ball python mites

Question
My ball python has a very bad infestation of mites, I have begun treatment. My question is, can this type of mite spread to my dogs and cats, as they come  into the same room constantly?

Answer
Hello Katie,

The mites can and will get on your cats and dogs. My suggestion would be to block access to the room from your pets and remove the snakes wipe them down with a mite ridding oil found at pet smart and use a 1 part bleach to 10 parts water mixture in a spray bottle and spray the entire tank down. Then rinse with soap and water. You may also want to use a disinfectant for the entire room. Pay close attention to any crevices you may find and be sure to spray into them real good. If you have any real wood decoration you should wash them with the bleach water mixture, and rinse with soap and water. Let it dry in the sun outside. You should also check over your cats and dogs as well to see if you see any mites. They may have been the ones to bring them in to begin with. If you do see some pick up a tick and flee formula from the pet store as well. This will kill any mites that may be on your other pets.

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions please feel free to contact me again. You should stop by my website and login to the ball python forum as well as check out my blog.

Thanks,
Eric Rovegno
www.ballpythonplanet.com