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'The Snake Mite' - Ophionyssus natricis
The Biology Bit.... Ophionyssus natricis more commonly known as the 'snake mite' was first identified but Gervais in 1944. This spherical shaped deep red or black ectoparasite is a problem within many reptile collections. With adults measuring 0.6 - 1.3 mm, they appear to the naked eye as little more than a walking speck of dust but under the microscope is a different story. Their body structure shows two dorsal plates; one oval shape, covering most of the upper body in unfed individuals, the other is dorsal to the anal plate and smaller in size. The lifec Does my snake really have mites? The mites burrow under the scales of the snake and attach themselves
using specially adapted mouth parts. Ahhh....My Snake has mites, what should I do now? There are several choices of treatment available but before you decide on that you need to get your snake in a more clinical environment. A plastic tub, such as the 'Really Useful Box', is ideal. Line this with white (so you can better see the mites) kitchen towel and do not use any decorations, only a water bowl and, if needed, a resin hide. If you have other snakes or reptiles in the same area then check those for mites, the chances are they will be infested too. Treatments.... There are several different treatments available to use, I will cover each of the ones I have tried. All the animals should then be treated at the same time using a suitable formula or medication, accompanied by daily disinfection and the snakes environment should be treated with a reptile-safe insecticide. Frontline
Frontline spray is very powerful and should be used in a well ventilated area away from your reptiles and any fish tanks/birds/other animals. It is excellent to clean the animals housing and surrounding areas, this will kill any roaming mites. Frontline Method:
Ideally the snake should be housed in a plastic tub or vivarium, some snakes are housed like this. If the snake is not going into the same housing then prepare this now, use white kitchen towel and a resin hide, do not add the water bowl at this time if you are treating the snake. If the snake is going back into the same housing 5. When there is no smell of the frontline left in the housing, this can be prepared and the snake returned. Use white kitchen towel and a resin hide. Do not return the water bowl if you are treating the snake. I personally would not recommend using frontline spray on the snake, although some people have used this effectively. DO NOT spray directly onto the snake. Spray the frontline onto a damp cloth, it is advised one pump per foot of snake, and wipe over the snake. When you return the snake back to the housing ensure that the water bowl is removed for a minimum of 12 hours. Hypoaspis Mites Hypoaspis mites are a predatory mite; they work by killing all snake mites, and their eggs. After the snake mites are gone they will die of starvation. Hypoaspis mites require a relatively high humidity to survive, they need to be placed in a 'soil' substrate and you will need to spray the environment a few times. These are good for large collections where a clinical environment is not possible. You will need to place some of the mites in each vivarium. They are a natural way to kill the mites and are good for people that do not wish to use pesticides. It does take longer than the other methods but is an effective way to treat mites if you wish to use a non chemical form. Ardap/Provent A Mite
Ardap/Provent A Mite method
2. When there is no smell of the spray left in the housing, this can be prepared and the snake returned. Use white kitchen towel and a resin hide. Do not return the water bowl for a minimum of 12 hours. We successfully use Ardap as a preventative method, see below. Treating the snake..... If you do not wish to treat the snake with chemicals there are a few methods you can use. Water:
The majority of the mites on the snake should have been drowned, repeat this every other day. Place into a temporary clinical environment and treat the snakes normal accommodation for mites. Olive Oil:
Repeat this every other day. Place into a temporary clinical environment and treat the snakes normal accommodation for mites. Prevention is better than cure....!! We began using Ardap last year as a preventative method against mites, the spray remains active for 6 weeks and is safe to use on newspaper. We use newspaper as substrate in all our accommodation and we simply treat the newspaper with ardap spray prior to placing. The newspaper is sprayed outside and left to dry for a few hours, the accommodation is then cleaned and disinfected before the treated paper is used. We find this very effective and haven't seen a mite since using this method.
© Rebecca Lindsay 4. 
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ycle takes place between 13 and 19 days with five
developmental stages, egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph and adult. In
the optimum environment, warm and humid with temperatures around 25°C,
a female mite is capable of producing dozens of eggs in her lifetime.
With the vivarium been a fantasic breeding ground and the mites being
very active, simply walking from vivarum to vivarium an infestation can
spread rapidly through an entire reptile collection.
Scales appear 'roughed-up' where
the mites have penetrated beneath the scales, so you will need to
closely inspect the animal to see. Animals that have mite infestations
may spend increased amounts of time soaking in water. A good, quick way
to check if a snake has mites is to looking closely inside the water
bowl every day, the drowned mites will lie at the bottom of the water
and can be clearly visible. Another way to check is by wiping it down
from head to tail with a piece of damp white tissue and then examining
this for the mites themselves.
Frontline spray is a broad spectrum, non-systemic, insecticide
commonly used to treat fleas, ticks and lice in dogs and cats. It is
not licensed for use in reptiles but it frequently used as an effective
mite control treatment. It is a 'prescription only medicine' and
therefore can only be purchased from your vet or with a prescription
from your vet.
I have not used provent a mite but I have successfully used Ardap,
they both work in the same way. They are used to treat the enclosure
but is not safe for use on the animal. The spray kills, on contact, any
mites and protects the enclosure for up to 6 weeks, this long enough to
defeat the life cycle. It should be used in a well ventilated area away
from any fish, invertebrates or amphibians. 