the only red i see, is in the last photo of the gular (neck) area, red hues in this area and in the armpits is a common coloration, red spots (flecks) on the other hand could be a warning flag of something, but imo his behavior is probably a more important indicator.
hes a great looking boy and i would like to see him stay that way. he is looking a little heavy, which imo, is not good for overall health or longevity, that being said it might be prudent to try leaning him up a little.
imo, doesnt really matter what you use to clean for mites. there is no safe cleaner that prevents mites. mites can literally explode overnite, so the only answer is to correct the conditions that attract them. excessive feeder debris, shed skin, feces, substrate, dead leaves, loose free roaming feeders, potted plants that have not had soil-less, soil replacement, having feeder bins (especially grain based mealworm bins) fruitfly stations, or other noncham reptiles like constrictors, pythons etc, all encourage mites.
whether mites are a problem or not depends on the infestation levels and the specific kind of mites, generally speaking red mites would be the most concerning.
empty cages are easily santized by spraying them with a 15-20% bleach/water solution and let sit for about 20 min and rinse well. bleach is usda approved for use with food contact surfaces, sanitizes well and is made from salt water and reverts back to saltwater shortly after being oxidized, so imo, safer than most other commercial mite cleaners.
its important to understand the dynamics of mite propagation if you are to get rid of them. if your cage or animal is laden with mites then it is a reasonable assumption that there is also a substantial resident population of mites outside the cage but in the cage vicinity. in order to get rid of them , you first need to figure out why they are there and correct those conditions and sanitize the overall immediate area, or else they will just be back in a matter of days. since mites are smaller than a grain of sand, just wiping down the cage will not be sufficient. imo assuming you have a mite infestation the entire cage needs to be emptied, sprayed, and nothing placed back in it until it has been sanitized or replaced, especially a potted plant.
most common reptile mites can be seen with the naked eye, so not much magnification is required, but imo, a nice large lighted magnifying glass is a great tool for determining mite populations and helping to manage them.
i dont recommend the pest strip method mentioned in this article, but it is a very informative article never the less.
http://www.anapsid.org/mites.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/snake-mites-a-reptile-keeper-s-nightmare
http://www.cornsnake.co.uk/snake-mites.php
http://ezinearticles.com/?Dealing-With-Reptile-Mites&id=2127989
http://www.vareptilerescue.org/mites.html jmo
