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

[WillowDay93]

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..

[Meerna]

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.

[bcr229]

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.

[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!

[redshepherd]

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!

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

[Craiga 01453]

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!

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.

[bcr229]

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.