PardalisGirl
Avid Member
Type of parasite?
That is good news! Did the vet tell you what the parasite was?
That is good news! Did the vet tell you what the parasite was?
Any Ideas Why such a weak appetite?
- Thread starter golf33
- Start date
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
He should drink EVERY day, and several times a day too. In addition to your hand watering, do you not also offer misting and a dripper?
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes exactly. A new smear should be relatively cheap and well worthwhile, just be sure its clear. An apparent diminishing appetite from the usual, might indicate the parasites were not completely eradicated and that numbers might be building up, aka a reccurance.
You dont say how long the treatment was given or dosage/weight, or if a follow up smear was done.
Its a possibility to elimate before you go looking for anything else, always eliminate the obvious choices first.
I thought a cham's weight might drop because of a parasite load but that it wouldn't really affect appetite. They would continue to act hungry and eat, but still drop weight. In fact I've heard that some anti-parasite meds have the opposite effect...a side effect is an appetite stimulant.
Most parasite treatments need to be repeated two or three times to get rid of all live stages of the parasites?
PardalisGirl
Avid Member
I did know it was your picture of an ideal poo. I was joking that it scared me when it popped up so big on my screen. I was also complimenting you on how nice your cham's poop looked. My comment on good news was related to his post saying that his cham was drinking. I do agree with what SandraCham said about drinking more though.
I'd still like to know what the parasite was/is. Metronidazole has been called an appetite stimulator by some because the killing of the parasites (which often do cause a decrease in appetite) then causes the reptile to feel better and eat more.
The number of treatments is dependant on the infestation level in the cham and the keeper's ability to keep the cage free of eggs that can potentially get back into the cham's body. You actually have to do more than one fecal test to determine if they are really eliminated. You can sometimes test between egg/parasite shedding cycles and come up with no parasites in the fecal being tested even though they are in the digestive tract.
PardalisGirl
Avid Member
Cage cleaning.........
So.......did you take apart his caging and disinfect it between treatments?
So.......did you take apart his caging and disinfect it between treatments?
golf33
New Member
I don't know if this is a good picture or not to see his enclosure. I used the camera on my laptop.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46377277@N05/4349221884/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46377277@N05/4349221884/
Hey golf my Ambilobe had the same problem about 5 months ago. Come to find out, he was infested heavily with coccidia. I effectively treated him with the drug ponzuril and it cured him after a second fecal was done.
I kept him well hydrated as mine drinks from the bottle like yours did. But no matter how much he drank or I sprayed he always had orange/pink urrates. I treated him again after his appetite diminished about 2 and a half months after the first treatment and again his fecal was clear. But I just couldnt get his urrate to the white color desired. He would also eat the dirt during the decrease of appetite.
I got him organic soil from a guy that makes his own, but after a while I figured the dirt had parasites because it came from cows poo. So I baked the next round of dirt in the oven and cleaned everything real well. I also started to feed pretty much nothing other than silkworms and treated him with Reptaid. Now he has pearl white colored urrate, is parasite free, and eats and acts like he just feels better.
I noticed his casque is nice,plump, and full of water from the silkies. So I think he was really dehydrated from parasites and treatments. If his urrate is still yellow/orange try getting some silkies. My ambi hates hornworms but you could also try those. Get another fecal done and disinfect the cage really well and hopefully he comes around. I hope this helps because it sounds very simular to my experience. Good luck!!!
I kept him well hydrated as mine drinks from the bottle like yours did. But no matter how much he drank or I sprayed he always had orange/pink urrates. I treated him again after his appetite diminished about 2 and a half months after the first treatment and again his fecal was clear. But I just couldnt get his urrate to the white color desired. He would also eat the dirt during the decrease of appetite.
I got him organic soil from a guy that makes his own, but after a while I figured the dirt had parasites because it came from cows poo. So I baked the next round of dirt in the oven and cleaned everything real well. I also started to feed pretty much nothing other than silkworms and treated him with Reptaid. Now he has pearl white colored urrate, is parasite free, and eats and acts like he just feels better.
I noticed his casque is nice,plump, and full of water from the silkies. So I think he was really dehydrated from parasites and treatments. If his urrate is still yellow/orange try getting some silkies. My ambi hates hornworms but you could also try those. Get another fecal done and disinfect the cage really well and hopefully he comes around. I hope this helps because it sounds very simular to my experience. Good luck!!!
PardalisGirl
Avid Member
Nice big cage....
Thats a nice big cage I would suggest setting your plants on an overturned pot to boost their height so they are in the upper area of the cage. Not too close so they don't get burned. It will also promote more drinking off the leaves if they are higher up. Just to confirm........your are misting the plant foliage several times a day? A cheapo bottle hand sprayer works just fine.....
Thats a nice big cage
I would suggest setting your plants on an overturned pot to boost their height so they are in the upper area of the cage. Not too close so they don't get burned. It will also promote more drinking off the leaves if they are higher up. Just to confirm........your are misting the plant foliage several times a day? A cheapo bottle hand sprayer works just fine.....
