Recently I posted a thread suggesting I take on some snakes in ill health, partly for the purpose of getting experience with snake ailments.

As irony would have it, I noticed that one of my girls was soaking in her water bowl. I took her out to have a look at her and found a couple of mites crawling on my hands.

I immediately cleaned her and the cage, and am hoping I got to it before it spread to the other snake, but I'm assuming the worst, and have already ordered some Reptile Relief to make sure I'm ready for the next outbreak.

I'm wondering if I did something wrong, or if the snakes were likely infested from the breeder I got them from.

The breeder is one of the better breeders in Canada, but I won't post a name as it's possible the mistake was mine and not his, and no one deserves undeserved bad press.

I work at a petstore several days a week, so it's possible that I was exposed to mites there, but I always wash with soap before leaving. This doesn't prevent eggs from being transferred on my clothes, however I have seen no sign of mites at our store, though I will take a closer look when I'm next there.

I was keeping rats in the same room, but I keep the rats clean, and since have moved them to another room.

I was cleaning the water dish every two days, and I check regularily for feces, removing it the moment I spot it.

Did I screw up or should I boycott the breeder in the future?

I intend to advise the breeder of the situation, but I want some feedback from you before I do. I'm sure any decent breeder would want to know if he had mites in his stock.