Hide Box & Mite Question.

[Prince Sho]

2 Very pressing questions.. Any advice appreciated.

I purchased 2 ball pythons about 10 days ago.
One is about 3 feet long .. The other is about 2 feet.
Their past care giver was irresponsible. Their cage
was filthy and required me to throw everything out.
There was a dozen mice carcasses mixed in the mulch.
I spotted a few mites on the soggy end of their perch
branch where it was touching the damp substrate.

I quarantined the snakes. Gave them both a warm bath.
Washed out the enclosure thoroughly and replaced all
interior accessories except for the resin cast water dish,
thermometer and hygrometer (which were also scrubbed).

Anyway..

Here are my 2 questions:

1 // I've replaced their hide log with a 9"x6" cardboard
box. They seem to spend all their time (day&night) out
in the open beside their water dish. Is this normal???
I've been told that they enjoy privacy. Furthermore, prior
to the new enclosure renovations they enjoyed their time
on the opposite end of the tank on top of the heat pad
where there was good privacy behind the log & leaves.
Why are they now hanging out in the open on the other
side of the enclosure?? ALL DAY?? AND NIGHT??

2 // I've inspected them several times a day for mites.
The snakes look mite free. Could it have been another
type of moisture loving insect family I saw earlier thriving
in the log and substrate? I would be grateful for any info.

Thanks,
Sho

[disabled.101]

Why did you post this twice?

[Prince Sho]

I'm new to the forum and didn't
know where to post. Thought it was
alright to post in 'BP Husbandry' and
also in 'General Reptile' section.

I just wanted to get a prompt response.
I'm sure an admin may remove one
of the two threads if its a problem.

Any ideas about the questions?

[disabled.101]

I replied to your other thread mate

[disabled.101]

Re: Ball Python // Hide Box & Mite Question.
Hey,

First I would suggest separately housing the two snakes seeing as they are both infected with mites so its easier to get rid of the problem seperately. Also seeing as you said they were in such unsanitary conditions they may have other issues. What are you using as bedding? What are you using to measure and control the temperatures? Do the snakes appear healthy or do you think a vet check-up is needed?
Mites don't just disappear you need to treat the snakes for them with products such as Provent-a-mite.
Do they have two hide boxes? One on the cool side and one on the warm side?
Its generally ill-advised to house BP together as it is difficult to track feeding, shedding, waste etc.. Plus if one gets sick the infection can spread.

Hope this helps
p.s. Pictures will help a lot

[Prince Sho]

As soon as I make room I'll be getting a second
enclosure. The first owner said that they have always
lived together and that they have no ailments.
Although, the larger one has old scars on his spine
and belly at the thickest parts, suggesting that perhaps
he made an escape attempt and cut himself on the home
made wire mesh enclosure lid (which I'm replacing ASAP).
They only have one hide box on the warm side along with
a tree perch. I'll be making more hide spots and a really
cool rock background with the DIY idea you posted in the
'Housing Pics' thread (BTW Thanks for that).

I have Exo-Terra brand Thermometer & Hygrometer.
They look pretty cheap so I'm open to suggestions for
the best of the best. $$ no object.

Anyway..

They both look healthy. The smaller one is more
people friendly and enjoys his time out of the cage.
The larger is a bit more timid and crawls into the hide
as soon as returned to the enclosure after handling.
Although as I said earlier, he returns to the open cool
end of the tank where he spends ALL his time.

Regarding the mites. I'll be taking them both to the
vet next week for an all round check up, but I don't
see any mites anywhere. I handle them twice a day
and inspect them nose to tail and can't find any mites.
That's why I thought perhaps the mites I saw on the
soggy parts of the accessories could have been another
tiny insect; similar to the small creepy crawlys one
would find in old grout work in a bathroom.

Is that possible? Are mites under scales or are they
easy to spot in good light and a thorough inspection?

Thanks

[Prince Sho]

Oh yeah.. just to help with your advice;
I have reptile carpet substrate, a large
water dish, a cardboard hide box, and
a driftwood branch.

As I said, I'm working on building a
styrofoam core rock background, hides,
and a high platform 10 inches from the
heat lamp. I was thinking of switching
to the 'Plantation Soil' substrate from
ExoTerra. Do you think that will be
all sufficient?

I was even thinking of putting in a
mini fogger into the water basin, as
directed by one of the pet shop staff.
Any experience with those?

[tweets_4611]

To start off, it would probably be best to start with a very basic set-up, get the snakes settled and healthy, then add all the stuff you are wanting to.

To check about mites, you can put white paper towels as the substrate, and that will help you see if there are any. Yes they can hide underneth the scales, so they may have them, even if you don't see any. I would look into P.A.M (Provent-a-mite). It's known to be a good thing to get rid of mites, just be sure to use it as instructed.

For the thermometer/hygometer Acu-Rite is a good brand, and can help you keep track of both sides of the tank. They are at Wal-Mart for $12-15. What are your temps at now?

You will want to get another hide, preferably something that is snug when they are inside. Since you already said you were getting a second enclosure I won't go into that. What are they in now? A glass tank? If so how big?

Like I said, I would wait on all of the fancy stuff until after they are in their own cages, mite free, eating and deficating regularly and have been checked by the vet. Especially if they have mites, all of that extra stuff is just going to cause problems when you clean and stuff. It can be really cool, but since it's just for looks for you to enjoy, it can wait until the snakes are settled in and healthy. ^_^