Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A guy I work with asked if I wanted his Iguana as he can not take it where he is moving too. I said sure since I have a green water dragon and two tegus I thought why not. I got her this morning and she has mites. I don't know what to do as I have never had this problem with my other pets. I also do not want to bring her into my house and give them to my other lizards. I do not know much about mites how long they live will they get into household stuff etc. any info would help I have to do something quick. she is in a tank outside now and it will soon be too warm.

I have never had to deal with mites. But I have heard immersing the ig in water can remove some. Also an oil put on the ig can drown the mites. They sell sprays to kill mites.. I would try the water first.. then... I dunno hope someone who has experience with mites answers you soon.
Roxanne

Thank you for the response. I have misted her very heavily and I do not see any more so I hope that worked thank you again

I hate to tell you this but that didnt kill them. All that did was knocked them off of her. Soak her in iodine and water (water should be the color of weak tea). Her enclosure can be rinsed in bleach (be sure to sun it well and rinse well) to get rid of any mites left. BAKE her wood things if she has any. I would soak her in the Iodine for several days But keeping her away from my other reps. BE SURE to let her poop and drink before you add the iodine. You can take a Q Tip and run the iodine between her spikes and around the top of her head. DO NOT get it in her eyes!!! Good Luck... Also you might consider picking up Iguanas For Dummies by Melissa Kalpan. WONDERFUL herp book Has lots of info on mites caging and egg laying OR check out her site (linked below)

Link

As a snake person I deal with this a bit more often (unfortunately). Washing off the ig and cleaning the enclosure will work, but you must be very very thorough. The mites are sort of like germs, the eggs are microscopic. This will spread to your other animals very easily, maybe even despite your best efforts. If it does, it might be worth your while to invest 20$ in a mite spray like Provent-a-mite, which takes about 2 seconds to apply and is very very effective. (over the counter lice bedding spray contains the same active ingredient, but I can't say I've tried it).
The first place you usually see mites is in water dishes, so watch for them in your enclosures.

Provent-a-Mite is a great product and if used properly is very safe. For the iguana I'd do as has been suggested...baths with betadine so that the water is the color of weak tea. As for the enclosure, wash it well with hot soapy water, rinse, dry, and spray it as directed with Provent-a-Mite. Put newspaper or an old towel in the bottom and spray that also. Let this dry completely. Once dry it's safe for the animal, just don't mist the enclosure until the mites are completely gone and you've washed the cage again. If there are eggs present this will take several weeks. There is a fairly new product on the market, advertised here on KS, that is safe to use directly on the animal. I think it's called Reptile Relief de Flea or something like that. It's enzymatic and kills mites on contact but is completely useless once dry. I think I'd try a combination of these 2 products. Best of luck!

To all who have listed stuff to do thank you. I noticed another problem with her yesterday. The skin on the bottoms of her feet and also her legs is coming off. I took her straight to the vet since this one is way out of my knowledge range. The vet is trying to treat that and the mites for me. Again thank you to all for helping a guy out who is a sucker for critters in need. Would it hurt to do a mite treatment on my other reps tanks just to be safe or is this overkill at this point?