Help! Do I have mites?

[Lefitte]

So I was handling my Cal King, Eir, tonight and I found a strange mark on her scales? Some kind of damage? She has always had perfect scales, sheds, health. Of course after noticing that I looked closer and found a darkish spot on her scale. I cant tell if its a mite under the scale or if Im being paranoid. I didnt noticed the scale being raised or messed up at all. I checked her face and cloaca and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Her stomach is harder to check but I did a little bit, she doesnt like being turned and its hard to shine light on her belly. I checked her water and nothing. She's been using her humid hide which has been dry for days (paper towels) and I found nothing there. Her humidity has been a little highbwith her new cage (60% when I prefer 40-50% for her). I just bought new bedding, hides, and branch. I did not clean the grapevine thoroughly (didnt think about it).

What's up with her scales and should I be worried about mites? I didnt notice that scaley opening last night when I handled her for a long time. Help?

[Aaron_S]

Those pics suck to give any good help.

It doesn't look like anything from those pics.

As for mites, most likely not. Take a paper towel and have the snake slither through it as you hold it. Hold it tight but not too tight as to restrict the snake. Once the snake goes through it you should see if there's a bunch of little black dots that move on the paper towel.

If you use dirt as a substrate this will be tougher.

[smoothie4l]

Mites will be super easy to see under the white belly scales of your snake. If you are worried just keep it on paper towels and check for moving dots.
I don't see anything in the photos that's out of the ordinary.
When I bought my ball python he had mites so bad I could see the bugs crawling on my hands when I held him. so long story short, you'll know for sure when your snake has mites.

[Aaron_S]

Mites will be super easy to see under the white belly scales of your snake. If you are worried just keep it on paper towels and check for moving dots.
I don't see anything in the photos that's out of the ordinary.
When I bought my ball python he had mites so bad I could see the bugs crawling on my hands when I held him. so long story short, you'll know for sure when your snake has mites.

I just noticed you have GOATS?! What kind?! Damn I'm jealous.

I really want fainting goats.

[smoothie4l]

I just noticed you have GOATS?! What kind?! Damn I'm jealous.

I really want fainting goats.

Ahahahah!! Thanks for noticing!
My family was looking into fainting goats but we found that they were to expensive as they need purebreed papers and all that jazz.
We have Nigerian dwarf goats, 2 fixed males. They are a couple months apart and the one just stopped bottle feeding.
The names are Frankie and Barley :D

[Minkness]

Goats are totally awesome and on my wishlist for my future petting zoo =D

[Aaron_S]

Ahahahah!! Thanks for noticing!
My family was looking into fainting goats but we found that they were to expensive as they need purebreed papers and all that jazz.
We have Nigerian dwarf goats, 2 fixed males. They are a couple months apart and the one just stopped bottle feeding.
The names are Frankie and Barley :D

Bad. ***.

I want some goats :(

My 7 year old daughter thinks I'm weird.

[millertime89]

Goats are hilarious. Aaron, you need goats.

[Aaron_S]

Goats are hilarious. Aaron, you need goats.

**** yeah I do!

[Lefitte]

I'll try the paper towel trick and get a better look at her stomach. A friend said that mites dont usually go under dorsal scales so I think I might be okay there but I still dont like that break in her scales. I know the pictures are hard to tell from but it was 4am and I was trying to handle, turn in the right light, keep b the shadow of my phone out of it, and keep her from falling because she doesnt grip enough to mot fall. She was being extra rattle snake tail with me too. I spend a lot of time admiring her patterns and scales so to see something like that break, it had me a little paranoid and then I found that black spot. It could absolutely be coloring. Luckily, Im expecting a shed any day now.

[Lefitte]

Okay, looks like I was just paranoid. The broken scales are gone today. No sign of them. And the black dot looks like coloring. I checked her chin, stomach, and cloaca and they all looked fine with no sign of black spots. I dont think I would have jumped to the idea of the dark marking being mites if the rest of her scales were fine. And I think the site made poor pictures even worse when I uploaded. I'll keep an eye on it but stop worrying. Thanks guys. I'm expecting a new arrival in a couple months and the last thing I would want to do is bring a new snake into a mite infested situation.

[jossh27]

Bad. ***.

I want some goats :(

My 7 year old daughter thinks I'm weird.

Goats really are cool "pets" temperamental effers haha someone hadn't at my parents house for a while and it would ram you from behind of you weren't watching

[Aaron_S]

Okay, looks like I was just paranoid. The broken scales are gone today. No sign of them. And the black dot looks like coloring. I checked her chin, stomach, and cloaca and they all looked fine with no sign of black spots. I dont think I would have jumped to the idea of the dark marking being mites if the rest of her scales were fine. And I think the site made poor pictures even worse when I uploaded. I'll keep an eye on it but stop worrying. Thanks guys. I'm expecting a new arrival in a couple months and the last thing I would want to do is bring a new snake into a mite infested situation.

I'm glad to hear it's a non-issue. *thumbs up*

[Albert Clark]

Okay, looks like I was just paranoid. The broken scales are gone today. No sign of them. And the black dot looks like coloring. I checked her chin, stomach, and cloaca and they all looked fine with no sign of black spots. I dont think I would have jumped to the idea of the dark marking being mites if the rest of her scales were fine. And I think the site made poor pictures even worse when I uploaded. I'll keep an eye on it but stop worrying. Thanks guys. I'm expecting a new arrival in a couple months and the last thing I would want to do is bring a new snake into a mite infested situation.

Just be sure the snake you are getting doesn't bring mites into your collection as well. Glad to see the Cal. king is ok. QUARANTINE any new arrivals to be sure. :)

[AlexCrazy]

Bad. ***.

I want some goats :(

My 7 year old daughter thinks I'm weird.
How many pets do you have for your daughter to say that?! Ha ha i would of loved a thousand criters at home.. jajajajaja

[Lefitte]

The new arrival is coming from a good friend of mine and will be in a separate room :)
Thanks for the help.