BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

since i got cosmo every once in a while (like every few days) i see one tiny black bug on him thats easy enough to get off. Is that considered an infestation of mites? or what can I do before it turns into one? I saw him a minute ago scratch his ear (hes not shedding) so i looked in and it looks like theres a mite nestled in there but i cant tell if its just a spot like he has on some of his scales. How could i get it out if it is?

You can't get rid of mites by taking off the ones you see. They live between the scales, and they're laying eggs. If you have mites you'll need a proper mite-treatment (prevent-a-mite, reptile relief, nix-solution, pest-strips) to kill all the mites. You'll need to keep the tank sterile (paper towel substrate, all decorations baked/bleached/tossed out) for a month while you keep treating the skink.

put him in some shallow, lukewarm water and see if they float up. if you see even one, you should start treatment immediately. if you dont see any, check ears and between scales once more. if you still dont see any, wait a little more and look at him carefully for at least a week.

if you find any, start by removing substrate carefully into a sealed plastic bag, use paper towels or regular towels. bake all terrarium furniture in the oven, if it can be baked. otherwise wash in warm water for now. buy the preferred mite-removal medicine and start.

you cannot remove them one by one. you cannot treat only once and then stop when you dont see any, the eggs will hatch and live, so always finish treatment with care.

always good to treat new animals regardless if they have mites or not,prevention being better than cure,id steer clear of pest strips ect and use a safe reptile product like provent a mite,pest srtips have been known to harm lizards,usually in confined cages,also have caused issues in developing babies,they are quite toxic,but in saying that ive used them in the past without issue,theres newer safer ways to go about it

mite infestations u usually see hundreds,but seeing one or 2 can turn into hundreds before long,the climates we provide lizards promote mite life cycles to,so id be treating your animal asap,also in future,for anyone,treat new animals for mites regardless of where they come from,saves infestations which can take a while to rid

soaking in water wont do squat, only way to be rid of them is with the use of a mite killing treatment,the reason u retreat is to kill any hatchlings from eggs that treatment doesnt kill