[Cazador]

There are a lot of times when you have to weigh the benefits of one action against the negativity of another action. To me, the presence of mite have priority over the possibility of agitating a sensitive snake.

You dampen a white paper towel and either wipe the snake's head a few times really well , or hold the moist paper towel around the snake (in a circle) and allow the snake to crawl through it. There should be more mites on the head, and near the vent/cloaca. Ideally, you could wipe the snake's entire body a couple of times, but I understand your situation. Then look on the paper towel for small, black mites crawling around.