Little White bugs on him

L

Leon911

Member
Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Male Veiled about 2-3 months old
* Handling - Not regularly. Only when he climbs on the mesh ceiling too close to the uva bulb
* Feeding - 1/4inch crickets gut loaded with the green supplements. He eats ALOT, I dust them with calcium every other day and a vitamine once a week.
* Supplements - Calcium and vitamine with d3
* Watering - Misting, twice a day whenever it seams dry. I usually watch him drink to make sure
* Fecal Description - Normal I think, poos once a day in the morning, sometimes the white thing is a shade of yellow
* History - Got him from a pet store who bought him from a private breeder at 3 weeks old

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Glass aquarium. Was told that this was okay for untill he reaches 6 months
* Lighting - Heat lamp and uva light. 12 hours on 12 off
* Temperature - mid 70s durring day and low 70s durring night. Thermometer on probe to measure
* Humidity - It varies from when I mist
* Plants - Yes, I checked the plant site and selected one that was chameleon safe
* Placement - On desk table, relatively high up
* Location - Toronto, Canada

Problem. If I look very closely at my chameleon I can see these tiny nearly microscophic bugs that look like tics or flees... Im not sure what they are if they are harmful or a parasite or how to get rid of them. He doesn't seam to mind them but I am still worried.
 
sounds like it might be mites. ive heard other keepers buying a reptile safe spray to use on them good luck!


p.s. id cut down on the vites to twice a month :D
 
Thanks for the info. I will ask at my local pet store.

However I just witness my chameleon with a green cricket supplement stuck between his mouth which me must have accidentally stuck with his tongue. I did not know what to do so I attempted to remove it but he swallowed it. It is not very big, but I am worried that it could upset his stomach or if it will even be digested. Has this happened to anyone before? What is the proper course of action?
 
unsure on whats in the supp. so i dont know if its bad for him best bet would be to make it so he cant access it. i gutload my feeders in a small bin then put them into his feeder dish
 
I would bet money they are mites, it is impossible to tell without seeing a picture. My snake collection got them one time. If that is indeed what they are then yes they will be harmful if allowed to infest too heavily. The good news is that they are easily disposed of. I always used the nix method and had great results, use a gallon of distilled water (extends shelf life of finished product to 12 months) with 56 g/59 mls of nix. Mix thoroughly, here comes the PIA, spray down the animal and break down and make sure that you coat every surface inside of the cage and allow time to dry. If there is any substrate being used toss it and put new substrate in after cleaning the cage. Repeat every 5-7 days for a total of three treatments. I would probably cup feed until you are done with the treatments and then resume my normal procedures.
 
Thanks, Im looking at them and there appears to be more of them. There are a few things you mentioned that I do not understand.

What is nix?

What is PIA?
 
Nix is a lice treatment that is commonly found in drugstores. Pia is an abrevation for pain in the a#@. When you spray the animal make sure to get around the eye sockets as they like to hide in the folds. Do not spray directly on the head though, just rub it around the head with your finger. The rest of the body you can spray. The reason I say it is a pain is because if you miss even a little bit of the cage or animal it is likely that they will re-infest. Substrate is anything you keep on the bottom to catch poop etc, such as paper towels or dirt, if you have a live plant I would recommend replanting it in fresh soil.
Leon911 said:
Thanks, Im looking at them and there appears to be more of them. There are a few things you mentioned that I do not understand.

What is nix?

What is PIA?
Click to expand...
 
Substrate is what is in the bottom of the cage, like wood chips, coconut husk, sand... etc. You don't want this is your enclosure do to the fact that your cham can injest it or that bacteria can breed from getting wet and little creatures such as mites can have a place to hide!!! Leave your cage floor bare and keep it simple and sanitary!
 
If the bugs you are seeing are white then what you are probably seeing is something called grain mites or wood mites. They are harmless to your chameleon. Annoying, but harmless. They survive in moist, humid conditions, probably came in with your wood chip substrate and will explode in numbers seemingly overnight given the right conditions. Get rid of your substrate, wash your cage well with hot soapy water and keep the cage dry for a few days and that should take care of the mites.

Nix, Provent-A-Mite and other pesticides can be deadly to lizards. Do not use those remedies.
 
* Your Chameleon - Male Veiled about 2-3 months old
* Handling - Not regularly. Only when he climbs on the mesh ceiling too close to the uva bulb
* Feeding - 1/4inch crickets gut loaded with the green supplements. He eats ALOT, I dust them with calcium every other day and a vitamine once a week.
* Supplements - Calcium and vitamine with d3....please see my information below for information on supplements.
* Watering - Misting, twice a day whenever it seams dry. I usually watch him drink to make sure
* Fecal Description - Normal I think, poos once a day in the morning, sometimes the white thing is a shade of yellow...yellow/orange can be an indication of dehydration.
* History - Got him from a pet store who bought him from a private breeder at 3 weeks old

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Glass aquarium. Was told that this was okay for untill he reaches 6 months
* Lighting - Heat lamp and uva light. 12 hours on 12 off...you can use a regular household incandescent bulb for a basking bulb...wattage that puts the temperature in the right range (low to mid 80's F for that age). You need a UVB light as well...see below for more information about it.
* Temperature - mid 70s durring day and low 70s durring night. Thermometer on probe to measure
* Humidity - It varies from when I mist
* Plants - Yes, I checked the plant site and selected one that was chameleon safe...hope you washed it well - both sides of the leaves before using it?
* Placement - On desk table, relatively high up
* Location - Toronto, Canada

Problem. If I look very closely at my chameleon I can see these tiny nearly microscophic bugs that look like tics or flees... Im not sure what they are if they are harmful or a parasite or how to get rid of them. He doesn't seam to mind them but I am still worried....you already had answers to this.

