molts until that limb is back to the original size.
Just watch it's molting seasone will be over soon.
I worked with a lady who had some, they dont live very long %26 yes they do shed %26 lose legs. You need to change out the shells also. did anyone tell you that? b/c they will need bigger shells. I believe she started with 5 %26 within a year and a half they were all gone. And one out lived the others by a good 4 months. Sorry.
Okay. Make sure there's plenty of moisture in the tank, and a few shells available, just in case it wants to change.
They might be fighting.
Land hermit crabs have the potential to live MUCH longer than a year and a half, if they are cared for properly and they do not contact some sort of parasite or disease. Some crabs can live up to 20 years.
hermit crabs do that and if you have more than one it may be the others shedding and moving on in the new shell. keep a close eye though and all should be fine.
I have snake mites, i was wondering if anybody knew of any home remedy i could use 2 rid my snakes of them?
The mites showed up about 2months ago and I have been trying to get rid of them since. The pet store told me to wipe their bodies with mouthwash on a cloth, it doesnt irritate their skin. But the mite still seem to be there and getting worse!! I am very very concerned. I have cleaned their cage multiple times, and I have taken out all extra necessities such as branches or rocks. I have left a circular and pond looking water dishes in the cage. Also a heat rock. I cleaned the cage and I have tried leaving bedding out of the cage and using newspapers like sites say to do but it doesnt work. I put new bedding in about 1 week ago after they were rinsed off, I cleaned off the watering dishes and heat rock too. I need some responses to help me rid my 1foot long ball Python and 21/2 feet long Albino Burmese Python of mites. Thank You!
Answers:
To get rid of mites, you have to break the mite life cycle. You have to get rid of not only the living mites that you can see, but also the mite eggs that you can not see.
The "official" answer is to use Provent-A-Mite(PAM ,$20 per can) and follow the directions exactly (do NOT apply this directly to your reptile). The more common answer is to use Equate Bedding Spray ($4 per can, sold at WalMart as a lice treatment.same active ingredients as PAM). Here are the steps to follow:
Remove the snake from it's cage and soak it in warm water (luke warm, not hot!). Add a drop or two of Ivory dish soap to the water. This will break the surface tension of the water and more easily drown the mites. Make sure that the water is deep enough to come up to the snakes back, but not so deep that the snake has to actually swim.
While your snake is soaking, clean the cage COMPLETELY. Remove any cage furnishings and water bowls and sanatize these items (or replace with new). The cage should look brand new when you are finished cleaning. If you are using a home made wooden cage, this will be more difficult.
After cleaning, seal any vents and you want to spray the Equate (what I use) or PAM in the cage (give it a decent fogging, hard to say how long without knowing the size of the cage). The idea is to keep the "fog" inside the cage to treat the entire cage. DO NOT SPRAY WATER BOWLS WITH INSECTICIDES.
Let the cage sit, still sealed, from an hour or two to allow all the fumes to dissipate (sp?). The fumes are what will harm the snake and you should never, ever spray these products directly on your snake.
Once the cage is completely dried and no trace of fumes remain, you can then remove your snake from it's soaking tub. Use paper towels to dry your snake. You will notice alot of dead mites on the paper towel as you wipe the snake down. Return your snake to it's cage, but do not give it a water bowl for another 24 hours. Use newspaper or paper towels as a substrate until you are sure all mites are gone.
The PAM and Equate bedding sprays both have a residual effect that will kill any mites that come into contact with a treated surface for roughly 30 days. However, since you already have a mite infestation, you need to repeat this procedure in two weeks.
If you are looking for a product that you can spray directly onto the reptile, I would recommend Reptile Relief. I use this on every new snake that I aquire as I place the animal into quarantine. While not as effective as the stronger products I outlined above, it does kill mites (works in a different way and is safe to apply directly to the snake, providing you follow the directions on the bottle).
I hope this answers your question. As a point of reference, my husband and I are professional reptile breeders and dealers. We have had to deal with mites on occasion when bringing in new animals. If you have several animals, you will need to treat every one of them as if they have mites (even if you don't see any). Mites travel.
