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My snake has small bumps on its scales. Are they ticks or parasites?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My snake had "scales" that stick up and out more then other "scales said the reptile store person and when I finally thought that they didn't look right and got the tweezers it had legs. What are they?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Strydom, DVM

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 28th, 2017

Those are ticks. I would suggest placing mineral oil over the body of the tick, as this will help to kill it, which will make removal easier. Use forceps/tweezers to remove the ticks and make sure to get the head out. If you leave any part of the tick in the skin it may cause an infection.

After removing as many ticks as possible from your snake I recommend you get this spray and use as directed to treat the environment. This will kill any remaining ticks (there may be small ones you can't see) and larvae.

http://pro-products.com/provent-a-mite/

This is going to be a long process (like months) to get all the ticks removed from the snake and environment.

Remember to keep his enclosure as clean as possible at all times.

I hope this helps. Best wishes!
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