The problem of mites is not very common in home bred blue tongue skink, but most of the times it may happen that the lizard you have recently bought might not actually be home bred and may have mites or other parasitic diseases form the wild. Even if your animal is home bred, it can still get mites because of unclean environment and substrate but generally the problem of mites is not that a big deal and can easily be controlled in a week or so.
The most common symptoms of mites include appearance of irregular dark patches on your reptile that keep on changing places. You can also check for uplifted scales on your pet by rubbing your hand up and down its body. In some cases, the lizard has sudden outburst of irritation on its body, which makes it uneasy. These symptoms mean your lizard has mites that need to be dealt with as soon as possible.
A number of mite sprays and formulas can help you get rid of the problem; most of the formulas come in the form of a liquid that has to be rubbed thoroughly on the reptile’s body usually once in three days. Within the first two days, the mites tend to go away from the body but it is still advisable to apply the formula one more time after the first three days to ensure that mites are not returning at all.
Once your animal is mite free, it is time to clean the cage or enclosure in which it is kept. Wash it thoroughly with soap and disinfectant and put the mite reduction formula along the sides so that all the germs, eggs etc. are killed and future prospects of your animal getting mites are reduced. Along with this, take care of the hygiene of your lizard by cleaning it thoroughly with a wet towel at least once in two to three weeks. Although getting mites in not a big deal in skink pet, yet if you neglect the problem it can lead to severe consequences including deteriorating health on your pet.
Therefore, before you decide to get a pet lizard for yourself, you need to understand that having a pet is a big responsibility that requires your constant attention and time. Although blue tongue skinks are comparatively less attention seeking pets, yet you cannot neglect them for a long time if you want to ensure that your pet is in good shape both physically and environment wise.
