My Beardie has Black Bugs on her - what do I do?????

[Lozkim]

Hi,

I am new to this forum, also quite new to having Beardies. Our Beardie is called 'Calmee' - my son named her as she is so calm! I believe that she is approx 9-12 months old, I got her as a rescue beardie (from a reptile centre) as her previous owner did not have the correct viv for her and she got burnt on the side of her face and under her head. She is recovering really well and is very active. I usually bath her once a week, sometimes when she is shedding a couple of times a week. She loves to come out during the day and have a run around and in the evening she loves cuddles and falls asleep on me usually. She eats extremely well - locusts, crickets, lots of different veg including basil, fennel, peas, carrot, pepper, I try as many different things as I can - I do check that she can have all these things. She lives in a viv with bark on the base, approx size 3ft by 2ft with sliding glass doors. Not sure what else to write about Calmee!

Yesterday I noticed a little black bug on Calmee near her neck, I had a look around her and found another near the back of her leg. I have googled this but not too sure what action to take or what to use, I live in the UK, alot of the stuff that they advise was from abroad, think this will take too long to get here! Calmee does not seem to be upset by these and I cannot see any signs of sores or itching patches.

Please can someone advise on what is the best thing to do? Also, will these bugs be able to live anywhere else - do I need to do anything to the carpet, furnishing where Calmee runs around?

Many thanks in advance for any help!

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello and Welcome!

It sounds as if Calmee may have mites. They start out as little red bugs, then turn black once filled with blood. You will need to start treating your beardie for this. They are generally easy to get rid of. You will need some Betadine or Povidone-Iodine solution. Once you have this, you will need to make a mixture of the Betadine/Povidone and water to soak your beardie in. You don't need much of the Povidone, just enough so that the mixture resembles that of weak tea. While soaking your beardie you can take a soft bristled toothbrush and gently brush the mites off. Mites do not care much for water, so they will usually move towards the head while in the bath.
You should take out the bark in Calmee's viv and replace it with papertoweling. The mites may have been in the bark when you got it.
If you have any wood/branches in the viv... soak them in hot water and bake in oven for around 30 minutes. Disinfect any other items in the viv and the viv itself with a water/bleach solution. Make sure to clean viv and accessories with fresh water after bleaching to remove any residue.
Hope this helps. Please let us know the outcome.

 

[Lozkim]

Hi,

Thank you so much for your help, I will get the stuff and get to it, I don't want Calmee to suffer. Will this have affected outside of the viv as Calmee comes out and runs around on the carpet, will they be able to live on the carpet?

Also will this work the first time or should I do it on a regular basis for some time?

Thanks again for your help I will let you know how I get on.

Loz & Calmee

 

[TASTIGER]

i would continue cleaning her tank and soaking her everyother day for atleast a week to make sure you get everything. im not sure about mites in the carpet though hopfully some one will be able to tell you

 

[Lozkim]

Hi,

Update - I have been bathing and cleaning Calmee out every couple of days, which she doesn't seem to like me too much for doing that - also just to add to it, now she has started shedding again and I have noticed that some of the mites are under her shedded skin, I know that you are not suppose to assist with the shedding process but I am concerned as I cannot get to the mites without taking the shedded skin off, I have taken a small amount off and found about 4-5 mites, should I check the rest of her body or just leave her to shed then tackle the situation again??

I have taken out all the bark and she has paper towel down now and I have put a couple of small pieces of wood for her to rest on, she is off her food slightly - I am guessing that is to do with shedding too as she does go a bit moody when she is shedding.

If you have any ideas on what to do with now please can you let me know, thank you so much for your help with this there is alot less mites now but I am just concerned that they will be laying eggs where she is shedding and then I will be back to stage one.

Many thanks


Lorraine & Calmee xx

 

[Grogshla]

give her a soak in shoulder deep warm water and a bit of betadine.
I hear the mites don't like the water and the soak will definately help remove shed

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hi Lorraine!

Sorry to hear Calmee still has some mites. Were you able to get the Povidone-Iodine? Have you been bathing her in the Povidone/water solution that I suggested? This is an antiseptic which will help with the mite bites. Unfortunately, the longer she has the mites, the more blood they will take from her, possibly leaving her anemic.
Since they are under the shed, more of the soaks(frequently) would be better now. Are you using a soft bristled toothbrush to assist in getting the mites off? The gentle brusing will help with the shed as well.
Unless the skin is practically falling off... pulling it off is not a good idea. This could damage the newly developed scales underneath.
There are mite sprays on the market that I'm sure you can get in the UK. You may possibly try this as well. Make sure that you get one that is for reptiles. I know Zoo Med has one called Mite Off. There are many out there.. it may be a good idea to get some, if you can.
I would also recommend taking the wood out of her enclosure. You don't want anything in her viv that the mites can burrow in. Maybe put a smooth rock or something without crevices in there for her to lay on.