Cypress

[Sunny1]

Question: can wood mites be harmful to the snake at all? (And for future reference, what do they look like?)

Obviously it would be better to have backed (microwaved?) mulch, but I assume many people put it in the enclosure straight out of the bag, too.

From what I have read in other threads, I don't believe that wood mites can harm a BP, they are more of an annoyance and kinda gross running around in your enclosure. But maybe someone else can expand more upon this. And what I have read also they are more white colored (as opposed to being black like the ones that parasitize a BP).

I normally buy the reptile type cypress mulch, but have heard others buy their mulch from garden centers. I have not looked very hard, but all the cypress mulch that is sold near me (that I have taken the time to read the bag to) are all cypress blends but never specifically say what the "blend" is, so I don't use those. But I would definitely bake any mulch that you use from a garden center. If you bake it at 350* for about 30 min you should be good, I bake any wood pieces I use in my bird cages at that temp and time and have not had any problems with unwanted critters or anything growing on it. The store bought reptile type that I use I normally make sure that the bag itself is not torn or has any holes in it before I buy it and usually I just use it straight out of the bag and have not had any problems.

And as far as microwaving, I am not sure that it would work. I would just go with the oven method.