If some of the skin remains unshed, the snake should be soaked in a container half full of water at 70 to 85 degrees F for an hour or so. Then the old skin can be gently peeled off. Even cancer has been found. New specimens should be quarantined for at least two weeks, and possibly as much as three months, so that they can be checked for parasites and disease. If the owner is not equipped to treat any diseases that occur, the snake should be taken to a veterinarian who is experienced in treating reptiles.
Ticks are arthropods an eighth of an inch long or more that suck blood and carry disease.
They can be gently pulled off with forceps and dropped in a vial of alcohol. Try to avoid leaving the tick's head in the snake's skin because a minor infection results. Mites are pinhead-sized, blood sucking arthropods closely related to ticks. The common snake mite almost always arrives on a snake from a pet store or other infested location. They are seldom found on freshly caught snakes.