Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a question about reptile mites. I have an Agama Agama Lizard, and we thought she had mites a while back because i had discovered a very small red bug crawling around on her belly.

So as I was advised, I went and bought some Reptile Relief, followed directions carefully cleaned out entire tank and contents, washed everything (including tank) in hot water with bleach. Added new sand. And carefully sprayed my lizard with the reptile relief, gentley rubbing it into crevases...

However, today I was reading up on some forums and they had said that mites are brown or black.. And ticks were brown , black and grey in color.....So what to heck kinda insect was that on my lizard? We bought her from a pet store and had only had her a couple weeks when we discovered the red bug on her.

I know bird mites are red...Do u suppose it could have been one of those???

My lizard has developed alot of red markings on her body, mainly on her belly and under her hind legs and a few under her chin, kinda under her scales like, but it seems as though she is supposed to have those markings. (I am paranoid because of that bug I once found) I have inspected them very closely by laying her on her back in the palm of my hand so I can get a good look and make sure there is nothing moving around! As far as I know she is not very old, only a few months, so maybe that is why her scale color is changing..? I am not sure, I just want to clearify what mites REALLY look like, and what that red bug might have been.

Thanks so much for reading my post! ~Schizmsgrl~

Hi,
Mites can be different color and types. The little black guys look like peppery color are usually on snakes and can spread all over , to anything they are around.

But I have gotten alot of my wc lizards with red bugs or what we call chiggers. I believe it is a larve stage of a mite.

The chiggers look like red spots,they affix themselfs on their host and suck blood, some move and some will just look like a red spot.

If there are only a couple you can easily rub them and area of lizard with olive oil and it will smother the chigger.

They like the nice soft skin areas around eyes under armpits, around the vent areas, tummies.

Heres a little paragraph about them and a close up of one. When I see them they just appear like a red spot, I never saw them this close, heheheheh !

Hope thats what your talking about sure sounds like it.
Chiggers

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Eve / PHEve

I had a Desert Iguana that had mites quite bad. They are dark dried blood color. Tiny round shaped pin head size and smaller. They hide in the lizards ear holes and between their legs. They will get bad enough sometimes to cause the skin and scale to make a bump on the surface where they hide. I bathed my Iguana daily and cleaned out his cage. Finally after several months I was rid of them. I would not worry to much about one red bug. May of been a chigger. Just keep inspecting daily!
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Our Desert Iguanas

>>I had a Desert Iguana that had mites quite bad. They are dark dried blood color. Tiny round shaped pin head size and smaller. They hide in the lizards ear holes and between their legs. They will get bad enough sometimes to cause the skin and scale to make a bump on the surface where they hide. I bathed my Iguana daily and cleaned out his cage. Finally after several months I was rid of them. I would not worry to much about one red bug. May of been a chigger. Just keep inspecting daily!
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>> Our Desert Iguanas

Ok I have done further inspection of my lizard, which i do pretty much daily, and she is getting more of those red marks, some look like she has red UNDER her scales, like her scales are raised up in some areas, and there are red markings under them....This is where I have been confused, I have not seen anything crawling on her scince that one time a while back.
But I was closely inspecting her sand, and I saw another one of those little red bugs crawling around. So I scooped it out, along with some other red flecks I had seen in her sand, dumped them out on a white piece of paper....Only one was moving about, but it was so tiny i couldnt see any legs or anything. I crushed it with a plastic spoon and it left a blood mark, and then i tried doing that to some of the red flecks that werent moving, and they made blood spots also!!!! GRRR!! So now I am almost convinced that those little red markings on and under her scales are NOT supposed to be there!!!! I know that pheve had said to use olive oil and dab it on the red spots, but I only have vegatable oil, will that work also? and should i rinse it off her shortly after appling? However I do have that "Reptile Relief" spray...which would be better to use???!

Do Agama agamas like the water? and will giving her a bath help rid her of those nasty little critters??? ARGH!!

OMG this is not cool!!! Hope to hear a reply soon...And thanks again!!
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MmmmMMmm....Schizm