In my opinion, mites can hitch a ride on rats or mice in the right situation. Early in my snake keeping years, I had a snake burst into full blown mite infestation after well over a year in my possession. The snake had been to the reptile specialty vet twice with no signs of mites(when I first started, I took all my reptiles to the vet once a year). One night, I noticed it rustling around in its cage and it was covered in mites. The snake went from zero mites to an explosion of mites with in a couple of days. From what I put together, the mites must have come from the live feeders that I had been giving the snake. I later learned that the pet store that I was purchasing mice from would return uneaten feeders into the holding tanks where they would be sold. IMO, for short periods of time, snake specific mites can hitch a ride on prey items. I know that they do not feed the mice but they crawl around seeking a food source. The pet store that I was purchasing mice from also has had several significant mite outbreaks. They did not practice a quarantine procedures and would often order snakes from the cheapest suppliers...although I did not purchase snakes from the pet store, I would often inform the staff of the mite issues. Anyway, I believe, the mice that I received had only a few (or maybe just one) mites on it. Eggs were laid and soon hatched and the mites were swarming the cage. A few rounds of prevent-a-mite, soaking the snake and bleaching the cage and I they were gone. But this is one possibility how mite infestations can spring out of no where.

W. Smith

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