I have a veiled chameleon that I believe has a parasite infection. How can I go about treating this? A reptile vet is out of the question because from my experience they have been the biggest joke going at least in my area. I am pretty certain there is something parasite related because he eats 20+ large crickets a day and you can still see his spine, ribs, and lack of fat in his tail. For the amount he is eating he looks absolutely terrible. What would be the typical DIY parasite treatment? I'll even do a fecal sample under a microscope if I have a picture of what to look for.
Veilded chameleon looks malnourished but eats a ton.
- Thread starter aapuzzo
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ERKleRose
Chameleon Enthusiast
Even if the drive is hours long, he needs an experienced chameleon vet now! The parasite load will eventually kill him. Like @cham girl said, bring a fresh fecal sample with you to the appointment! And don’t let the vet treat anything unless they have evidence of the exact parasite(s) and the meds are to treat whatever parasites he does have! Could you post some pics of him, please?
You can get many medications online from other countries without a prescription. I know I bought Albendazole before.
That would be great if it was an option. It's actually one of the coldest days of the year right now here in the North East.
I know what I am about to say will be upsetting but it isn't even about the drive. I have no problem driving and paying if it worked. I have literally had the worst experience with reptile vets. Now I am sure there is a few out there that truly know what they are doing but I have witnessed a 0% success rate in treating small reptiles with lots of money spent. From my experience and others I know they look at the thing for 2 seconds and give it baytrl. I rather buy a microscope and try myself because after the fact when it probably dies anyway at least I'll have a microscope. I'll get a picture once he doesn't see me taking it and puffs up. When he puffs up its deceiving.
ERKleRose
Chameleon Enthusiast
Where do you live? We can try to help you find a good reputable one with tons of chameleon experience. If you already have the microscope and experience, you can do it yourself, but I’d strongly recommend a good vet ASAP, especially with how you described him!
I live in MA and the only one I think that has a clue is Odd Pet Vet. I have been there for Abronia with a fungus infection but it ultimately didn't work. Picked something up at a reptile show. . In this case I don't think Odd Pet Vet Stood a chance of treating the Abronia because most of the good meds are for larger reptiles. Problem is Odd Pet Vet has a long wait list. I waited 6 weeks before COVID. The other Vets have been a joke from my experience and local word of mouth. I would like to just try treating it.
ERKleRose
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’m not located near there, so other members will have to chime in. Have you looked on certified exotic vets websites? What I had to do was call all exotic vets that were reputable near me and asked if they had chameleon experience, and if so, how much of it and what type.
janjan20
Chameleon Enthusiast
If you are not looking to go to a vet do some research on Reptaid. I treated one of my chams with it when he had coccidia and my turtle when he had a respiratory infection. Now with that being said, the Reptaid was a pretreatment for my Cham because he was too small to give proper meds. If you haven’t had a husbandry review recently I would recommend filling out the help form, there could be something off in that dept too.
janjan20
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
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Please Note:
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
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Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
Erica1884
Avid Member
The Odd Pet Vet is definitely the best! I am in MA too and have found Dr Mertz super knowledge. Definitely longer waits since Covid but I would see what they have open. I had my male veiled seen there in Nov and I definitely did not have to wait six weeks. Stay away from Kingston Animal Hospital. No knowledge at all! Good luck
janjan20
Chameleon Enthusiast
Crickets are notorious for harboring parasites too. Do you free range them or have a feeder run? I would recommend a deep clean on the cage as well just in case.
If your chameleon does have parasites, you need to know the species it has in order to know which medication will kill it.
It's not always easy to identify which parasite it is.
Some parasites need to be treated and others don't....it also depends on how bad/heavy the parasite load is.
If the load is too heavy, it has to be done carefully because the chameleon's system cannot cope with the "garbage" from a very large load and killing them all off at once can kill the chameleon too.
Good luck.
It's not always easy to identify which parasite it is.
Some parasites need to be treated and others don't....it also depends on how bad/heavy the parasite load is.
If the load is too heavy, it has to be done carefully because the chameleon's system cannot cope with the "garbage" from a very large load and killing them all off at once can kill the chameleon too.
Good luck.
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