Many iguana owners face the problem when their iguana develops black spots, brown spots, white spots, yellow spots and more. In this post, we will discuss the the reasons why black, brown, yellow, orange and white spots develop on iguana’s skin and what you can do to help solve this issue.
Why is my iguana getting spots?
The reason for spots in iguanas might be different. Your iguana might be getting spots of different colors due to parasites, mites, general color changes, fungal disease, bacterial infection, temperature, burns and more.
Green iguana with spots
Green iguanas are colored brightly green once they are born. Iguanas tend to stay bright green until they start turning around 10-12 months, when the coloration starts to change. With age, green iguanas turn more brown and orange, but their bellies often stay more green.
Also, green iguanas also tend to get spots and stripes that are a normal part of new coloration. With green iguana morphs, such as red or blue, green color of the body also tend to go with age.
Black spots on iguana
There might be few reasons for black spots on iguana’s skin:
- Normal coloration
- Fungal infection
- Bacterial infection
- Mites
- Burns
Normal iguana coloration
Black spots can be a part of normal coloration. As we have mentioned above, your iguana might start getting new stripes, dots and lines as it matures. This is normal. Normal black spots are often in lines, but can also be small scattered spots. Normal black spots often don’t change the surface of the skin.
Fungal infection in iguana
Another reason for black spots is a fungal disorder. Fungal disease will change the surface of the skin. The affected patches might be missing scales, be rough and thick, brown to dark.
To treat fungal infections, you will need to apply anti-fungal cream on your iguana’s skin. Keep applying the creme and the infection will hopefully go with the next shedding. Don’t forget about bathing, too, but make sure to dry your iguana after baths.
Also, if the humidity in the tank is too high, make sure to lower it (to around 60%) until the fungal infection gets better. Proper ventilation is also important in the cage, as too much humidity will only worsen the fungal disease. Make sure there is no loose substrate (not only if iguana is infected, but never).
Mild fungal infections (small dots) that do not get bigger because you start treatment quickly will often go with the first shedding. Start treatment for a fungal disease as soon as possible, otherwise it will spread. It will also get in iguana’s blood, weaken it and can even kill it.
Iguana fungal infection treatment
To treat iguana’s fungal infection, you will need to prepare Betadine soaks (soak for 20-35 minutes at a time, for around 2-3 weeks) for your iguana. Mix Betadine (1:100 concentration) to make a mild brown solution. You can also apply Betadine solution on problematic areas with a cotton pad once in every 2-3 hours if you cannot soak your iguana.
On top of that, apply some anti-fungal cream (such as Nizoral or Terbinafine) on your iguana’s skin.
Please note that Betadine is not intended mainly for fungal infections, but it has some anti-fungal properties. Betadine soaks will help dry the affected areas and not let it get worse. The main purpose of this is to stop the infection from spreading and to help your iguana fight off the infection by providing proper living conditions.
In cases when fungal infection is very severe, your iguana will require a systemic anti fugal medication. Systemic (medication taken in) is different from creams and soaking (topical medication).
Bacterial infection in iguana
Sometimes, instead of the fungal disease, your iguana might be suffering from a bacterial infection. Bacterial infection often make the skin more dry and crusty, and can feature flaking, peeling and bumps.
Bacterial infection looks very similar to fungal infection, and swab testing is needed to confirm whether it’s bacteria or fungi.
To treat the infection that you are not sure is fungal or bacterial, take your iguana to the vet. If you cannot do this, apply cream that targets both fungal and bacterial infections.
You can also apply anti-fungal cream on one spot, and antibacterial on another spot. Whatever spot disappears (can take some time and shedding) will show the type of infection.
Please remember, that most infections are due to a weak immune system of your iguana, so that it can’t properly fight off the infection. Many iguanas coming from big pet stores and from improper conditions might fight off the infection themselves if you provide all the necessary conditions.
Don’t forget staple foods, lighting, heating, humidity and supplements. Also, stress can play a big role in developing infections – as too much stress lowers the immunity. Do not handle your iguana too much until it gets better and provide a stress-free environment.
If the spots or patches are very small, only start with soaks, and it is likely to go with the next 2-3 sheddings. But if the spots or patches are quite large, start using anti fungal or antibacterial ointments, too. In severe cases, systemic antibiotics might be required.
Iguana bacterial infection treatment
Similarly to a fungal infection, you will need to take care of iguana’s immunity and living conditions first. Weak immunity (not feeding proper foods and not supplementing), lack of UVB lighting, very low or high humidity can all cause problems.