Good Luck!
boiling them will rid them of these pests
find a mite killing fumigator . wrap the cage in plastic, fumigate according to directions. prolonged exposure should saturate %26 kill the mites. then put the snakes back..good luck..chirp1
mineral oil works like a charm and its cheap soak them in it and the oil will smother the mites an is safe for the snake makes them shine i had the same problem a few months ago
Start w/ an empty tank, disinfect with a mixture of 75% water 25% bleach. Scrub good and rinse. Scrape down walls with a razor blade to remove any eggs and larvae. Also disinfect anything going back into tank and if possible replace anything with a porous surface(anything wood or plant material) . Use newspaper to line the tank.
Snakes should be soaked in a diluted Betadine bath. If the snake persists in climbing out of the tub or is too small to put in a bathtub, place it in a plastic, lidded container into which air holes have been punched, filling it 3/4 full of the Betadine/water solution. You may wish to bathe the snake in a plain water bath first to allow it to drink first, adding the Betadine after it has done so. If the snake defecates in the water, drain the tub, clean it, and draw a fresh Betadine bath.
Whether or not the snake's head was under the water, dab the eyes and heat pits with mineral oil after removing it from the bath. Check the groove under the chin as well as under all the belly scutes and in the vent folds to make sure there are no mites, dead or alive, lodged in those areas. If you find mites in these areas, you can remove them by gently rubbing them from between the scales and folds with a cotton-tipped swab dipped in mineral oil.
Unfortunately because mites are so hard to treat you will often have to repeat the treatment about 2 weeks later
DO NOT FUMIGATE YOUR SNAKES CAGE!! Spraying poison in any pets environment is just plain stupid. Snakes absorb warmth through thier skin and will absorb poison and kill them. Personally having a pet Burm is a dumb idea for a pet anyway, no offense I used to relocate displaced reptiles and 9 out of ten of them were Burms and Retics people bought because they look cool when they are small but when they reach 20+ feet they are dangerous. And if you can't get rid of mites its apparent you are a beginner herper and shouldn't have such monstrous pets. Back to the question at hand, get some mite pads for the tank. If you have wooden cages chances are they are in the wood. If in aquarium, take them to a qualified vet to have them checked out with a fecal specimen. They may have picked up a parasite somewhere/somehow. Pet shops are not the people to ask because most employees in a pet shop are there because its thier first job and really don't know what thier talking about. My apt has pissants and to avoid them getting in the tanks, i wipe some vinegar around the outside of the glass and they don't cross the vinegar line, even though they get anywhere else. If you talk to someone in a pet shop speak with the owner or supervisor. They will be the ones who know what they are talking about. best bet still is take a fecal specimen to a qualified vet to check for parasites. Once again: DO NOT EVER USE POISON IN ANY PETS CAGE, IT WILL POISON THE PET ALSO. And you and I both know albino burms go for around 200 bucks starting. That would be a very expensive lesson learned. You can use bleach to disinfect the cage just make sure there is 1 part bleach, 10 parts water and then rinse out. We use bleach in the animal hospital I work at to disinfect everything, it is toxic straight up but not dilluted with water. I would also take a fecal sample to a vet for testing, that would be the best bet. You could have got mites from a feeder mouse and not known it. I have seen a lot of sketchy pet shops that don't take proper care of feeders because feeders are there to die anyway.
I'll second the idea that you should be very careful what kind of mite remover you apply to your snakes as it may kill them. The dish soap in water idea is a good one. The reason why you are getting a re-infestation is because the mites aren't just in the snakes' cages! They are loose in your house. Here is a simple way to clean your house and remove the mites permanantly. Go to Walmart or a grocery store and purchase a large box of Borax powder. Also purchase two large 32 oz cylinders of table salt. Now whatever rooms the snakes have been in or that their cages have been in, you must cover the floor with borax. If you have kitties or ferrets, you cannot let them in these rooms, as borax will kill them if it gets on their paws and they eat it, but to humans it is harmless. Wait 10 days, then vaccuum thoroughly and apply the salt in the same way. The salt is not harmful to anything, but it can dehydrate, so make sure your animals have pleanty of water. The borax kills the adult mites and the salt will kill the eggs and larva.
