Help! New to reptiles, and not sure if my BP has mites!

So I just signed up because I'm panicking a little. I got my first reptile, a BP on the 9th. I have been dreaming of owning one for so many years, and finally got one. My ball python is a spinner blast morph and I got him from a local shop/breeder.

He is a juvenile- not sure how old- he's a probably about 20 inches long. His body is bright yellow with brown markings, and his belly is white.

I didn't think of it sooner but I just checked over his body and belly, and I noticed these tiny black flecks.. I couldn't get a good photo as he was very active and didn't like me looking at his belly. They're little tiny pin point sized blackish brown flecks on his belly. I couldn't get a better photo than these..

can anyone tell me if they are mites? and if they are, how I should go about getting rid of them?

Also, tomorrow I am bringing him into the shop I got him from, and am going to ask the breeder..

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F1089piu.jpg https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F2qx5pfn.jpg https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F2n0r694.jpg

It's hard to tell from these pictures, but in my experience with mites they will sometimes crawl onto your hand if the snake you're holding has them. When I got my pastel she had them, and it was hard to tell because of her pattern. As far as getting rid of them, a lot of people talk about provent a mite, but the mite spray you can find at chain pet stores works as well. I used the natural chemistry spray I bought at my local chain pet store, and it got rid of the mites just fine. I would also recommend switching your bedding to paper towel while you're treating for mites, as it makes it easier to spot them.

Could be mites, could be freckles. The easiest way to tell is to mist a white paper towel with some water and wipe your snake with it. If it has mites a few will show up and move around on the paper towel.

UPDATE!

I took my BP in to be seen and we discovered a few more little dark spots, and some of them are freckles, and we came across a few small, minor patches of burned scales. It appears that he burned himself on the under-tank heater, and moved away, so it started healing and isn't inflamed or anything. It's not a serious burn, but I've since taken steps to prevent it from happening again. Added several inches of bedding so he's not so close to the glass floor [thankfully he doesn't seem like he likes to burrow at all], I also lined the bottom glass floor with a couple layers of paper towel to provide a bit of a barrier, along with the about 3.5 inches of bedding.

I'm also looking into ordering a thermostat for the heat mat. Because even I touched that glass with my bare hand and it was definitely hot! I feel terrible, my poor baby. But I'm taking the steps to correct my mistakes. Hopefully with a good shed his scales will be back to normal!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WillowDay93

UPDATE!

I took my BP in to be seen and we discovered a few more little dark spots, and some of them are freckles, and we came across a few small, minor patches of burned scales. It appears that he burned himself on the under-tank heater, and moved away, so it started healing and isn't inflamed or anything. It's not a serious burn, but I've since taken steps to prevent it from happening again. Added several inches of bedding so he's not so close to the glass floor [thankfully he doesn't seem like he likes to burrow at all], I also lined the bottom glass floor with a couple layers of paper towel to provide a bit of a barrier, along with the about 3.5 inches of bedding.

I'm also looking into ordering a thermostat for the heat mat. Because even I touched that glass with my bare hand and it was definitely hot! I feel terrible, my poor baby. But I'm taking the steps to correct my mistakes. Hopefully with a good shed his scales will be back to normal!

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I don't know if you've seen this already, but definitely read through this caresheet carefully. And correct anything you are missing or that isn't spot on. I'd get a digital temp gun from amazon also, that will tell you accurate temperatures.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...s%29-Caresheet

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WillowDay93

UPDATE!

I took my BP in to be seen and we discovered a few more little dark spots, and some of them are freckles, and we came across a few small, minor patches of burned scales. It appears that he burned himself on the under-tank heater, and moved away, so it started healing and isn't inflamed or anything. It's not a serious burn, but I've since taken steps to prevent it from happening again. Added several inches of bedding so he's not so close to the glass floor [thankfully he doesn't seem like he likes to burrow at all], I also lined the bottom glass floor with a couple layers of paper towel to provide a bit of a barrier, along with the about 3.5 inches of bedding.

I'm also looking into ordering a thermostat for the heat mat. Because even I touched that glass with my bare hand and it was definitely hot! I feel terrible, my poor baby. But I'm taking the steps to correct my mistakes. Hopefully with a good shed his scales will be back to normal!

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I would unplug the UTH until you have your thermostat. Your snake will be fine for a few days without it, but if you leave it plugged in your risking further burns or worse.

Ball pythons are burrowing snakes. By adding more substrate you're insulating it, which will allow the heat to build up more and cause a worse burn when your snake burrows under the substrate and lies on the glass over the UTH. Unplug the UTH until the thermostat arrives.