Happy New Year,

Thought I'd start the near New Year off with a quick summary of what's going on with my two carpets (Variegata, Cheynei) to see if anybody would offer some advice. Going to try and make it short.

I've had the Variegate for several months now, just shed, hasn't eaten in a couple months, but still healthy. New Cheynei is an adult as well, acquired from a local store as adults from returns or trades, whatever. Both are in 4x2x2 PVC, RHPs, LEDs, steady temps, small night drop, humidity steady at 65%. New guy ate once, then refused food, very healthy and large Jungle about 6.5 feet long and beefy.

Found the Jungle wrapped around his dog bowl water bowl one day, a shot glass size in comparison, and noticed the probe from the VE-300 had been slightly moved, raising the hot side to around 96*. Moved it back, everybody settled down a bit. Got this nice big tub I put in there for some water if he wanted it and boy did he ever. Got in the tub, never left. Mites didn't even occur to me until about a week later. FML. Okay, don't freak out...Got him out of the tub and up on one of his platforms, took the tub (clear gray) to the bathroom and identified about 3 bugs in there. Got on on my finger and popped/killed it. Now I am in mite mode. My other carpet who is in the EXACT setup below him, never interested in his water bowl, ZERO mites in the bowl, completely normal activity, aside from eating. Blaming that on the change in season for now.

That's the back story.

I set up two tubs in my office, now a quarantine room by default, heat tape with thermos on the bottom keeping the shallow water at a steady 82*. Both snakes in last night for an hour with just water, then added Dawn dish soap and have been bathing them completely about every hour or so. Heads have been going underwater once during each bath to ensure coverage. Took this method from Jason's Exotic and Kevin McCurley - trust those guys, the deed is done. The plan for them tomorrow after two days of soaking is to get them out, rinse and F10 the bins and use the bins they are currently in, which have ample holes drilled for ventilation, as quarantine bins for about two weeks. Holy crap this is going to be a longer post than planned, but coffee at night does that.

Completely vacuumed out the repti-bark from each cage, wiped everything down with disinfectant and 91% Isopropyl and put every single thing that the snakes every really used (VEs, RHPs, all decor, thermostats, bowls, etc.) inside of the enclosures. Taped up every single air vent, hole, sliding glass gap with painter's tape except one small release vent, and put these in my garage with half a pest strip inside each enclosure to sit for at least 9+ days. After that, they will be aired out extensively and moved to another room in the house that will be their new home.

So, HERE'S THE BIG QUESTION.

Is there anything else any of you would do in addition to this? I am looking for suggestions on any further treatments for the snakes when they are moved to bins tomorrow with only paper towels and basics for a couple weeks. Also, my job requires me to leave for 6-7 months at a time, which will leave my wife as the caretaker of these creatures. She is not a snake person, but will be feeding them and monitoring them when I'm gone. I will never use substrate again, ordered a 1,000ft roll of 50lb paper 24" that I will cut about 10 pieces of to put in the bottom of the enclosure so she only has to remove them when they do their business.

I don't know if I should put each snake in a smaller bin with a 2x2cm piece of pest strip for about an hour each 3x, 3 days apart to ensure the mite cycles are killed...I ordered some of this blue solution the Snake Discovery girl uses as a spray to use with Dawn soap just in case.

What I do want you all to know if you made it this far is that I found nothing severe as far as mite infestations go. The Variegata who just shed I noticed zero and even the Jungle didn't show anything under the chin, around the eye sockets, nothing visible by the cloaca, raised scales, nothing. So, hopefully caught this early.

Any recommendations are highly valued as I look to rid these bastards forever and ensure I never quarantine only a few days if I ever get another snake in the future. Super long post, if you read it all thank you and my apologies for the excessive writing. Happy New Year!