Now until you get your mites all the way gone, once you have done the borax thing, you can keep the mites from spreading by surrounding the cages with a ring of borax. That way you don't keep reinfesting, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to do all your treatments at the same time. It will make sure that you have to reapply as little as possible.
To kill the mites on our gerbils, we used mite spray for birds, and followed the instructions. I'd call your vet and see if you can use the bird mite spray because that worked very well for us.
From now on, try to wean your snakes onto eating frozen food, as dead mice/rats have dead mites.
my son's snake got mites a while back, we sterilized the cage and equipment with bleach and he wiped the snake down with rubbing alcohol, no problems since
the first thing to do is use vasoline and rub it all over their body except the eyes and nose, leave it on for 2 days and then wash it off. this smothers the mites. make sure you are not using cedar bedding as it is known to carry mites in the wood therefore passing it to your snake. clean cage, and accessories well with bleach and let air dry for 24 hours. this should help cure the problem.
use baby oil it will smoother the mites
Answers:
To get rid of mites, you have to break the mite life cycle. You have to get rid of not only the living mites that you can see, but also the mite eggs that you can not see.
The "official" answer is to use Provent-A-Mite(PAM ,$20 per can) and follow the directions exactly (do NOT apply this directly to your reptile). The more common answer is to use Equate Bedding Spray ($4 per can, sold at WalMart as a lice treatment.same active ingredients as PAM). Here are the steps to follow:
Remove the snake from it's cage and soak it in warm water (luke warm, not hot!). Add a drop or two of Ivory dish soap to the water. This will break the surface tension of the water and more easily drown the mites. Make sure that the water is deep enough to come up to the snakes back, but not so deep that the snake has to actually swim.
While your snake is soaking, clean the cage COMPLETELY. Remove any cage furnishings and water bowls and sanatize these items (or replace with new). The cage should look brand new when you are finished cleaning. If you are using a home made wooden cage, this will be more difficult.
After cleaning, seal any vents and you want to spray the Equate (what I use) or PAM in the cage (give it a decent fogging, hard to say how long without knowing the size of the cage). The idea is to keep the "fog" inside the cage to treat the entire cage. DO NOT SPRAY WATER BOWLS WITH INSECTICIDES.
Let the cage sit, still sealed, from an hour or two to allow all the fumes to dissipate (sp?). The fumes are what will harm the snake and you should never, ever spray these products directly on your snake.
Once the cage is completely dried and no trace of fumes remain, you can then remove your snake from it's soaking tub. Use paper towels to dry your snake. You will notice alot of dead mites on the paper towel as you wipe the snake down. Return your snake to it's cage, but do not give it a water bowl for another 24 hours. Use newspaper or paper towels as a substrate until you are sure all mites are gone.
The PAM and Equate bedding sprays both have a residual effect that will kill any mites that come into contact with a treated surface for roughly 30 days. However, since you already have a mite infestation, you need to repeat this procedure in two weeks.
If you are looking for a product that you can spray directly onto the reptile, I would recommend Reptile Relief. I use this on every new snake that I aquire as I place the animal into quarantine. While not as effective as the stronger products I outlined above, it does kill mites (works in a different way and is safe to apply directly to the snake, providing you follow the directions on the bottle).
I hope this answers your question. As a point of reference, my husband and I are professional reptile breeders and dealers. We have had to deal with mites on occasion when bringing in new animals. If you have several animals, you will need to treat every one of them as if they have mites (even if you don't see any). Mites travel.
Good Luck!
boiling them will rid them of these pests
find a mite killing fumigator . wrap the cage in plastic, fumigate according to directions. prolonged exposure should saturate %26 kill the mites. then put the snakes back..good luck..chirp1
mineral oil works like a charm and its cheap soak them in it and the oil will smother the mites an is safe for the snake makes them shine i had the same problem a few months ago
Start w/ an empty tank, disinfect with a mixture of 75% water 25% bleach. Scrub good and rinse. Scrape down walls with a razor blade to remove any eggs and larvae. Also disinfect anything going back into tank and if possible replace anything with a porous surface(anything wood or plant material) . Use newspaper to line the tank.
