I've only had 2 snakes with mites ever, both were new snakes many years back; one was from a pet store (I was new to snakes) & the other was shipped to me
(not seen in person prior to sale). I guess it's possible that mites could hitchhike in substrates bought in pet stores, but mostly I think people are in denial when
they claim that...you feel silly when you failed to see mites on a snake you just bought in person (hey, they're HARD to see!), or you trusted the seller more than
you should have. Snake mites are not native in the wild* (thankfully, though I wonder if snakes released in places like Florida could alter that eventually?) but there
ARE other things (pathogens & parasites) they can pick up if you put them on the ground (which I don't). If I take any snakes outdoors, they are on me.
*not in the U.S. anyway
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