So back in early june I "rescued" a indo BTS that was rather small maybe 7-8inches that wasn't eating and was in all around horrible living conditions from a friend, every thing had been going great he was growing and becoming use to me handling him every other day or so but about a week ago I noticed he wasn't eating like he usually does was out of his hide alot more rubbing up against any thing he could to itch him self so I looked at him and found a million little bugs that I figured were mites. My question is do you think he had these all along then they finally exploded or did they hitch a ride from petsmart on the log I got him a few weeks back then just hatched?
Also I wasn't 100% sure on how to treat this since I have never had to deal with mites with my old beardie so I just soaked him 5-6 times while gently trying to pour water / rub them off him until I didnt see any more coming off into the water then dried him off and sprayed him with some thing called reptile relief i think it was then worked it around with my fingers on him and also cleaned / tossed every thing he had in his old cage and started with new substrate then just boiled his hide / water/food dish. Taking him to the vet right now is pretty out of the question since i'm pretty much broke but I was wondering if there was any thing else I should / could do or if I should just soak / spray him again in a week or so and change the substrate out again and hope that gets rid of them.
also sorry for my horrible spelling and jumbled paragraphs i'm just running late for a party and had a few before writing this but figured id post it now so I can see what you think tomorrow and hopefully have some sort of a plan of action heh.
Ugh...mites help please
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In this forum all are welcome to ask blue tongue skink-related questions, share information, ideas, tips, experiences, and pictures with fellow BTS enthusiasts.
If you are wondering if your BTS is acting normally or might be sick, this is where you can get help with that.
This is also where you can have some FUN while sharing the enjoyment you get from your blueys!
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jakeS
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Katrina
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Do a search on mites - they is lots of great advice already posted: http://bluetongueskinks.net/forum/search.php
Good luck getting rid of them! I don't have any experience with them, so I can't comment other than to offer my sympathy.
Good luck getting rid of them! I don't have any experience with them, so I can't comment other than to offer my sympathy.
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Scooter_in_Kindergarten
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Katrina
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Scooter_in_Kindergarten wrote:Is there a high chance that the logs and rocks you buy from pets mart would have mites one them?? I'm just curious.
Not a high chance, but there is a chance. Some people have gotten them from this kind of stuff, so as a precautionary measure people will freeze / bake substrate or hides before using. It is a small chance but it is a huge PITA if it happens to you.
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James Wilson
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From my unpublished Book: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History and Captive Husbandry of the Blue-tongued Skinks in the Genus Tiliqua
Mites
Snake mites (Ophionyssus natricis) have to be one of the most common problems that reptile keepers experience today. These tiny blood-sucking bead-like creatures can be seen crawling around on infested skinks. They also leave very small, white, dust-like droppings on the back of their victims. Mites are very contagious, and the best cure is prevention through proper quarantine procedures. If you have a mite free collection, you will want to avoid mites as if they were the plague. If you take short cuts with the quarantine procedure, when acquiring new animals, you will eventually get burned. Consider yourself warned. There are three things to remember that will make the eradication process easier.
1. You must also assume that the enclosure, along with all of its accessories, is infected, and treat it as such.
2. Consider the fact that mites spread easily, and that you may need to treat all of the reptiles in your collection at once in order to successfully rid yourself of these relentless pests.
3. During the process you will need to be compulsively clean, diligent, and persistent (one treatment will not do the job). You must assume that eggs have been laid in the enclosure (eggs take about 9 days to hatch, and are resistant to most methods of treatment).
There are a number of treatments for mites on the market today, and I have found that a combination of treatments is more effective against these tiny little ectoparasites than any one treatment alone. At the first sign of mites, the skink should be washed and soaked for at least one hour, after which the skink should be dried with a paper towel. When finished the towel should be disposed of (preferably burned or flushed). The skink can also be wiped down with a cloth that has been dampened with a Pyrethrin-based flea spray, or one of the newer reptile mite spray products. Care should be taken to not get the chemical into the skinks eyes, nostrils, or mouth. The skink will need to be thoroughly rewashed in 15 minutes after the application. If you choose not to use the spray, a very light coat of vegetable oil can be applied to the skink, taking care to keep the oil out of the eyes and nostrils. The oil will get on the remaining mites and smother them. The treated skink should be placed in a new treatment enclosure (a 20-gallon tank or rubber maid container will do). The new cage should be lined with newspaper, and it should be replaced on a daily basis. Aside from a water bowl, no other cage furnishings will be necessary. Some people also use Seven Dust, or Hartz 2 in 1 Flea and Tick Powder for Cats. These products can be lightly dusted over the skink, and sprinkled on the newspaper of the treatment tank. After 12 hours the skink can be washed thoroughly, and the dusted newspaper replaced with fresh newspaper. The water bowl must be removed during the exposure to these powders. Whichever method you use, you must remember to repeat it every week for 2-3 weeks, with occasional fresh water soaks in-between treatments being very beneficial to the eradication process.