Snakes should be soaked in a diluted Betadine bath. If the snake persists in climbing out of the tub or is too small to put in a bathtub, place it in a plastic, lidded container into which air holes have been punched, filling it 3/4 full of the Betadine/water solution. You may wish to bathe the snake in a plain water bath first to allow it to drink first, adding the Betadine after it has done so. If the snake defecates in the water, drain the tub, clean it, and draw a fresh Betadine bath.
Whether or not the snake's head was under the water, dab the eyes and heat pits with mineral oil after removing it from the bath. Check the groove under the chin as well as under all the belly scutes and in the vent folds to make sure there are no mites, dead or alive, lodged in those areas. If you find mites in these areas, you can remove them by gently rubbing them from between the scales and folds with a cotton-tipped swab dipped in mineral oil.
Unfortunately because mites are so hard to treat you will often have to repeat the treatment about 2 weeks later
DO NOT FUMIGATE YOUR SNAKES CAGE!! Spraying poison in any pets environment is just plain stupid. Snakes absorb warmth through thier skin and will absorb poison and kill them. Personally having a pet Burm is a dumb idea for a pet anyway, no offense I used to relocate displaced reptiles and 9 out of ten of them were Burms and Retics people bought because they look cool when they are small but when they reach 20+ feet they are dangerous. And if you can't get rid of mites its apparent you are a beginner herper and shouldn't have such monstrous pets. Back to the question at hand, get some mite pads for the tank. If you have wooden cages chances are they are in the wood. If in aquarium, take them to a qualified vet to have them checked out with a fecal specimen. They may have picked up a parasite somewhere/somehow. Pet shops are not the people to ask because most employees in a pet shop are there because its thier first job and really don't know what thier talking about. My apt has pissants and to avoid them getting in the tanks, i wipe some vinegar around the outside of the glass and they don't cross the vinegar line, even though they get anywhere else. If you talk to someone in a pet shop speak with the owner or supervisor. They will be the ones who know what they are talking about. best bet still is take a fecal specimen to a qualified vet to check for parasites. Once again: DO NOT EVER USE POISON IN ANY PETS CAGE, IT WILL POISON THE PET ALSO. And you and I both know albino burms go for around 200 bucks starting. That would be a very expensive lesson learned. You can use bleach to disinfect the cage just make sure there is 1 part bleach, 10 parts water and then rinse out. We use bleach in the animal hospital I work at to disinfect everything, it is toxic straight up but not dilluted with water. I would also take a fecal sample to a vet for testing, that would be the best bet. You could have got mites from a feeder mouse and not known it. I have seen a lot of sketchy pet shops that don't take proper care of feeders because feeders are there to die anyway.
I'll second the idea that you should be very careful what kind of mite remover you apply to your snakes as it may kill them. The dish soap in water idea is a good one. The reason why you are getting a re-infestation is because the mites aren't just in the snakes' cages! They are loose in your house. Here is a simple way to clean your house and remove the mites permanantly. Go to Walmart or a grocery store and purchase a large box of Borax powder. Also purchase two large 32 oz cylinders of table salt. Now whatever rooms the snakes have been in or that their cages have been in, you must cover the floor with borax. If you have kitties or ferrets, you cannot let them in these rooms, as borax will kill them if it gets on their paws and they eat it, but to humans it is harmless. Wait 10 days, then vaccuum thoroughly and apply the salt in the same way. The salt is not harmful to anything, but it can dehydrate, so make sure your animals have pleanty of water. The borax kills the adult mites and the salt will kill the eggs and larva.
Now until you get your mites all the way gone, once you have done the borax thing, you can keep the mites from spreading by surrounding the cages with a ring of borax. That way you don't keep reinfesting, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to do all your treatments at the same time. It will make sure that you have to reapply as little as possible.
To kill the mites on our gerbils, we used mite spray for birds, and followed the instructions. I'd call your vet and see if you can use the bird mite spray because that worked very well for us.
