Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi everyone,
my name is Alex and im new to the forum. I just got an indonesian blue tongued skink (t.g.gigas). I found out he was wild caught, so i am somewhat worried that he may have mites or even worse parasites. The problem is that i spent most of my money on Elvis and his cage, so i dont really have any extra to take him to the vet. I was just wondering if an experienced skink owner could tell me what to look for when it comes to parasites. He seems to be eating fine, but he is my first skink so i am somewhat unknowledgable about how much he should be eating and defecating. It worries me because he looks a bit skinny too. Any information on parasites and mites would help out a lot. Thanks.
-Alex

Obviously you'll be looking for internal as well as external. The best thing to do is to find a vet, and find out the cost of a full check-up. the vet will tell you what you need to bring (samples etc) It's always best to seek professional help if you are unsure.
As for feeding, keep a varied diet of meat, fruit and veg. Ground turkey is good, as well as a low-protein dog food. Preferably the type for older dogs. As for fruit and veg, Cos lettuce, Bak Choi (not too much, as it provides many vitamins, but can block calcium absorption in high quantities) carrot, mushrooms, papaya, kiwi, strawberry etc.

Also, they thoroughly enjoy snails. If you can catch any, keep them in a container for a few days, and provide them with lettuce. This should help 'flush' them out before you feed them to your blue tongue.

I'd have to advise against feeding live snails. The reason for this is because snails can potentially harbor parasites. The same goes for earthworms. A good alternative is to feed your skink superworms and crickets. Another alternative would be to get canned snails, though I haven't used this myself personally, but it would be a lot better than live ones.

Another thing I can suggest is if you don't have the money for the vet bills, perhaps you might be interested in having your skink undergo a "shotgun" treatment. This is when you give
anti-parasite meds to your reptile when you don't know for sure if it in fact has any parasites. I would only recommend using Panacur or some other fenbendazole-based paste medication for this. You can purchase these from most farm-supply stores for less than $15. Panacur, and meds similar to it, take care of many nematodes and it has a pretty large margin of safety. Meaning that overdosing is fairly unlikely. Hopes this helps.

That's the exact reason why i said to put the snails inside a plastic tub with enough food, so they will flush out any parasites. As they eat the fresh food, which contains no parasites, the old bugs get flushed out. It's basically quarantining the food before feeding

While Blue-tongued Skinks generally acclimate well to new surroundings, the quarantine and acclamation processes are still important and often overlooked steps in acquiring a new reptile. If you have purchased a captive bred blue-tongue, then this process should be a smooth and easy transition for both you and your skink. On the other hand, if your new pet is an imported animal, then remember to be patient and adhere to these directions. Some imports are slow to adjust to captivity, but with dedication your skink should acclimate to his new surroundings. If you do not own any other reptiles, quarantine will obviously not be necessary, but special considerations during acclamation should still be taken. If you do own other reptiles, a quarantine procedure would be well worth your time and could save you a large amount of money in potential vet bills. This period can also double as the acclamation period, essentially killing two birds with one stone.

It is important that you set up your quarantine area as far away from your other reptiles as possible, preferably in another room. The quarantine tank and all of the accessories (food bowl, water bowls, hide-logs, ect.) used in the quarantine should always be kept separate from the rest of your collection so as not to transmit any unknown pathogens to them. If this is not possible for you, then you must be sure to sanitize the item(s) in a mild bleach water solution followed by a wash in hot soapy water before reintroducing it to your established animals. You will want to keep the tank clean, basic and functional. This is not the time to get carried away with a lot of fancy decorations. Newspaper makes the best substrate during this period, as it is easily replaced. A sturdy water bowl and hide-log are all of the accessories that your new skink will need. It is very important to keep the enclosure clean at all times. Do not handle your skink, unless absolutely necessary, for at least the first week.

Once the skink is properly set up, offer it a small portion of the skink-mix that is described in the "feeding" chapter, and then leave the room. It is important that the skink is able to get an initial feeling of security. If the skink refuses the meal do not despair. Wait 48 hours and try again with something different. I have found that even the most stubborn skink can not refuse a tasty, chopped up, rat pup. While this sounds a bit gruesome, it has proven to be quite effective for me in the past. Keep trying different foods every other day until it starts eating. Remember to keep the portions small until that time, then gradually increase the size of the portions until the skink is not quite able to eat it all in a sitting (5-10 minutes). At this point you can adjust its diet with frequency of meals, and portion size, so that it gets a good meal without a lot of waste. Once the skink is eating regularly, you will be able to handle it more often. During these interactions you should examine the skink and keep a close eye out for any sign of mites. Remember to always wash your hands thoroughly afterwards, and it is best to limit all quarantine maintenance and handling to days when you are not working with your established collection, or evenings after you have fed, watered, and cleaned them. An effective quarantine period should last anywhere from 6-12 weeks (the longer the better). If at the end of this period your skink is eating regularly, and not showing any signs of disease or illness, it is probably safe to introduce it into your collection.

Snake mites (Ophionyssus natricis) have to be one of the most common problems that reptile keepers experience today. These tiny blood-sucking bead-like creatures can be seen crawling around on infested skinks. They also leave very small, white, dust-like droppings on the back of their victims. Mites are very contagious, and the best cure is prevention through proper quarantine procedures. If you have a mite free collection, you will want to avoid mites as if they were the plague. If you take short cuts with the quarantine procedure, when acquiring new animals, you will get burned. Consider yourself warned. There are three things to remember that will make the eradication process easier.

