Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey everyone does anyone know if mites from an insect will latch on to a lizard. I found some mites on my crickets and am concerned.

Ya know it's a good question, I'm not real sure of the answer, I would think they would be host specific/ and just be on the insect. But I had a simular experience with a colony of oranage dubia roaches, I saw many mites on their backs and such, and it freaked me to the point I did not keep the colony any longer.

Just the thought of them all over was enough figured if nothing else, they would keep multiplying on the roaches. I have not gotten roaches since.
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PHEve / Eve

thank you I guess i'll go ahead and toss the crickets also is it normal for a young male collared to only eat every 2-3 days. My new male is really fat his tail is full and he's healthy but after the first two weeks I had him he no longer eats except every 2-3 days is this normal do you think he just isn't eating because he's full or is it something else.

My adults eat every day, twice a day, and the babies eat two to three times a day. In fact, they are eating me out of house and home!

Have you checked your temps lately? What are your basking temps and overall temps? Do you use a temp gun, a digital thermometer with a probe or a stick on thermometer? Do you measure the basking temps right on the basking surface?

What type UVB bulb do you use?

I use a 10.0 fluorescent light and the cage temperature is 86 on the cool side 90 on the warm and 100-110 on basking. Also do you think he could just be content and fat because even my baby collared only eats every other day but he eats about 6 crickets every other day and my male will eat 6-8 crickets every 2 days.

That when I first got him he'd eat daily and would eat a ton and his tail was skinny but then after about three weeks his tail got full and fatty and he doesn't eat as much.

Some collareds do not eat every day. There are people who feed them every other day or every 2 days if that's when they are are hungry. So if your guys keep a good weight and are content and do not want to eat everyday than it is normal for them.

I personally have always offered food every day, most do eat, but there are times one will not seem interested that day. I happen to think when you have quite a few/ or many they dive after the bugs .. to make sure they get their fair share

But as I say, if you notice yours looking thinner/ losing weight after a time, than begin to look into temps, parasites, so on...
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PHEve / Eve

well I guess he'll be fine then as long as he doesn't lose weight.

Babys and younsters should be fed everyday , I also feed them at least a couple times per day, until older, as much as they will eat, they usually stop when full They are growing and need the extra nourishment.

You get to know your lizards and who is a piggy and eats everyday and who waits a day or so, but still remains at a healty weight.

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PHEve / Eve