Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been noticing that some of my ball pythons have small white critters crawling all over their heads...they are only in the damper cages, especially the small hatchling bins.

I utilize strict quarantine procedures currently, and I haven't had a "bug" problem outside of occasional fruit flies in a long time. Anyways, these guys never darken up and they are smaller than the typical snake mite. They also don't seem to want to leave the snakes head! I changed the bedding out and as long as the bedding stays dry they don't return. Once the humidity bounces up they are back. URG! What are they? How should I rid of them?

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Thanks,
Amy
My Boids

Aspen mites-- they are harmless. I get them from time to time. They come in some of the bags of aspen --not all.
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Bill Buchman

Thanks! I have been using aspen from our reptile store for years, but since my fiance stopped working there I've been buying it from Petco. That may be why the problem surfaced more recently.
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Thanks,
Amy
My Boids

the easiest way to get rid of them is to spray lice bedding spray in the bottom of the tub before you add aspen. I also use a little less aspen and it seems to do wonders. I have had a couple cases of them doing a little damage to the snake also. I have noticed they pop up when the snake spills the water so I also changed my bowls to ones that are harder to spill.
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i'm not over weight i'm under tall

I've seen them too, but don't know what they are. The ones I had were not mites and seemed to disappear after a week on their own. I keep my substrate in an outside shed and I think they came from the wood shavings. Where did you get your substrate and what kind are you using?
Chris

They look exactly like the white fungusy bug thingies that appear on my scorpion if I've been keeping his cage too damp.

Maybe try a little more ventilation?

Do you mist heavily? Is there a lot of condensation in your tubs? What bedding are you using (it looks like aspen in the pic but is that what they're living on)?

Just what it looks like to me. Drying things out helps my scorpion, and from what you described, helps the snakes too. If they don't shed too bad with the lower humidity, it might be worth it to leave the humidity low, or at least find alternate ways of raising it without getting them wet.

~jenny
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"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words."
- Anna Sewell (1820-1878)

They are wood mites. Harmless to snakes. Pain in the ass to keepers. You've got to keep your water from spilling and don't let it get 'grungy' in their. Clean urates and feces right away and you will never see them. Also you may want to add some ventilation to keep things a little drier.
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globalreptiles.ca

I will try all suggested!

As mentioned, I started using aspen bedding from Petco recently, which is about when I started to notice the problem. I don't mist the balls as the rack is quite moist as it is But, I will have to work on aiming a bit better when I fill the water bowls haha!
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Thanks,
Amy
My Boids

some BK-II will get rid of those substrate mites effectively. aspen seems to have more bug problems than stuff like cypress or sani chips.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

It would be nice to have,but 25 a can and 8 for shipping. I can remember getting this stuff for 3 dollars a can at the hardware store.. Its not that I'm to cheep to get it,Its just I can make a life times worth of this stuff for $33.00. I could see paying $18.00 shipped or something like that.. Well maybe i'm a bit of a cheepa_ _...

Van
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Forever Trust in what we are,and nothing else Matters