Parasites and showers

TheMentor · #1 08-17-2008, 12:10 PM

i just have 2 questions because the chameleon i may get was previously dealing with parasites and is now on a small hungerstrike

i wanted to know if anyone knows of what good places there are to reasearch parasites and caring for an animal with parasites if it does come back.

secondly, i was wondering about what temperature to shower a chameleon at, between 75-85 degress was a guess but i'd really like a definite answer

adam1v · #2 08-17-2008, 12:14 PM

You can put them in a shower almost as hot as it gets, providing you bounce the spray off a wall, by the time it gets to them, its just over luke warm, its less of a shock on them and they will tend to go into a 'sleepy / relaxed state' when theyre in the shower.

My mellers are quite funny, ive bathed one of them in the sink yesterday, she was scrabbling to get out until i dropped water droplets on her head to simulate a rainful and she switched off like a lightbulb and had a 2 minute snooze. She didnt go black and wasnt stressed as far as i could tell.

How long have you have your cham? Have you tried other foods? Depending on what it was currently being fed on, the cham may just be being fussy for a short period of time.

TheMentor · #3 08-17-2008, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adam1v

You can put them in a shower almost as hot as it gets, providing you bounce the spray off a wall, by the time it gets to them, its just over luke warm, its less of a shock on them and they will tend to go into a 'sleepy / relaxed state' when theyre in the shower.

My mellers are quite funny, ive bathed one of them in the sink yesterday, she was scrabbling to get out until i dropped water droplets on her head to simulate a rainful and she switched off like a lightbulb and had a 2 minute snooze. She didnt go black and wasnt stressed as far as i could tell.

How long have you have your cham? Have you tried other foods? Depending on what it was currently being fed on, the cham may just be being fussy for a short period of time.

well the chameleon is not mine yet, hes a 2yr old, nosy be/ambilobe morph. hes just recently getting better from what im told. i may try for super worms and crickets with calcium w/ d3 the week that i get him to steady off his calcium for awhile and remove that from the equation.

dodolah · #4 08-17-2008, 12:35 PM

i have to be a bit disagree on the temp of the shower.
I would only put the temp as hot as what you can handle if you yourself are in the shower.

I find that depending on the heater that people have, the hottest shower setting can get pretty hot.
What you need to avoid is showering your chameleon with icy cold water.

TheMentor · #5 08-17-2008, 12:38 PM

right, of course. wouldnt want to have him on ice :P lol

HOWEVER
my question on the parasites still stands. if you can help, please say so, thanks.

dodolah · #6 08-17-2008, 12:48 PM

as far as parasites goes, If I were you, I would quarantine the guy for at least a month (I usually do it for 3 months).
Separate him in his own room before you introduce him in to the "reptile" room (if you have other reptile pets).

pay attention to his dehydration status.
It's not a bad idea to continually do a fecal check to the vet.

Do you happen to know what parasites he used to have?

I highly suggest that you don't use Any of his "old" enclosure including the furnitures from his old keeper and go ahead buy a new one.
If you do plan to use the old cage, scrub it well with a bleach solution (10%).
Let it for 30 minutes and rinse well with water until the trace of fume is gone.

for extra caution I would let it sun dry for at least a day.
Then, just hope for the best that you have get rid all of the parasite eggs.

Chameleonboy · #7 08-17-2008, 01:08 PM

if he doesent drink in the shower after 10 min should i still keep him in there?

or give him another 10 and then take him out

TheMentor · #8 08-17-2008, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodolah

as far as parasites goes, If I were you, I would quarantine the guy for at least a month (I usually do it for 3 months).
Separate him in his own room before you introduce him in to the "reptile" room (if you have other reptile pets).

pay attention to his dehydration status.
It's not a bad idea to continually do a fecal check to the vet.

Do you happen to know what parasites he used to have?

I highly suggest that you don't use Any of his "old" enclosure including the furnitures from his old keeper and go ahead buy a new one.
If you do plan to use the old cage, scrub it well with a bleach solution (10%).
Let it for 30 minutes and rinse well with water until the trace of fume is gone.

for extra caution I would let it sun dry for at least a day.
Then, just hope for the best that you have get rid all of the parasite eggs.

allright, so.. i dont know exactly what kind of parasites, i really know very little about the disease itself except for what i learned of them in biology class awhile back which actually has proven helpful in my resaearching lately. i have a full new setup but i am also buying the old cage as well, i'm really only buying that to ease the stress of the move on the animal himself.

i wouldn't say i'm a complete master of chameleon-care but i learn very quickly and have had chameleons before. i've already got the 10% bleach ready for when i recieve the cage, im not sure that sun dry will be an option, i'll use my sisters blow dryer on a cold setting and that should work because i know bacterium grow easily in warmer temperatures.

another question now -
are parasites easily gotten rid of? i'm sure i can fix it in good time. i have no other reptiles but are there any more specifcations for the room that i put him in?
the chameleon is a 2 year old nosy be/amilobe morph, close to breeder quality, hes a great looking specimen and is slowly regaining its appetite so i'm hoping the move from her house to my house won't stress him out to much.

dodolah · #9 08-17-2008, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chameleonboy

if he doesent drink in the shower after 10 min should i still keep him in there?

or give him another 10 and then take him out

is there a reason why you put him in the shower?
Is he dehydrated?

dodolah · #10 08-17-2008, 01:19 PM

see my answer below

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMentor

i have a full new setup but i am also buying the old cage as well, i'm really only buying that to ease the stress of the move on the animal himself.

I say go ahead and put a new setup for him. He will be stressed regardless unless if you can keep the way the old keeper arrange its furniture inside of the cage.

I've already got the 10% bleach ready for when i recieve the cage, im not sure that sun dry will be an option, i'll use my sisters blow dryer on a cold setting and that should work because i know bacterium grow easily in warmer temperatures.

Although I cannot say this with absolute certainty, people has used steam cleaner to blast their cage with boiling steam. They say it works wonder. but, idk if it actually works. I have no scientific proof.

are parasites easily gotten rid of?
I wish

. It actually depends on the parasites. Getting rid the common parasites out of your chameleon system is usually easy. But preventing the reinfestation that's a whole different story. One of the most annoying parasite is COCCIDIA

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