1. You must also assume that the enclosure, along with all of its accessories, is infected, and treat it as such.

2. Consider the fact that mites spread easily, and that you may need to treat all of the reptiles in your collection at once in order to successfully rid yourself of these relentless pests.

3. During the process you will need to be compulsively clean, diligent, and persistent (one treatment will not do the job). You must assume that eggs have been laid in the enclosure (eggs take about 9 days to hatch, and are resistant to most methods of treatment).

There are a number of treatments for mites on the market today, and I have found that a combination of treatments is more effective against these tiny little ectoparasites than any one treatment alone. At the first sign of mites, the skink should be washed and soaked for at least one hour, after which the skink should be dried with a paper towel. When finished the towel should be disposed of (preferably burned or flushed). The skink can also be wiped down with a cloth that has been dampened with a Pyrethrin-based flea spray, or one of the newer reptile mite spray products. Care should be taken to not get the chemical into the skinks eyes, nostrils, or mouth. The skink will need to be thoroughly rewashed in 15 minutes after the application. If you choose not to use the spray, a very light coat of vegetable oil can be applied to the skink, taking care to keep the oil out of the eyes and nostrils. The oil will get on the remaining mites and smother them. The treated skink should be placed in a new treatment enclosure (a 20-gallon tank or rubber maid container will do). The new cage should be lined with newspaper, and it should be replaced on a daily basis. Aside from a water bowl, no other cage furnishings will be necessary. Some people also use Seven Dust, or Hartz 2 in 1 Flea and Tick Powder for Cats. These products can be lightly dusted over the skink, and sprinkled on the newspaper of the treatment tank. After 12 hours the skink can be washed thoroughly, and the dusted newspaper replaced with fresh newspaper. The water bowl must be removed during the exposure to these powders. Whichever method you use, you must remember to repeat it every week for 2-3 weeks, with occasional fresh water soaks in-between treatments being very beneficial to the eradication process.

While the skink is being treated, the skink's enclosure should be washed thoroughly, using a bleach water solution (1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water) and sterilized inside and out. Mite or flee spray can be applied to corners, seams, cracks, and edges in the cage. The hide log should be cleaned and treated in the same fashion as the cage. The water bowl should also be washed in a mild bleach water solution followed by another washing in soap and water. A No Pest Strip or other similar product containing 2/2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate should be placed in the cage along with the hide log, after which the cage should be completely sealed. Leave the cage with the pest strip in it for the next 2-3 weeks while the fumes kill any remaining mites or mites that may hatch from eggs that were laid in the cage (Most products kill only the mites, not the eggs). During this period you may want to wipe down the outside of the cage with a mite spray on a weekly basis to eliminate any mites that may have hatched from eggs that may have been laid on the outside of the cage. It is only after the successful separate treatment of both the skink and the enclosure that the two can be reunited as they were before the infestation.

Respiratory Infections
Although not common in Blue-tongued Skinks, respiratory infections are something to be aware of and avoided. Symptoms include runny or crusty half-closed eyes, bubbles or mucus build up in and around the nostrils, excess thick saliva or mucus in or around the mouth, and gaping with occasional forced exhalations. If a skink displays these symptoms, it probably has a respiratory infection, and immediate treatment will be necessary for the continued survival of the skink. If caught in the early stages, infected skinks should be quarantined and kept at the higher end of their temperature range (100 degrees on the warm end of the cage and 90 degrees at the cool end) with little or no drop at night. If symptoms do not improve within a few days, the skink should be taken to a qualified Vet that can administer the appropriate antibiotics.

Internal Parasites
Many imported Blue-tongued Skinks harbor large parasite loads, making treatment necessary in order for the skink to thrive in its new environment. Prior to importation, these skinks are very often kept in filthy conditions for weeks with little or no food or water, causing their immune systems to weaken and lowering their resistance to disease. This lack of resistance and immunity interferes with the natural balance between the host and its parasite, causing the acceptable natural parasite load to go unchecked, multiplying out of control. Symptoms of internal parasite infestation are diarrhea (often containing blood) and stools covered in mucus, weight loss and anorexia, sunken in eyes and depression, and worms or larva in the skink's feces. A fecal sample should be taken to your Vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. Most nematodes can be treated with Panacure (Fenbendazole) administered orally in doses of 25 mg/kg every 2 weeks with a minimum of 3 treatments to be totally effective. Protozoans such as Flagellates and Amebiasis can be effectively treated with Flagyl (Metronidazole) administered orally in doses of 25-50 mg/kg with a second dose being given 3-4 days later if necessary. When treating internal parasites is critical to keep the cage and water bowl as clean as possible during the treatment process.

>>hi everyone,
>> my name is Alex and im new to the forum. I just got an indonesian blue tongued skink (t.g.gigas). I found out he was wild caught, so i am somewhat worried that he may have mites or even worse parasites. The problem is that i spent most of my money on Elvis and his cage, so i dont really have any extra to take him to the vet. I was just wondering if an experienced skink owner could tell me what to look for when it comes to parasites. He seems to be eating fine, but he is my first skink so i am somewhat unknowledgable about how much he should be eating and defecating. It worries me because he looks a bit skinny too. Any information on parasites and mites would help out a lot. Thanks.
>> -Alex
-----
Edward
Carpe diem