Hello everyone! I have had a ball python before, however, due to moving homes I had to give him to a good home a few years ago. This year, however, I met my significant other and we got a house together and have been very excited to welcome home Koda! We absolutely adore him and he's such a brave little guy. He's very curious and explorative. It only took a week of settling in and then pretty quickly he was used to us which is very exciting.
I do have a few questions, however. We've had him for about a month and just this week I picked him up and found a white bug!I've never seen snake mites, and it was only one crawling on him and I got super worried. We went through his entire tank but couldn't find another or any other kind of bug. I did notice, however, that his log hide had some kind of red goo coming out of it. Someone mentioned that the bug I found could have been a wood mite (unsure if the goo on the log is related). The red goo was like dried goo or even sap in consistency. Just in case I removed the log and gave him a new plastic hide which he likes way more anyway (hasn't come out of it since). And I deep cleaned his tank. Should I be worried? I heard baby snake mites are white, however, someone at the pet store in town told me I wouldn't be able to see them like I did. They did recommend a deep clean just to be safe and I do have some mite medicine on hand in case I notice any more. I also checked his scale which all seem fine and he's eating fine as well.
My next question is about substrate. I don't feed Koda in his tank, I feed him in a separate feeding tub because that is what he is used too and he eats just fine doing so. I also use Eco Earth Coconut fiber as a substrate which I don't want him to accidentally swallow as I've heard they can't digest it or it can get stuck. Should I be concerned about using this substrate even though I feed him in a separate tub? I like this substrate because the moisture it holds. I live in a desert state and even I have trouble with the lack of humidity. I have to put a humidifier in both my main rooms to keep myself from having a dry throat and stuff so I know he must feel the lack of moisture in the air. The Eco Earth really keeps his humidity in a good spot, but I don't want him to get hurt from it. Will he be okay with this substrate? I've been looking at reptisoil and I see some people mix it with top soil and play sand (?) but I'm not sure if it will hold the moisture as well.
Thank you all for your help, I really appreciate it! A picture of my boy is attached!
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