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51585
Boy was I wrong. All this time I thought mites were bad. Sure glad I ran into such a knowledgeable person today who was able set me straight.
I stopped at an ATM at lunchtime which happens to be in a shopping center next to a petstore. I won't mention the name of the store but it's "where the pets go". Anyway, I decided to go in to see what they had. Not much at all. They did have a reasonably small blood python in one tank. No water bowls, no hide box, and no light. Probably didn't have it heated either. The thing was on some astroturf. Talk about a mite infestation. You could see them crawling all over the poor things head. I counted 9 and I'm sure there were more. I never saw so many or so easily for that matter. After a few minutes of looking at the snake, one of the stores extremely knowledgeable salespeople came over and asked if he could help me. I said I was just looking but informed him that the snake had mites. "Mice!" No.....mites. See the little bugs (OK, arachnids) crawling on it.
Well, he proceded to tell me how they were beneficial. You see, mites help the snakes shed. Without them, the snake has trouble shedding. That is why people who try to sterlize their snakes end up with a snake that has trouble shedding correctly. The mites eat pertions of the dead skin allowing the snake to get it off easier. Well, I'l be. I never knew that. Since I had a bonefied herpetologist here, I figured I would ask some other questions. Why don't you have a water bowl in the tank? Simple answer. Snakes don't drink. They get all the water they need from what they eat. Looks like it's time to get rid of the bowls. All the snakes do is sit in them and spill the water anyway. If it's not needed, might as well get rid of it.
Well, after he educated me on proper husbandry techniques, I left. My lunchbreak was ending and I still hadn't stopped to eat yet.
Some people are just amazing. I wonder if all the help in that store is as knowledgeable as he is?
[addsig]
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