As far as mites and ticks, you should never have to worry about that if you go with a reputable breeder and then don't at some point bring mites home from a pet store or nasty snake show. We've got 21 snakes in the house and I've yet *knock wood* to even see a mite let alone have to deal with an outbreak.
*knocks on wood for you* I know rodents and snakes are two completely different types of animals, but in guinea pigs, I know that they truely always have mites, but they become active when the guinea pig becomes stressed. I wasn't sure if it was the same for snakes. Still, I'd probably take precautions. Better safe than sorry, right?

Quick question - Has any body here heard about the "Forest Floor" substrate? I saw that at the store but it didn't say what it was made of. I know I can't get anything with cedar or pine in it, but that didn't say at all, and I don't want to buy anything that I'm not sure of. Just curious if anyone here uses it, or if you know of anyone that does and, of course, if it's okay to use.