Not soaking is normal. There are some balls that will soak because:
1. mites, they will soak to get away from them
2. the water bowl is the most secure location in the cage so they hide in it
3. temperatures are so hot in the cage, they use the water to cool off
4. sometimes they just like it.

If you found mites and ticks on your snake, you should take a fecal sample to a vet immediately. Ticks are only found on wild caught animals (to my knowledge) and he may have some internal parasites.

I also recommend Prevent-A-Mite, a great product. It kills mites and their eggs. If you don't manage to kill the eggs you will have a re infestation 30 days later when they hatch and go through the cycle all over again.