Bugs on poop?

My ball python has been sleeping outside of his hides since yesterday. At first I didn't think anything of it as he does this time to time tucked into corners and such, but today I lifted up his cool hide to find a massive poop....And there were tiny bugs crawling all over it [emoji2961]. My stomach dropped, and I immediately took him out to check him over. No bugs. No bugs on his substrate that I can see, either. Just his poop. Could these be mites? Parasites? Or just some bugs that took advantage of the fact that I didn't find his poop right away like I usually do? I haven't thrown it away as I'm not sure if I should. Any advice on what to do forward is appreciated. Should I take his poop to get tested, or is that not worth it at this point?

Edit: Okay so I just picked up the poop and put it in a baggy and got a better look. The bugs are white.

Pics sure would be helpful... you mean like wood mites? maggots? tapeworm segments? (You say they're crawling but do they have legs???)

Yes, they have legs. I will try to get a picture. From what I'm reading they look like wood mites, which does ease my mind a bit.

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Does this work?http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/6070e5cd...409_163803.mp4

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It's amazing what a thirsty wood mite will "drink" isn't it? :D

(& no, your pic didn't work for me- but you can search pics to compare your "bugs")

It was a video, as it was a lot easier to see them that way, but here is a screenshot...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b7775590d3.jpg

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Not sure but probably wood mites -assuming you have some kind of wood or wood products in there?

Yes, I use some cypress mulch for the substrate. I will still be ordering some sort of mite spray, but at least it doesn't seem like I have to be worried about my snake.

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No, wood mites don't bother snakes- & they live with all sorts of insects in the "real world" too. (You're not talking about using mite spray on these, I hope?) I'd never spray the substrate for mites, just bake it (very low & slow oven), that should kill them off. (Ie. never risk exposing a snake to a toxic substance when a harmless choice will get the job done.) I don't use cypress but I seem to recall many others having this same issue with cypress mulch.

Oh, so Provent a Mite isn't recommended? Is that only for more aggressive mites? Good to know!

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Oh, so Provent a Mite isn't recommended? Is that only for more aggressive mites? Good to know!

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You'd ONLY use PAM (Provent a Mite) for SNAKE mites. Not something harmless like wood mites. PAM is generally safe to use as directed but you'd never use it if you can avoid it, as it can be toxic- some snakes have gotten sick or worse from it. It's not for wood mites. That's like using a rifle to kill a few gnats.

If I'm comparing to my own experiences, I'm about 99 percent certain these are just normal springtails. You'll almost always find them in moist areas where they feed on decomposing matter, fungi, dung leaf litter. Harmless little isopods or hectopods or whatever they get called nowadays. I could be wrong but they look exactly like what I see all the time. They are an essential part of an ecosystem. If you don't like them all you can do is stay on top of cleaning and watch your moisture content which I'm sure your already doing. I'll never say I'm 100 percent right but I think your fine 😃