Mites have gotten me paranoid. I am really concerned about adding the Cypress mulch back when the time comes. I did call Zoomed and they said that none of there mulch should have mites as during the bagging and transportation process they would have been nowhere near snakes long enough for the mites to be able to survive, mites obviously need a host to survive and after about a week they die.

So my plan has been to order 4 bags of mulch - I will never get it from a petstore anymore, the risk of mites transferring from an animal to the bag is far too high. So I order them from Amazon who get the bags directly from Zoomed. This ensures the bags are PROBABLY mite free. The plan is to then store the bags nowhere near the snake but in the house so no other nasty stuff can get in. In the winter the process can be a little easier, especially up here in NJ. I will simply leave the bags outside in the snow or below freezing temps.

But I am hoping my overall thought process will prove a good one. I know I am being over cautious, but I love that little snake Would love to hear your thoughts.