While the skink is being treated, the skink's enclosure should be washed thoroughly, using a bleach water solution (1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water) and sterilized inside and out. Mite or flee spray can be applied to corners, seams, cracks, and edges in the cage. The hide log should be cleaned and treated in the same fashion as the cage. The water bowl should also be washed in a mild bleach water solution followed by another washing in soap and water. A No Pest Strip or other similar product containing 2/2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate should be placed in the cage along with the hide log, after which the cage should be completely sealed. Leave the cage with the pest strip in it for the next 2-3 weeks while the fumes kill any remaining mites or mites that may hatch from eggs that were laid in the cage (Most products kill only the mites, not the eggs). During this period you may want to wipe down the outside of the cage with a mite spray on a weekly basis to eliminate any mites that may have hatched from eggs that may have been laid on the outside of the cage. It is only after the successful separate treatment of both the skink and the enclosure that the two can be reunited as they were before the infestation.
Mites
Snake mites (Ophionyssus natricis) have to be one of the most common problems that reptile keepers experience today. These tiny blood-sucking bead-like creatures can be seen crawling around on infested skinks. They also leave very small, white, dust-like droppings on the back of their victims. Mites are very contagious, and the best cure is prevention through proper quarantine procedures. If you have a mite free collection, you will want to avoid mites as if they were the plague. If you take short cuts with the quarantine procedure, when acquiring new animals, you will eventually get burned. Consider yourself warned. There are three things to remember that will make the eradication process easier.
1. You must also assume that the enclosure, along with all of its accessories, is infected, and treat it as such.
2. Consider the fact that mites spread easily, and that you may need to treat all of the reptiles in your collection at once in order to successfully rid yourself of these relentless pests.
3. During the process you will need to be compulsively clean, diligent, and persistent (one treatment will not do the job). You must assume that eggs have been laid in the enclosure (eggs take about 9 days to hatch, and are resistant to most methods of treatment).
There are a number of treatments for mites on the market today, and I have found that a combination of treatments is more effective against these tiny little ectoparasites than any one treatment alone. At the first sign of mites, the skink should be washed and soaked for at least one hour, after which the skink should be dried with a paper towel. When finished the towel should be disposed of (preferably burned or flushed). The skink can also be wiped down with a cloth that has been dampened with a Pyrethrin-based flea spray, or one of the newer reptile mite spray products. Care should be taken to not get the chemical into the skinks eyes, nostrils, or mouth. The skink will need to be thoroughly rewashed in 15 minutes after the application. If you choose not to use the spray, a very light coat of vegetable oil can be applied to the skink, taking care to keep the oil out of the eyes and nostrils. The oil will get on the remaining mites and smother them. The treated skink should be placed in a new treatment enclosure (a 20-gallon tank or rubber maid container will do). The new cage should be lined with newspaper, and it should be replaced on a daily basis. Aside from a water bowl, no other cage furnishings will be necessary. Some people also use Seven Dust, or Hartz 2 in 1 Flea and Tick Powder for Cats. These products can be lightly dusted over the skink, and sprinkled on the newspaper of the treatment tank. After 12 hours the skink can be washed thoroughly, and the dusted newspaper replaced with fresh newspaper. The water bowl must be removed during the exposure to these powders. Whichever method you use, you must remember to repeat it every week for 2-3 weeks, with occasional fresh water soaks in-between treatments being very beneficial to the eradication process.
While the skink is being treated, the skink's enclosure should be washed thoroughly, using a bleach water solution (1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water) and sterilized inside and out. Mite or flee spray can be applied to corners, seams, cracks, and edges in the cage. The hide log should be cleaned and treated in the same fashion as the cage. The water bowl should also be washed in a mild bleach water solution followed by another washing in soap and water. A No Pest Strip or other similar product containing 2/2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate should be placed in the cage along with the hide log, after which the cage should be completely sealed. Leave the cage with the pest strip in it for the next 2-3 weeks while the fumes kill any remaining mites or mites that may hatch from eggs that were laid in the cage (Most products kill only the mites, not the eggs). During this period you may want to wipe down the outside of the cage with a mite spray on a weekly basis to eliminate any mites that may have hatched from eggs that may have been laid on the outside of the cage. It is only after the successful separate treatment of both the skink and the enclosure that the two can be reunited as they were before the infestation.
Last edited by James Wilson on Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
James Wilson
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Katrina
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