I can't comment on proventamite as I have never used it, but in all of my years I have never caught a wc snake with snake mites so hopefully it's just dirt. Usually snake mites are contracted from other collections or reptile shops or shows. I have found snakes with ticks on them and even a few with small leaches in their mouth, but never any with snake mites. Now internal parasites is a different story. I do agree with Steve that the animal should be quarantined and monitored closely though to make sure it's not mites. I have treated mites in the past and they are a pain in the neck, but with proper treatment can be eliminated. I do daily soaks and get as many visible mites off the snake as possible and cage change every day with paper towels as the substrate. What i'm about to say is how I treat my arrivals that have visible snake mites, but I am not in anyway recommending this to anyone just giving my opinion on how I treat mine. I use a hotshot no pest strip in a well ventilated cage twice a day for 15-20 minutes and have never had any problems with this method. I know people have had bad reactions with no pest strips too, but most of them left the no pest strips in too long or didn't have enough ventilation. Bottom line is toxic chemicals are dangerous to anyone and should be used with caution as a last resort. I have also used mineral oil on eyes and infested cavities to smother them out. I hope a breeder gets this snake and can reproduce it! I feel in my heart that the pied eastern a few years back was indeed a recessive trait. I just wonder if it ever produced babies or if it died and the owner did something shady to recoup the money they lost. I guess we will never know!