Question:i have an iguana that has free range of my apartment and i`m having issues with mites.i use the sprays you can buy at the pet store with some sucsess but i was wondering if anybody out there had any good tips on how to get rid of them all together.
Answers:
Treatment - Treating for mites is a two-step process. You’ve got to treat your iguana, and you’ve got to aggressively treat its enclosure. Neither of these steps is easy or fun, but both are necessary to be rid of the mites permanently.
Treating your iguana - There are a few different methods that you can use to get the mites off of your iguana:
You can cover your iguana with a thin layer of baby or mineral oil for a few hours, and then rinse. This will suffocate the mites. You’ll need to repeat this once a week until no more mites appear. Of course, what do you do with an oil-covered iguana?
You can talk to your vet about the possible use of flea sprays. Do not use any pesticides on your iguana without consulting your vet first! Only vet-approved products (like sprays made for young kittens, for example) should be used. If your vet approves a product, you can spray it on a towel and wipe it on your iguana’s body, paying special attention to those favorite mite areas, and being especially careful of your iguana’s eyes. Wiping the spray onto your iguana with a towel gives you more control. Don’t spray it on directly.
Talk to your vet or pet store about other mite treatments. Be wary of products in the pet stores though - many of them don’t work effectively. Research products thoroughly first, and consult your vet.
One popular method of ridding your iguana of mites is to give your iguana a bath in water containing enough Betadine to make it tea-colored. The bath should be shoulder-deep. Since the mites will crawl up on your iguana’s head to escape the water, you will have to gently pour water over its head, but be careful to keep the solution out of the eyes. After the bath, saturate a cloth with Betadine and rub it around (not in) the eyes, in the armpits and skin folds of the legs - all those areas that mites favor. This treatment must be repeated once or twice weekly until there are no more reoccurences.
Treatment of the enclosure:
Remove the substrate from the enclosure and discard. Scrub the habitat and accessories (branches, bowls, etc.) thoroughly. Soak in ½ cup bleach/gallon water solution for at least eight hours. Rinse well, and let air dry for at least 24 hours.
Wooden accessories can be baked at 200º F - 250º F for 2-3 hours to kill any mites/eggs on or in the wood.
Mites are extremely resistant to even the harshest disinfectants. Therefore, you must treat the enclosure with pesticide to be rid of them for good. To do this, place several no-pest strips or cat flea collars in the enclosure. Place them in such a way that they do not come into direct contact with the enclosure walls, floor, etc. For example, you may place them on a piece of aluminum foil. Seal the enclosure as much as possible from outside air, and leave the strips in for several hours. After treatment, air the enclosure out for several hours before placing your iguana back inside.
or read on this site http://www.anapsid.org/mites.html...
There is a spray you can buy at the petshop to get rid of mites, but ask them if they can order a stronger version if you are having no luck take out all of the substrate and any decoration or rocks or climbing material and bleach it. Completely wipe out the enclosure and put the iguana back in with it bare. Let the decor air dry then rewash to get the bleach out. also sparay them down with the mitecide and when it looks as if the iguana is free of mites clean the cage again and redecorate. Make sure you get new substrate.
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