White Wood mites in my harlen sani-chips

Ooooo yuck! Ya, not a pleasant thing to think about :P I'm no stranger to bugs, and definitely don't mind a a spider in the house here or there. But mites creep me out for some reason...

I hope you get rid of them! Good luck :)

Thanks! The mites are still gone. I sort of retract my statement on Sani Chips at the moment but won't completely write it off. I have noticed the same mites in my planted terrarium which is bog-like and I must admit, the lighting is very good and I do take pictures of my smaller snakes under them. Did they travel on the snake back to their tub? Did they make their way across the house? Don't really know but the experience of the OP and mine indicates they think the SaniChips are tasty.

I've done a lot of research this week and would be glad to help anyone in a similar situation. I can say that while they may not harm your snake, it does sound they could pose as a nuisance to the snake if left to run out of control. As Ball Python owners, I'm sure we can appreciate one less stressor for such picky eaters.

When faced with infested bedding I prefer to freeze it instead of baking. The idea of putting wood chips or shredded aspen into an oven raises alarms.

If you're from the south i think they're called spring tails, which are completely harmless, just kind of a nuisance

friend of mine who has perfect husbandry and 100+ snakes gets them from time to time. they come in his aspen bedding. like i said they're harmless, but just annoying lol

not only are they harmless, they can also help in reducing smell and cleaning up reptile feces and rotting substrate.

for vivariums for frogs, people even buy them and intentionally put them in because they are considered little helpers. they eat stuff that is about to rot or already rotting and help to reduce and to a degree disinfect it, they eat bacteria and fungus.

so you can reduce them by freezing, drying or heating the substrate, but you might as well just ignore them.

no need to throw out or change the substrate. if anything, they will only be an optical / cosmetic problem.

personally i would leave them alone and hope they do a decent job at reducing bacteria, fungus and smell. but it comes down to personal preference.