From now on, try to wean your snakes onto eating frozen food, as dead mice/rats have dead mites.
my son's snake got mites a while back, we sterilized the cage and equipment with bleach and he wiped the snake down with rubbing alcohol, no problems since
the first thing to do is use vasoline and rub it all over their body except the eyes and nose, leave it on for 2 days and then wash it off. this smothers the mites. make sure you are not using cedar bedding as it is known to carry mites in the wood therefore passing it to your snake. clean cage, and accessories well with bleach and let air dry for 24 hours. this should help cure the problem.
use baby oil it will smoother the mites
I have recently lost my pet snake?
Its been almost two weeks since my pet snake escaped.I have looked everywhere..I even put flour on the floor where i think he might be.. But so far there have been no sign of him.any suggestions??
Answers:
If you have a relationship with this animal -- call it by its name. If you don't have a realtionship, perhaps it is not really a pet.
Set out trays of water. Snakes and all animals need water, It will come to the water.
Find it soon before hybernation season comes. If you don't find it, look for the place that would seems most underground - in the bottom of a close or a cabinet, between your stored sheets and towels, under coushions or pillows, etc.
Look under the sofa cushions.
That happened to me once. My snake got out from a small hole in the top of the terrarium and I couldn't find him. About a week or two later I say a very big trail of ants going inside of my door. I have one of those crappy plywood doors with some cardboard inside of them, and when I tore open a few holes, I found a dead snake curled up in a ball halfway up the door.
So I'd say search where you'd least expect.
if your snake its mice, get a mouse, and let it free in your house where you think he might be. Put the mouse in some sort of like powder, so wherever he runs it leaves a trail. wherever the trail stops, thats where he got eaten, and your sname will be around there somewhere.
set traps.let live chooks and mice run around in the house when the snake has finished eating these he/she should be big enough to see from far away and then you can catch it
Look somewhere that has a heat source. I found mine under the fridge once, and under the tub another time. I also found one of mine on top of the rat cage (outside the house, how it got there still amazes me.) But I wouldn't reccomend letting rats to inside your home. Put one in a tank instead. Almost anything that it can wrap around, and if it is wrapped around something, obviously you shouldn't pull on it.
Good luck.
well, im not really sure, those other suggestions are pretty well put and i think u should follow thoz. my brother caught this HUGE rat snake then put in a glass jar,w/ out the top on it of course) and broght it outside in his back yard and it escaped. so now its lurking around in the neighborhood..
Here is something that may work for you, as snakes gravitate toward heat sources as well as dark places. First of all, check around heat sources in your home, such as televisions, under the refrigerator, around any other appliances. If that doesn't produce a result, try this: Get a cardboard box with a lid (such as a shoe box) and cut a hole in one side near the bottom that will be large enough for your snake to enter. Place a heat mat (make sure it isn't so hot that it will burn the snake) beneath the box and set it somewhere out of the way. Do this at night. Check it in the morning, and you just may have a snake waiting for you in the box (just make sure you lift the lid slowly as to not startle it too much). I hope this helps!
Answers:
If you have a relationship with this animal -- call it by its name. If you don't have a realtionship, perhaps it is not really a pet.
Set out trays of water. Snakes and all animals need water, It will come to the water.
Find it soon before hybernation season comes. If you don't find it, look for the place that would seems most underground - in the bottom of a close or a cabinet, between your stored sheets and towels, under coushions or pillows, etc.
Look under the sofa cushions.
That happened to me once. My snake got out from a small hole in the top of the terrarium and I couldn't find him. About a week or two later I say a very big trail of ants going inside of my door. I have one of those crappy plywood doors with some cardboard inside of them, and when I tore open a few holes, I found a dead snake curled up in a ball halfway up the door.
So I'd say search where you'd least expect.
if your snake its mice, get a mouse, and let it free in your house where you think he might be. Put the mouse in some sort of like powder, so wherever he runs it leaves a trail. wherever the trail stops, thats where he got eaten, and your sname will be around there somewhere.
set traps.let live chooks and mice run around in the house when the snake has finished eating these he/she should be big enough to see from far away and then you can catch it
Look somewhere that has a heat source. I found mine under the fridge once, and under the tub another time. I also found one of mine on top of the rat cage (outside the house, how it got there still amazes me.) But I wouldn't reccomend letting rats to inside your home. Put one in a tank instead. Almost anything that it can wrap around, and if it is wrapped around something, obviously you shouldn't pull on it.
