lovepicasso
New Member
You're a good mommy....he is adorable!
Steve takes a bath and other pics
- Thread starter Sarahcwilson
- Start date
Sarahcwilson
New Member
Thanks LovePicasso! I'll keep him! 
He takes a lot of care, but he deserves it.
He takes a lot of care, but he deserves it.
Dr O
Veterinarian
i was asked to chime in-
The parasite that she is speaking of is an intestinal parasite, very much like Giardia or coccidia. Metronidazole is the main anti-parasitical medication that will kill the parasite, but as many of you may know who have had to treat for Giardia or coccidia, they reproduce in the millions and cage disinfection is an absolute must as part of the treatment regimen. Giving a bath is a bit more then most veterinarians will typically recommend in most circumstances, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it as it just helps to diminish the possibility of any reinfection from the typical fecal-oral route, which is why some treatments “fail”. the medications rarely fail, it’s much more common that just one egg/spore/oocyst got through and restarted the entire cycle.
For various reasons I have had some of my panthers in lukewarm water at some point and have never seen any major or even minor stress reaction. i have no issues with the treatment protocol that has been prescribed.
dr. o—
The parasite that she is speaking of is an intestinal parasite, very much like Giardia or coccidia. Metronidazole is the main anti-parasitical medication that will kill the parasite, but as many of you may know who have had to treat for Giardia or coccidia, they reproduce in the millions and cage disinfection is an absolute must as part of the treatment regimen. Giving a bath is a bit more then most veterinarians will typically recommend in most circumstances, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it as it just helps to diminish the possibility of any reinfection from the typical fecal-oral route, which is why some treatments “fail”. the medications rarely fail, it’s much more common that just one egg/spore/oocyst got through and restarted the entire cycle.
For various reasons I have had some of my panthers in lukewarm water at some point and have never seen any major or even minor stress reaction. i have no issues with the treatment protocol that has been prescribed.
dr. o—
Sarahcwilson
New Member
Thank you Dr. O for taking the time to respond and easing my mind. Steve doesn't seem to mind and is quite a good swimmer too!
Thanks everyone for the compliments and questions. I always want to share pics and make sure my guy is taken good care of. He's a cutie.
Steve doesn't seem to mind and is quite a good swimmer too! Thanks everyone for the compliments and questions. I always want to share pics and make sure my guy is taken good care of. He's a cutie.
Trace
Captain Awesome
Thank you Dr. O for the detailed reply; I was curious about the homecare regime too and was hoping that either you or Dayna would chime in.
I have a question though; if Steve is still shedding the parasite and poops in the water, or has a small amount of feces on his vent that loosens in the water and he then ingests the bath water would that not increase the odds of re-infection? Or does the parasite have to be transferred via a host like an insect?
Steve is awesome! He's got great colours for a young guy. I hope he gets better for you soon!
I have a question though; if Steve is still shedding the parasite and poops in the water, or has a small amount of feces on his vent that loosens in the water and he then ingests the bath water would that not increase the odds of re-infection? Or does the parasite have to be transferred via a host like an insect?
Steve is awesome! He's got great colours for a young guy. I hope he gets better for you soon!
I was asked to chime in as well, but was working long hours this weekend. One of the benefits of arboreal lizards like chams is they have little to no contact with their fecal matter since they don't walk through the area that they defecate in. Bathing is much more pertinent for ground dwellers who inhabit the same space as their fecal matter where the organism will be so will get it on their body easily. So even if you disinfected the cage if the organism survives on the animal it can reinfect the cage that way.
But there's nothing wrong with bathing a cham as an extra precaution. They inflate like that to float in the water since they're not well equipped for swimming. Someone posted a YouTube video of a Cham crossing a river and it was inflated that way.
Trace - defecating in the water would be a risk of reinfection. If the cham was to do that I'd recommend removing it immediately and using a clean container to soak again. In the water it would probably be a little easier to reinfect than in the cage since the water is all around contact instead of the poop dropping away from them.
But there's nothing wrong with bathing a cham as an extra precaution. They inflate like that to float in the water since they're not well equipped for swimming. Someone posted a YouTube video of a Cham crossing a river and it was inflated that way.
Trace - defecating in the water would be a risk of reinfection. If the cham was to do that I'd recommend removing it immediately and using a clean container to soak again. In the water it would probably be a little easier to reinfect than in the cage since the water is all around contact instead of the poop dropping away from them.
Ryan1976
New Member
LOL!! That's so cute!! My Female Veiled freaked out the 1st time I gave her a bath!! That 1st bath was because she was shedding & it wasn't coming off very easily. She wasn't sure about it at first, but now... She will just sit in warm water and soak forever!! I usually put her in the bathroom sink, and she will sit in my hands FOREVER while soaking.
I actually have to FORCE her to get out now!! She LOVES it that much!! Typical Woman... she thinks she's at the Spa. LOL!! I highly suggest that everyone soak their Chams periodically. I think it's very beneficial to them. It definitely helps with shedding, plus, it helps with hydration. It will not harm them one bit. However, I don't suggest using plain tap water. I use bottled water, or I treat the tap water with "ReptiSafe"... it helps take out all the harmful chemicals that Humans put in our water.
I actually have to FORCE her to get out now!! She LOVES it that much!! Typical Woman... she thinks she's at the Spa. LOL!! I highly suggest that everyone soak their Chams periodically. I think it's very beneficial to them. It definitely helps with shedding, plus, it helps with hydration. It will not harm them one bit. However, I don't suggest using plain tap water. I use bottled water, or I treat the tap water with "ReptiSafe"... it helps take out all the harmful chemicals that Humans put in our water.
Sarahcwilson
New Member
This is all making a lot of sense, especially about the ground dweller vs. tree dweller. He hasn't gone to the bathroom in the water but I literally watch him the whole time. I also rinse him at the end and he hasn't drank the water; I keep it pretty shallow. I wonder if it might be better just to short soak and then rinse. Hmm...
Thank you everyone for the input. It makes me happy that we have this community of caring people to offer help and support like this. Thank you!!!
Thank you everyone for the input. It makes me happy that we have this community of caring people to offer help and support like this.
Thank you!!!
