How serious of a problem are mites to a snakes health?

Why not flea bombs or something like that?

Generic head lice shampoo and bedding spray, $10 for the pair at walmart.

No need to bomb, just treat and re-treat 2 more times and gone.
They aren't that hard to get rid of, you have to apply yourself to do the routine or they won't go away.

Mite-off, a fancy way to drown you mites without taking care of the problem.
Thanks Zoo-med! :rolleye2:

There is no such thing as a " just a couple of mites"

Mite infestations get our of control very quickly, and as the others have stated can make your animal very sick.

As the keeper it is your responsibility to find a way to take care of this problem. Not having a credit card is a poor excuse. There are other products at pet stores that work (if not as well as PAM) though their treatment may need to be repeated to be effective.

Treat the snake the enclosure and all surrounding area. You need to be diligent. I would switch to paper substrate until you have it under control.
Treat it again a week later even if you see no mites just to make sure no eggs have survived.
Good luck!

As long as you caught them early, and can treat the snake and his tank (This is important to kill all mite eggs) everything should be fine and your BP should become more active and regain his appetite.

So on a scale of 1-10 for a knowledgeable owner, the threat of mites are about a 2 or 3

To an un-knowledgeable owner, the threat can be an 8 or 9

Mite-Off is just fine, it isn't as effective, so don't be afraid to really hose everything down in it.
After taking your snake out of the cage, "wash" him in the Mite-Off and spray his cage extremely well. Don't "wash" your BP in water after this, as the product could miss many mites and not do it's job. After about 20 minutes of allowing the Mite-Off in the tank to dry, replace your BP.

The next day, repeat the process, but completely empty the tank and scrub it thoroughly, be sure to get all creases, as this is where most mites like to lay their eggs. "Wash" your BP in Mite-Off again. Spray the cage with Mite-Off after scrubbing, and let it sit to dry in a garage or basement (Be sure to clean EVERYTHING in the tank including dishes and hides.)
Put your BP in a temporary container that is adequate for his size, use newspaper as a substrate that he can get under and feel safe for the night.

The next day, maybe soak your BPs real cage in lightly soapy water for about a half hour (including contents of hides and dishes) then allow to dry for about an hour. Now you can set up his tank, preferably with something like coconut husk as substrate. Reapply your heat sources and allow the tank to neutralize for about an hour. Now you can lightly spray your tank with Mite-Off for a last time. Now take out your BP, spray him with Mite-Off and put him in a third container. Allow the Mite-Off to settle for about 15 minutes. Now you can "wash" your BP with water, and be sure to check for mites. If you see any, put him back in the temporary container and give him a break for a day or two. If not, you can put him back in the cage.

Be sure to wash the temporary containers used extremely thoroughly, as these may very well be the last containers holding mite eggs.

After this you should be mite free!

Mites, if left untreated or missed, can kill a snake.

I know someone who bought a pair of snakes off of craigslist, and did not pay attention, and one day, the male was dead. When picked up, he was so covered in mites, you could hardly see his belly.

They suck the blood of the snake. Eventually, it kills them.

Sorry to seem so grim, but its the truth, and I don't want to see any snake hurt or even worse.