Good luck.
well, im not really sure, those other suggestions are pretty well put and i think u should follow thoz. my brother caught this HUGE rat snake then put in a glass jar,w/ out the top on it of course) and broght it outside in his back yard and it escaped. so now its lurking around in the neighborhood..
Here is something that may work for you, as snakes gravitate toward heat sources as well as dark places. First of all, check around heat sources in your home, such as televisions, under the refrigerator, around any other appliances. If that doesn't produce a result, try this: Get a cardboard box with a lid (such as a shoe box) and cut a hole in one side near the bottom that will be large enough for your snake to enter. Place a heat mat (make sure it isn't so hot that it will burn the snake) beneath the box and set it somewhere out of the way. Do this at night. Check it in the morning, and you just may have a snake waiting for you in the box (just make sure you lift the lid slowly as to not startle it too much). I hope this helps!
I have recently lost my pet snake?
What can I do its been nearly 3 weeks, I have heard movement in the walls, so i figure that if he is in the walls he'll be able to find food.and that maybe I will find him eventually
Answers:
Devote some time to find your pet snake. Try searching for any holes in the wall or any place where the snake can get into =) GOOD LUCK!
go to get the walls down, and get him out of there
omg!i say you get yo and look for that pet of yours!!A.S.A.P.!!
Dude i lost my snake for nearly a year. i was doing laundry and i saw a snake and screamed. my exhusband came over and it was my old pet snake. she was 3 feet when i lost her and now she is nearly 7 1/2 lol the snake will show up in time
I don't have the gonga answer of answers but to shed some light on your delema, My brother and I grew up with snakes ever since we we're eight years old and yes,..have lost snakes as well which brings to mind one in perticular.a five foot bull or gopher snake, (same snake,2 differant names) we knew it was in the walls and after getting into a lot of trouble by Dad (ouch!) for poking about six, fist size holes in the living room one day to drop mice tied to string like a lure, my brother and I not only found out that the snake had a madeshift door into the attic but a nice little nest up there as well! Total time of retrieval.seven months. Sugestion:: if you can hear the snake, put on about five pairs of underwear, two pairs of shorts and jeans and make a hole about a foot from the bottom and extract it. Good luck.
snakes are usually drawn towards heat. Place a electric blanket and try to make th place very dark. Place food out for it every crack in the wall and it'll smell it. It wil probably smell it and come and settle down. Put clothes and other stuff to make it content. Check every morning, afternoon every hour and you'll find it
good luck.
Try finding any holes or cracks where the snake could get in. Then either buy or make a cage that is mostly screen and place it somewhere that the snake can get to easily and the smell can be spread. Put a mouse or rat or whatever you feed your snake in the screen cage. Also place a container of water for the snake and maybe a heat pad all in the same area. Check every once in a while and you should soon have your snake.
Hi!
I hope you have already found your snake by now. If not, don't give up hope. Unless your snake has actually escaped your home and made it to the great outdoors, this little bit of advice has always worked for me:
Get yourself a bag of of good potting soil (that does not contain fertilizers or pesticides.they come in various sized bags). I prefer to purchase this nice clean, fluffy soil (snakes love it) instead of using it from my own yard, due to possible parasites like mites); You can either leave the soil in the bag and cut the top open, or, if you are worried about a little dirt spilling in your house you can always place it in a bucket or a tub and place it along a wall. Place several of them if possible, for maximum effect in shorter time. Snakes will usually travel along walls as opposed to traveling across an open expanse. The snakes smell the dirt (it smells like outside) and they will go and bury themselves it it. I have found every missing snake this way, from ball pythons and boas to kings %26 gopher snakes. It always works if they are still in your house!
