Mites from Feeders?

[mep4000]

Hi guys.....I must ask a simple question......Can ball pythons get mites from feeder rats? Some of my BP have mites and the only way I think they could have gotten them is from the feeders I buy. There are no new animals in my collection and the last new ones I got...I quarantined. I have seen mites on 2-3 separate occasions on my feeders....the person I bought them from said that BPs can't get mites from feeders......So what is the truth? I have emptied and cleaned their bins and sprayed the new bedding with Provent-a-Mite. Hopefully, this will kill the little suckers!

[MarkS]

Mites are mostly species specific, the mites that feed on rodents do not feed on snakes. Having said that though, it IS possible to bring home snake mites from the pet store that are on your feeders, but it's just as likely that the mites are hitching a ride on the box or the paper bag that you are carrying the feeders home in. In fact since snake mites like to cram themselves into tight little spaces, the folds of the paper bag are probably more likely.