a vet visit for a checkup never hurts. but if you got your snakes from a breeder with a good rep. and your reptiles stills healthy and fine. I would agree with your mother. parasites in your ball pythons is rare. unless these were wild caught. or you let them crawl around in your yard a lot. highly unlikely they can get them from rodents according to dr scott stahl. some keepers who's just into this hobby will feel more at ease seeing the vet and that's fine. you found a good site, where with a little reading, you will learn a lot. good luck, don