Found mites this weekend... I think I won.

[malmgrdc]

So it's shedding time for Fred. He has been burrowing himself and his appetite had decreased over the last few days and he had been burrowing himself more than usual. I considered this normal for shedding but I was wrong. I usually take him out once per day to let him roam or just check on him for a quick second. Well, Saturday I had noticed that he had 4-5 mites crawling around on him so I gave him a warm water soak for about 20 minutes and proceeded to rub him down with olive oil. I sanitized the cage and switch the substrate to paper towels immediately. I had also noticed some wheezing (which is common because mites tend to give our reptiles RI's). I increased temps in the reptile room, isolated him, sanitized his cage and have sanitize and changed paper towels daily. The second day I found 1 crawling around and I decided to go to the pet store and grab a spray bottle of Natural Chemistry "Reptile Spray", designed specifically for Reptile Mites. I sprayed it on him and let him loose in his cage. He finally decided to eat today after 4-5 days and his wheezing is gone with no mites in sight! Just wanted to pass some of this info onto the rest. I will be monitoring him for the next couple days and sometime this week will be switching him back to cypress mulch. If anyone has any tips that they would like to add please do so! I will keep everyone updated on his status, although I feel that he and I are on the winning end of this battle. Also I checked my ball python and he is good to go! Looks like I got lucky on this one.

[Katrina]

Mites cause RI? Any references?? Glad it worked out!

[malmgrdc]

Whole I was browsing through mites info there was one source that mentioned that they can give reptiles RIs. My guy was wheezing through his mite problems. I'm not sure if it was credible but I would believe it.

[Katrina]

I don't see how mites could cause a bacterial infection internally that clears up when the mites are removed.... heavy, labored breathing is another thing though. Wheezing doesn't = RI.

[malmgrdc]

If it was an RI, or the beginning of one, the climate change would have made the difference, not the mites. I will try to find that site. I'm sure it's not credible just like all of the other things we read, but I am no vet, so I have no idea.

[Katrina]

If it was actually an infection, antibiotics would fix it. Husbandry issues would be part of the problem and need to be corrected for it not to reoccur... but if the conditions were ok to begin with then I'd highly doubt that the wheezing had anything to do with RI. RI really sounds like bubbling / crackling when breathing. Wheezing, huffing, or odd whistling sounds happen with blueys and are not RI. With a respiratory infection, you'll get fluid in the lungs and hear the air bubbling through it as they exhale. You'll also see lethargy and labored breathing; this absolutely needs a vet visit because it requires antibiotics.

I'd be very curious to read the article if you can find it.

Anyway, very glad you got rid of the mites quickly!

[malmgrdc]

Katrina, I apologize if I sounded a bit defensive. I think that I was just overreacting/worried when I heard the slightly labored breathing. It obviously wasn't an RI and I can't seem to find the article. Maybe it was a bit of misreading. Fred went into shed this morning and he just finished this evening. No mites to be seen and he is happy as ever! I did a lot of searching on the forum and am glad that I got him back to a happy state! Fred ate nearly a full meal this evening and was all over the house! I am glad to see him in good shape and mite free! I can't give enough thanks to everyone on this forum for their past contributions. I did a lot of searching on this site on how to cure my bluey of mites and it worked. Cheers!

[Katrina]

No worries, very glad it is all ok! I was just confused.

Don't feel bad - I've seen vet's make the mistake of confusing labored breathing / wheezing with RI. It's always good to be a bit cautious.