As far as hiding places if you are still into searching, these are places that lost snakes have been found: Inside your closets (check inside shoes %26 bags, purses, suitcases, POCKETS, even pockets of clothing that are hanging -- don't ask me how they get up there, but they can -- even on the top shelf of a high closet; any open container type dark spaces), under sinks (bathroom %26 kitchen -- I have even heard they have been found curled up under a toilet plunger), under refrigerators for the warmth and water sources -- although if they are under the fridge when the fan motor kicks on -- it's not always good news for the snake; under and inside of stoves for heat. If you happen to be "lucky" enough to have field rodents occasionally grace your home, the snake will be looking for their nests, too. These are generally the first places to look, as hunger, or the scent of a rodent may have been a reason your snake decided to leave his enclosure. GOOD LUCK!
Answers:
Devote some time to find your pet snake. Try searching for any holes in the wall or any place where the snake can get into =) GOOD LUCK!
go to get the walls down, and get him out of there
omg!i say you get yo and look for that pet of yours!!A.S.A.P.!!
Dude i lost my snake for nearly a year. i was doing laundry and i saw a snake and screamed. my exhusband came over and it was my old pet snake. she was 3 feet when i lost her and now she is nearly 7 1/2 lol the snake will show up in time
I don't have the gonga answer of answers but to shed some light on your delema, My brother and I grew up with snakes ever since we we're eight years old and yes,..have lost snakes as well which brings to mind one in perticular.a five foot bull or gopher snake, (same snake,2 differant names) we knew it was in the walls and after getting into a lot of trouble by Dad (ouch!) for poking about six, fist size holes in the living room one day to drop mice tied to string like a lure, my brother and I not only found out that the snake had a madeshift door into the attic but a nice little nest up there as well! Total time of retrieval.seven months. Sugestion:: if you can hear the snake, put on about five pairs of underwear, two pairs of shorts and jeans and make a hole about a foot from the bottom and extract it. Good luck.
snakes are usually drawn towards heat. Place a electric blanket and try to make th place very dark. Place food out for it every crack in the wall and it'll smell it. It wil probably smell it and come and settle down. Put clothes and other stuff to make it content. Check every morning, afternoon every hour and you'll find it
good luck.
Try finding any holes or cracks where the snake could get in. Then either buy or make a cage that is mostly screen and place it somewhere that the snake can get to easily and the smell can be spread. Put a mouse or rat or whatever you feed your snake in the screen cage. Also place a container of water for the snake and maybe a heat pad all in the same area. Check every once in a while and you should soon have your snake.
Hi!
I hope you have already found your snake by now. If not, don't give up hope. Unless your snake has actually escaped your home and made it to the great outdoors, this little bit of advice has always worked for me:
Get yourself a bag of of good potting soil (that does not contain fertilizers or pesticides.they come in various sized bags). I prefer to purchase this nice clean, fluffy soil (snakes love it) instead of using it from my own yard, due to possible parasites like mites); You can either leave the soil in the bag and cut the top open, or, if you are worried about a little dirt spilling in your house you can always place it in a bucket or a tub and place it along a wall. Place several of them if possible, for maximum effect in shorter time. Snakes will usually travel along walls as opposed to traveling across an open expanse. The snakes smell the dirt (it smells like outside) and they will go and bury themselves it it. I have found every missing snake this way, from ball pythons and boas to kings %26 gopher snakes. It always works if they are still in your house!
As far as hiding places if you are still into searching, these are places that lost snakes have been found: Inside your closets (check inside shoes %26 bags, purses, suitcases, POCKETS, even pockets of clothing that are hanging -- don't ask me how they get up there, but they can -- even on the top shelf of a high closet; any open container type dark spaces), under sinks (bathroom %26 kitchen -- I have even heard they have been found curled up under a toilet plunger), under refrigerators for the warmth and water sources -- although if they are under the fridge when the fan motor kicks on -- it's not always good news for the snake; under and inside of stoves for heat. If you happen to be "lucky" enough to have field rodents occasionally grace your home, the snake will be looking for their nests, too. These are generally the first places to look, as hunger, or the scent of a rodent may have been a reason your snake decided to leave his enclosure. GOOD LUCK!
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