Parasites......wow

[JackAttack]

i swear to god it never ends.............why do chameleons get parasites? im sure that my Jude got them from the new veiled bruce that we had.........my question is, can he live with them? all the vet secretary told me on the phone was that after todays fecal, Jude had unknown egg types and several types of parasites, mild, in his poop sample. i just had a sample done on him a month and a half ago. he was clear, i even posted a thread on here about it..........and now, he has these parasites. can he live with these parasites? are they going to kill him? he eats like a mother........and drinks on a regular basis from a dripper, he has had no change in attitude ( i know that they dont change how they act for fear of being eaten in the wild) but with Jack my cham that had coccidia, he was going downhill, fast. Jude seems to have no problems whatsoever, and my fear is that the treatment itself will do more harm than good to what seems to be a healthy chameleon.....................HELP PLEASE............this is getting to be a bit much. i cant win!

 

[kinyonga]

Most parasites are transferred by the oral/fecal method so unless one chameleon gets poop from the other in his mouth from direct contact or from contact with your hand or an instrument, container, etc. used in both cages there should be no transfer. Some can be acquired through an indirect cycle as well.

One clear sample doesn't mean that the chameleon has no parasites...they only show up in a fecal test when they shed eggs.

As for living with the parasites...it depends on what parasites are involved....and as long as one of them has parasites, you will have to be extra careful about cross-contamination.

This explains a bit about parasite cycles...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitic_life_cycles
http://books.google.ca/books?id=wC9...ADgK#v=onepage&q=parasites AND cycles&f=false

 

[mwebb]

panacur

Run some panacur threw your cham. Its very safe and you can get it at any feed store. then retest.

 

[CNorton]

Many chameleon live quite happy and full lives with parasites in the wild. Most times in captivity, it is the combination of stress, incorrect husbandry, and parasites that will cause a chameleon to die. I've learned the hard way with parasites that there is a delicate balance between living with parasites and treating for parasites. I would strive to reach a level of low stress and consistency with husbandry before ever treating a chameleon for parasites.

Another simple way to look at it is... if you have an already stressed animal, trying to eliminate parasites can push your cham over the edge. I would say it is almost like waiting till the end stages of cancer and trying to do chemotherapy.

Chances are if you have a cham that is eating well, pooping well, and exhibiting generally comfortable behavior...you will be fine treating for parasites. But if you just get in a wild-caught chameleon that is gaunt and dehydrated, wait to treat and give it the best husbandry you've got!

 

[nightcrawler]

What kind, and where do you get your feeders?
Some feeders are the reason parasites can get into your cham. Some people on here check their bug poop to see if it is contaminated.
Your old cham had coccidea? Did you clean out everything that was involved with the cham thoroughly? Did you quarantine the cham so it cant infect other animals?

 

[Lovereps]

Another source of parasites, seldom considered

If you have one pet with parasites and you take the feeders he/she didn't eat and put them back in with the other feeders OR feed those feeders to your cham, it will very likely become infected with the same parasites.
This is not conjecture--it's from "Understanding Reptile Parasites" by Roger Klingenberg, D.V.M.
Anyone wondering whether or not to bother getting their cham checked or treated would be very wise to read this book--and it's inexpensive.
It may seem like the kind of book that only vets would be interested in but it is actually a very interesting and informative book.
Like Kinyonga said, one negative fecal test is not an accurate indication that your cham is parasite free.
My thanks go out to Dave Weldon whose signature includes a list of reptile books that he owns.
Never would have known about it if he hadn't listed it.

 

[JackAttack]

alrite, so the feeling that im getting, is that jude is healthy, and acting normal, so he should be ok being treated for the parasites........right? the doc gave me this:

Fenbendazole
Metronidazole

one is for the treatment of the eggs they found ( unknown origin they said, but suspect a round worm) and the other is for the parasites they found ( mild protozoa).

she said that the parasites, he could live with, as long as his immune system keeps them in check.....however if something were to happen, they could infest him and make him quite ill. the eggs, she definately wanted to treat. overall, they were astonished by jude, and how wonderful he presented.

the meds are to be administered once a day for 3 days (0.06ml), then take a week break, then again once a day for 3 days. re-check fecal in one month.

my question is ............................ well what do you guys think? i have a perfectly healthy acting cham at the moment, and ive seen what drugs can do...........but i also dont want jude to get sick. help!

 

[JackAttack]

What kind, and where do you get your feeders?
Some feeders are the reason parasites can get into your cham. Some people on here check their bug poop to see if it is contaminated.
Your old cham had coccidea? Did you clean out everything that was involved with the cham thoroughly? Did you quarantine the cham so it cant infect other animals?

feeders come from pj's pets...........they come in a tub with water gel and food, and i dump them into my own container and gutload and keep it clean.

we threw everything away that belonged to Jack, didnt want to risk any new chams getting coccidia. at the time, we didnt have any other chams.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...the doc gave me this:

Fenbendazole
Metronidazole

The meds are to be administered once a day for 3 days (0.06ml), then take a week break, then again once a day for 3 days. re-check fecal in one month.

... well what do you guys think? i have a perfectly healthy acting cham at the moment, and ive seen what drugs can do...........but i also dont want jude to get sick. help!

Howdy,

I'm on the side of the wall that treats chameleons with parasites . Many vets suggest treating for parasites even though the chameleon may not be presenting signs of a parasite related illness - yet. I know of many keepers who do not treat for parasites, even with WC chameleons. There are trade-offs either way.

Fenbendazole = Panacur
Metronidazole = Flagyl

Both drugs have a good record for safety and effectiveness.

Re-pot (even if fresh store-bought) any plants to minimize the chances that parasites came from contaminated soil.

Keep in mind: https://www.chameleonforums.com/drug-panacur-resistant-parasites-31187/ .

 

[JackAttack]

Howdy,

I'm on the side of the wall that treats chameleons with parasites . Many vets suggest treating for parasites even though the chameleon may not be presenting signs of a parasite related illness - yet. I know of many keepers who do not treat for parasites, even with WC chameleons. There are trade-offs either way.

Fenbendazole = Panacur
Metronidazole = Flagyl

Both drugs have a good record for safety and effectiveness.

Re-pot (even if fresh store-bought) any plants to minimize the chances that parasites came from contaminated soil.

Keep in mind: https://www.chameleonforums.com/drug-panacur-resistant-parasites-31187/ .

thanks dave

 

[JackAttack]

thanks everyone...............here we go.............