Make sure to clean the tank regularly while you are treating the infection.
If the infection is not serious, start with soaking your iguana in a Betadine solution (1:100) for 20-30 minutes a day, for 2-3 weeks. Monitor the infection with each shedding. But if you can, please take your iguana to the vet after you notice the spots.
Mites and ticks on iguana’s skin
Whenever you see black spots on your iguana’s skin, look closely. If these are small, round spots that are moving – they are mites or ticks! Mites are parasites that feed on your iguana’s blood. You will need to remove the mites immediately as you see them.
Mites or ticks can not only be black in color, but also red (red spots are often mites). Sometimes, instead of few spots, they can have a patch look.
Mites/ticks are not only bad for your iguana’s health, but can also cause dangerous infections. If left untreated, they will cause skin peeling and darkening, and can even lead to death.
Signs of mites on your iguana include rubbing of the body against various objects (don’t confuse with shedding), spending more time soaking and itching.
How to treat iguana mites?
Removing ticks or mites one by one will often not solve the problem. Mites can infestate the cage and hide in different porous accessories and under iguana’s scales. To treat iguana mites, you will need to move your iguana to a simple plastic container while you are dealing with the cage.
Start by removing all the accessories from the cage and spraying the cage with anti-mite spray like this. Bake all wooden branches in the oven at 230 F for 45 minutes, and if you can’t – throw them away.
Also, wash all the accessories with a bleach solution (dilute bleach 1:20). Let everything dry and the cage to off-gas before you return your iguana back to the cage.
Never use alcohol sprays on your iguana’s skin to kill mites. Any alcohol-based sprays or solutions will cause very serious burns in iguanas. Start by removing the ticks on the surface of the skin with a special tick removal tool like this. This will help to remove a whole tick, without leaving its head under the skin (that can cause infection).
Black or brown spots on iguana – burns
If your iguana gets burned – it will develop dark brown burnt patches. Burns can even be dark yellow or bluish in color, depending on your iguana’s skin color. These will get darker with time and can turn into grey, white and black patches.
Causes of burns can include uncovered bulbs, very hot bulbs in small enclosures and use of hot rocks. Please never use hot rocks as they can get hot very quickly and do not provide adequate heating for your iguana. Place bulbs around 10-12 inches away from your iguana make sure that it can’t touch it.
To treat burns in iguana, make sure to apply some cream that is intended for burns and is also an antiseptic. Make sure that the spray or cream does not contain any alcohol or oils (this will trap the heat and make the burn worse). Apply once a day and make sure to keep the wound clean.
White spots on iguana
One of the main reasons for white spots on iguana’s skin is shedding. Areas that are going to shed very soon become milky white. This is normal, and there is nothing to worry about. Make sure to bathe your iguana and mist it to help with shedding.
Iguanas shed in pieces, so don’t worry if you can only see few white spots on your iguana at a time. Your iguana is going to shed every 4-6 weeks, and young iguanas will shed more often because they are growing. In winter, during slower growth period, your iguana will be shedding less often.
Another reason for white spots might be the salt that your iguana gets rid of by sneezing. Iguanas get rid of excess salt in their organisms by sneezing. You might also see the white spots on the cage glass from sneezing. This is completely normal.
Yellow spots in iguana
One of the reasons for yellow spots in an iguana might be Salmonellosis. If your iguana is weak and lethargic, it might become infected with Salmonellosis. The infection might cause small round spots on iguana’s skin, often yellow or orange in color.
Normal gut flora in iguanas contains Salmonella bacteria, but due to stress and poor living conditions, your iguana might get too many bacteria, causing the infection.
Normal gut flora in iguanas contains Salmonella bacteria, but due to stress and poor living conditions, your iguana might get too many bacteria, causing the infection.
You will need to take your iguana to the vet if you suspect the infection, to perform a number of tests. In most cases, it is not the best move to administer any systemic (to take in or injection) antibiotics for your iguana as they might cause the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can create issues the reptile and even owners.
To help you iguana get better, you will need to soak your iguana in Betadine solution and apply antibiotic ointment. If the case is severe, antibiotics such as Baytril might be needed to reduce the number of bacteria.
The main thing that you must do – provide adequate heating, lighting, food, supplements and a cage. Your iguana will get used to its new environment and get stronger to fight off the infection.
Please make sure to visit this page to find everything on iguana care. On the page, you will find all about iguana lighting, heating, humidity, diet, supplements and more.