Can't get rid of the mites!

[mriswith]

I am new to this forum so I first want to say HELLO to everyone and thank you for taking the time in reading my post

My iguana is no more than 5 months old. He is getting quite skinny and all of his ribs are showing. He has quite a few mites and they are causing dark spots on his arms and abdomen as a result. I have soaked him in betodine about three times in the last week for about 20-25 minutes and I don't seem to notice any change. I don't ever see any more than 3 mites floating at the top of the water, so there are obviously tons more still latching on to him. I sanitized his cage once and I am planning on doing it again.

What should I do? Should I try using some chemical at a pet shop?


And as a side note, are carrots good for iguanas?

[prism_wolf]

Hello and welcome!!

No...carrots are not that good, but if you replace them with parsnips (white carrot-looking things) you will have an excellent replacement!

You sure have a problem. Mites are HORRIBLE and I'm thankful I've not had to deal with them yet!

There are plenty of tips, though. I'm just going to offer reputable websites for info though. It's getting late and I promised Me that Me would get to bed at a decent time tonight... ;D.:
www.anapsid.org/mites.html
www.triciaswaterdragon.com/mitetick.htm
www.vareptilerescue.org/mites.html <----> a direct quote "Very similar to bird mites, reptile mites strike fear in the heart of any knowledgeable herper."
www.iguanaden.org/health/mites.htm

Don't HESITATE to ask any questions if there's something that needs clarification. I probably won't see it until tomorrow, but someone else might see it sooner.

[Merlin]

It sounds like you may have another problem than mites!
Have you had a fecal done to eliminate the possibilty of internal parasites?
For the mites, get a bottle of Reptile Relief by Natural Chemistry. It is the safest most effective treatment that I know of.

[prism_wolf]

And please tell us about your setup. Lights (including UVB source, temps, diet, substrate, cage type and size. All of this can have an effect on how your ig is growing.

[mriswith]

I will definitely check out that Reptile Relief.

As for my setup: I have an aquarium about 2 1/2 long, 1 foot high and 1 foot wide. I use bark on the bottom of the cage. He has a hot rock and a heating lamp (it says UL classified vivarium heat emitter). Temp stays anywhere between 85-95 degress. I feed him carrots, green beans, romain lettuce, and collard greens (plus I give him a powdered calcium supplement on the veggies)

However, I do think it is mites because I can see them. I see extremely small little red looking things under his scales. I also took his tail and lightly arched it as I examined it all the way down and seemed to have seen tons of red all the way down the tail. If those were mites than my lizard has an extremely bad infestation.

[Merlin]

Ok, time for a major overhaul!
That aquarium is way to small for any size of iguana. The smallest tank useful is a 55 gallon and that will only be good for about a year. Anything smaller is impossible to establish the necessary thermal gradient (one end warm one end cooler)!
Heat rocks are dangerous and can seriously burn the animal. If you like the look of it in the tank cut the cord off.
The bark also has to go. It poses an impaction risk and also gives the mites a good place to hide.
You didn't mention a UVB generating bulb. These are a must have if the iguana is to survive and be healthy. UVB enables the ig to utilize the calcium in its diet.

The diet needs a redo. Most of the diet should be leafy greens, Collards, mustard and turnip greens are the staples.
Since you are sure there are mites, strip the tank! Leave as little as possible. Use paper for substrate. Anything in the cage, as well as the tank itself, should be washed well in a solution of one part water to 5 parts bleach and rinsed very well. Then spray with the Reptile Relief.

[George-n-Me]

wow..I didnt even know iguanas could get mites that bad...lucky for me george has never had them....Good luck and I hope you take their advice to heart..they really know what their talking about..I hope it works!

[prism_wolf]

Using butcher paper will make it very easy to tell if any mites are still in the viv. It's a very white paper making anything show up very well.

As Merlin said...you need a major overhaul. He hit on some key points. Here are some other websites for you to go over. These have been proven for good information.
www.greenigsociety.org
www.anapsid.org
www.iguanaden.org

Concentrate on UVB, temperatures, diet, cage size. You may want to look into heat rocks and see exactly why these are so bad while you're at it. Without these changes your ig is on a road to becoming pretty unhealthy...BUT...with good links and ALL of us here to help...the changes you make will allow your ig 15-20 yrs. of healthy living...:-D

[IguanaKing]

Hi Mriswith, welcome to IZ! ;D

I concur with the others that the housing, lighting, heating, and food situation all need a major overhaul. We're here to help you so if you have any questions about any of the steps that need to be taken, don't hesitate to ask.

To start you on the process of ridding yourself of mites, its best to take all of the cage furniture and dispose of it. Make sure to put it in a plastic bag so that none of the mites fall onto your carpeting while you are disposing of the furniture. If you have to set your iguana down while you are cleaning the enclosure, put him in a disposable container like a cardboard box. Make sure you have a nice, clean enclosure BEFORE you give him his bath, because you won't want to have to put him in the cardboard box again after his bath. You'll want to go right from the bath tub to the enclosure with him.

The weight loss, in combination with the substrate, concerns me a little bit. When you take him to the vet, it will probably also be a good idea to get some x-rays of his digestive tract. Let your vet know that you are concerned about a possible impaction from the bark.

[mriswith]

Wow, thaks guys for all the good input. I will get cracking on that right away!

However, there is one other problem that concerns me as well. His two front wrists (or what have you) have two black crusty bumps on them. Basically, where his front hands can bend there are the bumps. I once peeled it off like a scab. Could this be some sort of infection?

[kristina]

holy crap you gotta get that lizard to the vet man!

[prism_wolf]

mriswith said:

Could this be some sort of infection?

Very possible. Seriously...you need to get this ig to a vet. Normally we can offer advice that will fix many things...but if your ig has a possible infection...ONLY a vet can tell you for sure and give you the right medicines and dosing regimen to make it better.

[jilbert74]

Getting rids of mites is not an easy task. Have also found bed bug symptoms in my place. Planning to hire a reliable pest’s control service as only they will help in getting rid from bugs. Will check on internet if will get any good service providers.