Here's some information that might help you.....
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
 
A number of suggestions have been posted and I'm not sure which one to go with. I use paper towels on the bottom and put paper over the glass so he can't see his reflection. There is soil in the plant but I put marbles over it so he will not accidentally eat the dirt.

Someone said that the mite can be harmful and that I should use a Nix solution to kill them. Then someone else said that the mite are probably harmless and that a Nix solution can be deadly to the chameleon. Since I am relatively new to veiled chameleons I would like some clarification on what to do about the white bugs on him. I would try to get a picture but they are simply too small for anything to show up.
 
kinyonga said:
* Your Chameleon - Male Veiled about 2-3 months old
* Handling - Not regularly. Only when he climbs on the mesh ceiling too close to the uva bulb
* Feeding - 1/4inch crickets gut loaded with the green supplements. He eats ALOT, I dust them with calcium every other day and a vitamine once a week.
* Supplements - Calcium and vitamine with d3....please see my information below for information on supplements.
* Watering - Misting, twice a day whenever it seams dry. I usually watch him drink to make sure
* Fecal Description - Normal I think, poos once a day in the morning, sometimes the white thing is a shade of yellow...yellow/orange can be an indication of dehydration.
* History - Got him from a pet store who bought him from a private breeder at 3 weeks old

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Glass aquarium. Was told that this was okay for untill he reaches 6 months
* Lighting - Heat lamp and uva light. 12 hours on 12 off...you can use a regular household incandescent bulb for a basking bulb...wattage that puts the temperature in the right range (low to mid 80's F for that age). You need a UVB light as well...see below for more information about it.
* Temperature - mid 70s durring day and low 70s durring night. Thermometer on probe to measure
* Humidity - It varies from when I mist
* Plants - Yes, I checked the plant site and selected one that was chameleon safe...hope you washed it well - both sides of the leaves before using it?
* Placement - On desk table, relatively high up
* Location - Toronto, Canada

Problem. If I look very closely at my chameleon I can see these tiny nearly microscophic bugs that look like tics or flees... Im not sure what they are if they are harmful or a parasite or how to get rid of them. He doesn't seam to mind them but I am still worried....you already had answers to this.

Here's some information that might help you.....
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
Click to expand...



I have supplements and a UVB bulb. TY.

Still not sure what to do about the mites. Guess I'll leave them because someone said that nix can be deadly to the lizard and the mites are harmless. I can't really keep the cage dry because the chameleon requires misting in order to drink.
 
I would not let my animal live with mites, they carry disease and can spread in a reptile collection quickly if not pro actively treated. The reason I use nix is because it treats both eggs and adults and until you break that cycle they will rein fest. If you are concerneod about nix you can use provent a mite, it is rated safe for all reptiles by the epa. The reason I use nix is it is cheaper then provent a mite and they have the exact same active ingredient (permethrin ,.5in provent, 1% in nix hence the reason you dillute it). As far as mites not being harmful I would have to disagree. They carry and spread disease, you wouldnt let your dog live with fleas or your child live with head lice would you? I certainly would never buy from a breeder who didn't feel lice were harmful enough to bother treating.
 
andy27012 said:
I would not let my animal live with mites, they carry disease and can spread in a reptile collection quickly if not pro actively treated. The reason I use nix is because it treats both eggs and adults and until you break that cycle they will rein fest. If you are concerneod about nix you can use provent a mite, it is rated safe for all reptiles by the epa. The reason I use nix is it is cheaper then provent a mite and they have the exact same active ingredient (permethrin ,.5in provent, 1% in nix hence the reason you dillute it). As far as mites not being harmful I would have to disagree. They carry and spread disease, you wouldnt let your dog live with fleas or your child live with head lice would you? I certainly would never buy from a breeder who didn't feel lice were harmful enough to bother treating.
Click to expand...

I think you are missing the point. The mites described are not reptile mites. Not the same as you are talking about. They are harmless to reptiles.
 
Ryan Jarosek said:
I think you are missing the point. The mites described are not reptile mites. Not the same as you are talking about. They are harmless to reptiles.
Click to expand...

No offense, but I feel as if you are missing my point. Unless the problem will resolve itself, then I feel it shows a lack of proper husbandry to not treat. The same as a flea poses no threat to a dog on heartworm meds or head lice pose no real threat to a child but we still treat.
 
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