Are these little white bugs harmful to my ball python?

Question

i have a ball python and about two months ago we used plexi-glass and aquarium sealent to close off 1/3 of her cage for water so she could have a little swimming area. There was no filter but we did use a small pump so the water wasnt stagnant. Now we've found little tiny white bugs, the size of a pin-head, in the cage and tiny string like worms in the water. we've removed the water and completely sterilized the enclosure i just want to know if either of these tiny organisms can hurt my snake?

Answer 1

possibly yes                               you should take it to the vet ASAP. i dont want your snake to die like my iguana. this is very simmular to what happend to me. Hope its fine.

Answer 2

Yes, they're possibly snake mites (tiny white ones) and some sort of parasites (worms in the water). You need to get the snake to the vet and have a fecal exam done.

In the mean time setup a new sterile tank that has nothing but paper towels as substrate a plastic hide and a water dish. In this instance go with a plastic tub to make it a lot easier on yourself.

Before you put her in the new setup make her soak for about 20 to 30 minutes in a container of water that covers her up to about 1/3 of her height. This will drown many of the mites since they can't swim. Others will climb to her back and wait there.

You could use something like provent-a-mite on her tank (NOT ON THE SNAKE), but from the sounds of what you described it is going to cause you problems all the time so I'd say not to waste your time. Just get rid of the current setup you have and start from scratch.

But you will have to treat everything around where the snake is so you might need that provent-a-mite after all. But see the vet first...

Good luck!

Answer 3

Snake mites are never white. They are dark red or black. What you are probably seeing are wood lice, which are very common. They live in the bedding feeding on wood and snake waste. They are harmless to snakes. The worms in the water dish concern me however. I'm thinking they possibly came out of your snake while going to the bathroom in the water. This would indicate it has internal parasites, which needs to be treated by a vet.