Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i noticed one of these red spots on my agama a couple of months ago, now they're all over. he seems to be alert and playful still, any ideas on what this is and if it is serious. they seem to be under his scales and mostly on his belly but a few are on his back too.

Mites can be red or black and tuck themselves under scales like that. See if you can gently nudge one out with a finger nail, or if it's enflamed tissue under there. If it is enflamed tissue, you'll have to take him to the vet to get systematic meds.

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yeah, they're mites. i was able to pull one out. i did a bunch of reading in the forums and on the web, everyone is saying to soak the lizard in water for awhile and spray the cage down with prevent-a-mite, and then spray again in 2 weeks to kill the eggs. i checked one of my other lizards and i found some tiny tiny little mites on him too so i guess my whole dang collection is most likely infected. GREAT. my question now is, will these things infect my house like fleas do or will they just die off if they have nothing to feed on?

The mites will mostly stay on the host, or at least close by. However, they can escape the cages and roam a bit. You should get some Sevin Dust to dust the floor around every cage...better yet, do the whole room and anywhere you might have carried the lizards to, like whereever you were when you took that picture. It's safe to dust dogs with so you can leave it on your carpets, rugs and floors. I don't want to scare you but you have to be thorough; All it takes is missing ONE mite and you'll have a reinfestation in 2-3 weeks.

thanks, i'm in the process of breaking all my cages down and sterilizing everything. i read that its good to retreat everything in 2 weeks anyway to get the eggs that hatch.