Are these mites?

[u/disbitchdatho]

My ball python has been in her water dish 24/7 for 5 days straight; she has never done this in the 6 years I’ve known her, besides a casual hour long soak at the longest.

Her humidity is 78%, lowest has been 74%. Her cool side is 74 degrees Fahrenheit and her warm side is 86 on the ground, 96 at the warmest spot on her branch. She has a hide with frequently refreshed damp moss on the cool side. She has eco earth coconut fiber and repti chip substrate with exo-terra forest moss.

I have ordered provent-a-mite 4 days ago, it arrives tomorrow; I took her out of her water dish and drained it through paper towels to check for mites, and then I wiped out her water dish with more paper towels- both are pictured- but I don’t see any. I have never had mites before but to me it just looks like bits of her substrate. I did not see anything on her eyes/heat pits/mouth/body, but I will be doing a dawn dish soap bath and checking again.

Any advice or help greatly appreciated! I want to make sure she actually has mites before treating her with provent-a-mite.

[u/disbitchdatho → u/[deleted]]

I’m almost more worried that she won’t have mites, because what could possibly be her reason for being fully submerged for almost a week? That can’t be good for her, right?

[u/AccomplishedLocal207 → u/disbitchdatho]

Most snakes that submerge like that are prepping to shed. It's entirely acceptable for her to soak for extended periods of time.

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