Faecal results

[Bernie]

Hi all. I recently sent a sample off to a lab for screening. The results came back as follows....

"Faecal Examination No ova, cysts or parasites seen. ( ++ YEASTS SEEN )
*VETERINARY TREATMENT REQUIRED* "

What are yeasts?

 

[Alexl]

Yeast is a type of fungus, but it's an umbrella term for a lot of species, e.g. Candida or Cryptococcus. You can find some of them in healthy animals, too, some are pathogenic. Yeasts love to increase in the gut by sugar (e.g. fruit sugar - that's why I don't recommend to feed fruits).

 

[Bernie]

Yeast is a type of fungus, but it's an umbrella term for a lot of species, e.g. Candida or Cryptococcus. You can find some of them in healthy animals, too, some are pathogenic. Yeasts love to increase in the gut by sugar (e.g. fruit sugar - that's why I don't recommend to feed fruits).

Thanks for the reply. I called my vet and he said it's normal and nothing to worry about. No treatment needed.

He is a healthy Cham so I will leave it as that. I was a tad worried when I read it though!

Can they be serious? If so, are there any warning signs?

 

[Alexl]

They're mostly only pathogenic if there will be an overgrowth with yeasts in the gut - which happens only in already sickly chameleons or in those with a bad balanced nutrition (e.g. too much sugar their gut can't digest as said before).

 

[Bernie]

They're mostly only pathogenic if there will be an overgrowth with yeasts in the gut - which happens only in already sickly chameleons or in those with a bad balanced nutrition (e.g. too much sugar their gut can't digest as said before).

I use apple, papaya, kale, butternut squash and sweet potato for my Gutload. Is any of that Likely to cause or increase the yeast?

 

[Alexl]

Every fruit with much sugar (= most fruits) can increase gut yeasts. That's why I don't feed fruits to chameleons and why I don't recommend it, as I said before. Every chameleon already has yeasts in his gut. They only need some more factors to get a problem (weak animal, any immunosuppressive illnesses, digesting problems with a good environment for the fungus...). There are lots of people feeding their chameleons with fruits without problems. I saw some of the ill ones, so I don't want to have such problems in my own chameleons. And there's no need to feed a caylptratus or pardalis such things at all. The only advantage for the animal itself is to raise water supply, but you can manage this with e.g. cucumbers without any sugar. Just my opinion - you will see the opposite in lots of threads.

P.S.: Better way... gutload the insects with fresh fruits and vegetables.