Help please! Thinking of purchasing a Mexican Black King that might have mites?

Kateri7 · 05-21-19, 06:52 PM

Hi there! i am thinking of purchasing a mexican Black King at a great price on craigslist. The only thing is the owner said the snake has a few gray dots or scales and hes not sure if theyre mites or not. He said the snake has been acting normal so he didnt think it was and the snake might just need a betadine soak. There was also some scale seperation on the snakes belly and he put some neosporin onit and got decently better. Any advice would be great! Thanks!

**EL Ziggy** · 05-22-19, 09:39 AM

I don't know if it's mites but I wouldn't buy any animal that I thought had mites or any other health issues. There's plenty of healthy animals from reputable breeders to choose from.

craigafrechette · 05-22-19, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

I don't know if it's mites but I wouldn't buy any animal that I thought had mites or any other health issues. There's plenty of healthy animals from reputable breeders to choose from.

I agree 100%

The price might be nice now, but if you have to deal with mites it's probably not worth it.
Especially if you have other snakes at home already.

Granted all new snakes should be quarantined, it's not worth bringing mites into the house.

There are plenty of reputable breeders you can purchase healthy animals from.

Though after looking at the pics, I don't think those are mites. MBKs can have some speckling and that's what that looks like to me.

I would ask the seller to show you a video of him wiping the snake with a white paper towel, since the snake is black it's tough to see mites, but they'll show up on a white surface . And ask if any of the spots are moving. Speckling won't move, mites will. You can also ask if the snake has been soaking in it's water dish and check the water for mites

Kateri7 · 05-22-19, 06:56 PM

Yeah I totally agree, but the only reason I'm considering is because the owner was so upfront about everything about the snake. But I'm def still talking to the owner about it.

MDT · 05-22-19, 07:10 PM

Kateri7, sounds like you're trying to talk yourself into getting the snake. Ziggy and Craig are right. Do yourself a huge favor and pass on this one. No matter how upfront the owner is. Way too many other deals out there with healthy animals.

**Andy_G** · 05-23-19, 08:06 AM

It's good that the seller is being upfront about everything...but I must echo what others said. I wouldn't be comfortable buying from someone who quite literally has no idea what is going on with the animal they are selling. Proceed with caution.

craigafrechette · 05-23-19, 09:44 AM

Also, if the seller is concerned about mites, you never know what may be going on internally. Snakes are very good at hiding illness.

WolfMum13 · 05-23-19, 11:09 AM

The scale issue is from him pulling off a stuck shed, and he damaged the scales underneath. Mites are usually black sometimes red. They would be hard to see on a MBK. The “dots” in the picture look like dust from the aspen bedding, I used to use that bedding. If you really want the snake, my advice go check it out in person. Take a paper towel and run it down the body of the snake, if it has kites you will see it against the white paper towel, even your hands. Inspect the snake, it’s behavior, it’s mouth, its “nostriles” for any bubbling or discharge. If it all looks good your fine. The scale bit is not really an issue, just a mistake, don’t pull sheds off!