Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I won't be needing a Kansas/Missouri female any more. I lost my last healthy male from that locale overnight. He, along with several larger lizards, was infested with snake mites. I got them off, but I'm afraid that he was already too far down and succumbed to both the mites and the treatment. The larger lizards are all doing okay, but are noticeably affected.

One other male, Hot Shot, escaped shortly after I pulled them out of brumation. I still have a little pair from that area, but they are both very old and have had strange illnesses, I think, from a mite invasion before I got them. I think they came in with them, but I quarantined and treated them early on. That pair is in a completely different area and have shone no signs of mites, but they are old and gimp, and I am just letting them hang out for the rest of their lives.

So please take this as a warning! Assume that any new collareds that you get in do have mites and treat them accordingly! Collareds are obviously affected much worse by the mites and treatment than other lizard species.

I'm not sure whether to express sympathy or congratulate you on your eggs first! I'm so sorry you lost your guy. You know I know how you feel - my condolences to you. I'm glad you got some eggs, though, and that they look good! Hopefully that will help you feel better about things.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Torey, thanks so much. I am ecstatic over the eggs and I just noticed that my desert ig is gravid and very close to ready! But I lost this little collared, I lost my favorite beardie a few weeks ago, I worried over and might lose a gravid White Tank female collared that is having trouble passing her last few eggs, and I have this awful mite issue going on. Fortunately, all of the girls that will likely lay fertile eggs are not even in the house with the mites!

I do want to eventually get some more collareds from that locale, because they are very sweet and calm! But I won't be bringing anything in for a few weeks or months until I am sure the mites are gone!

I'm so sorry hear that! Despite our best effort some they are just gone. I recently lost my crested gecko for no apparently reason. He was eating a ton earlier in the week before he died, and then, all of sudden, he stopped eating and gone down hill really fast!

Rosebud wrote:
He, along with several larger lizards, was infested with snake mites. I got them off, but I'm afraid that he was already too far down and succumbed to both the mites and the treatment. The larger lizards are all doing okay, but are noticeably affected.

What treatment did you utilize?
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AMAZON REPTILE CENTER

I soaked each lizard, and sprayed the viv with flea off pyrethrins while each was soaking, waited a few minutes, then cleaned the viv with hot water and disinfected. Then I wiped it out again, and let it air dry. Then I oiled each lizard with olive oil which has worked in the past, and the next day, I bathed the oil off of each lizard with a hypoallergenic, non toxic dish liquid. Its what we use on oiled birds in my wildlife rehab group. He had lost weight in the past week, so I guess the stress just got to him.

I have ordered Provent A Mite plus Reptile Relief, and plan to use that as soon as it gets here.

Rosebuds said:
I soaked each lizard, and sprayed the viv with flea off pyrethrins while each was soaking, waited a few minutes, then cleaned the viv with hot water and disinfected. Then I wiped it out again, and let it air dry. Then I oiled each lizard with olive oil which has worked in the past, and the next day, I bathed the oil off of each lizard with a hypoallergenic, non toxic dish liquid. Its what we use on oiled birds in my wildlife rehab group. He had lost weight in the past week, so I guess the stress just got to him.

I have ordered Provent A Mite plus Reptile Relief, and plan to use that as soon as it gets here.

Provent A Mite IS pyrethrins as you already use. Has been implicated in reptile deaths if not used EXACTLY per the label.

Reptile relief is soapy water. It kills mites by drowing them in soapy water.

Both problematic at best.

We use Frontline spray. Just like for your dog or cat but in a spray. We use it once and it stays in the skin long enough to kill hatching eggs and mites in the environment as they return to the reptile to feed. It the animal sheds within 14 days we retreat. Have used it on hatchling cornsnakes and 200# burms and everything in between.

Any treatment that does not last 14 days IS NOT SUCCESSFUL. Eggs hatch and return to feed, non feeding stages of the life cycle do the same. It takes at least 14 days to break this cycle and kill all the mites.

Used successfully on snake mites, red iguana mites and Chuckwalla mites.

We experience a very high success rate. 100% for over 5000 reptiles treated.

Olive oil killed every lizard I tried it on! I think clogging pores in the skin does it.
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AMAZON REPTILE CENTER

Yes, I also tried baby oil for my two fenced lizards and it killed them. They were fine until I put the oil on. Perhaps it does the same thing olive oil does. :/