diarrhea but acting normal?

[corynnonthecob]

two days ago my chameleon had very runny stool, and then didn't go for a couple of days. then today he had a very runny stool with solid bits and runny urate. is this dangerous? he is acting normal and eating ok, (not great, he's not eating much from the cup or my hand, so I just leave him with some free feeders and he seems interested so I leave him to hunt), he has both eyes open and is drinking. urate is bright white and I've been disinfecting a bit when this happened, both times, but I'm worried it's coccidia. any help is appreciated <3

 

[Brad]

I would do a fecal check. What is he eating?

Follow the link below and review the Fecal Exam section.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/chameleon-poop-101.120171/

 

[corynnonthecob]

I would do a fecal check. What is he eating?

Follow the link below and review the Fecal Exam section.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/chameleon-poop-101.120171/

he is eating crickets gut-loaded with sweet potato and green apple slices, and superworms, both occasionally dusted as I am trying to change dusting and I'm trying not to shock his system with a drastic change of vitamins or ingredients. I've never gutloaded my crickets with sweet potato before, but I don't think that is it. might it be the new dust? for his last bowel movement, I used fluker's calcium without d3, on all the crickets, 5 of them

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. The best way to determine the cause is to have a veterinary wellness check with a fecal test. The vast majority of parasites don’t show to the naked eye.

 

[Kaizen]

I would do a fecal check. What is he eating?

Follow the link below and review the Fecal Exam section.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/chameleon-poop-101.120171/

Agree with Brad, here. Get a fecal done. Have you offered any unusual food items such as horns lately? Changes in supplements?

 

[corynnonthecob]

Agree with Brad, here. Get a fecal done. Have you offered any unusual food items such as horns lately? Changes in supplements?

nothing really new, just a different type of supplements because the one I have wasn't offered at my local pet store, but this other one was shown to be helpful. so now I'm wondering if I should supplement at all with this new supplement. i will watch today and see what his bowel movements are, if any. recently they've been few and far between. but I will keep an eye out for any changes.

 

[Beman]

It would not be the supplement... calcium without D3 is universally the same. It is when you get into the multivitamins that they very greatly.

I would get a fecal done... Between not eating much and the loose stool, these can both indicate a parasite issue.

 

[corynnonthecob]

Update! A normal bowel movement fro. My little guy today, does one normal poop mean he's ok?

 

[Beman]

No, there is always a risk of parasites if he was never checked and if you feed crickets...

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Hi, i know that I’m a bit late to comment, but how is your guy doing? Did you manage to get a fecal float done? Unrelated to what you’re asking, but relevant: around the beginning of February, I noticed my chameleon had diarrhea. Had a fecal float done, and I am now treating him for Coccidia. That being said..

Your own cham’s runny poop does not automatically mean coccidia. It is not at all my intention to freak you out - it is just that I am speaking from direct personal experience, and I want to highlight the importance of finding out the cause of runny stool if/when it happens. Generally speaking, unless your chameleon has been eating lots of juicy feeders (like hornworms or silkworms), runny stool is considered abnormal and warrants a fecal float done by a vet. Be sure to have it done by a vet that is knowledgeable on reptiles, as there is specific information you’ll need to know about the results of the test (such as which parasite your chameleon is infected with, if any, as well as what his current parasite load is). You’ll also need your vet to get a weight on him in case he does end up needing medication.
Beman is 100% correct that runny stool and poor appetite *may* be indicative of a parasitic infection, and you’ll want to find out for sure assuming you haven’t done so already.

Again, I know it has been some time since you posted about this, but my first bit of advice would absolutely be to stop free-feeding bugs. Feed everything from a cup clipped to a branch or vine, or use something like this:

https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery

In the event that your cham‘s runny stool was in fact caused by parasites, it is crucial that you eliminate any opportunity for his feeder bugs to come in contact with his poop/any surfaces in his cage contaminated by his poop (like branches or vines below where he basks that may have been hit by falling poop). You’ll also want to improve your gutload! Ditch the potato and replace it with sweet potato. Use leafy greens and a variety of other vegetables with it. To make things a little easier for you, I attached a chart with options. I personally use a mix of collard greens, mustard greens or bok choy (usually whatever is available at the store), carrots, yellow squash, green or red bell pepper, sweet potato and blackberries. I blend it all up with a bit of water, freeze it in ice cube trays, thaw it out completely and serve it to my cham‘s feeder bugs as a paste. I’ve also used Repashy Bug Burger with good results. The goal here is to feed your chameleon the healthiest possible insects. The healthier his food is, the healthier he’ll be and the better condition he’ll been in to fight off any possible infection (along with medication, should he need it).

I hope he’s feeling better!

 

[corynnonthecob]

Hi, i know that I’m a bit late to comment, but how is your guy doing? Did you manage to get a fecal float done? Unrelated to what you’re asking, but relevant: around the beginning of February, I noticed my chameleon had diarrhea. Had a fecal float done, and I am now treating him for Coccidia. That being said..

Your own cham’s runny poop does not automatically mean coccidia. It is not at all my intention to freak you out - it is just that I am speaking from direct personal experience, and I want to highlight the importance of finding out the cause of runny stool if/when it happens. Generally speaking, unless your chameleon has been eating lots of juicy feeders (like hornworms or silkworms), runny stool is considered abnormal and warrants a fecal float done by a vet. Be sure to have it done by a vet that is knowledgeable on reptiles, as there is specific information you’ll need to know about the results of the test (such as which parasite your chameleon is infected with, if any, as well as what his current parasite load is). You’ll also need your vet to get a weight on him in case he does end up needing medication.
Beman is 100% correct that runny stool and poor appetite *may* be indicative of a parasitic infection, and you’ll want to find out for sure assuming you haven’t done so already.

Again, I know it has been some time since you posted about this, but my first bit of advice would absolutely be to stop free-feeding bugs. Feed everything from a cup clipped to a branch or vine, or use something like this:

https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery

In the event that your cham‘s runny stool was in fact caused by parasites, it is crucial that you eliminate any opportunity for his feeder bugs to come in contact with his poop/any surfaces in his cage contaminated by his poop (like branches or vines below where he basks that may have been hit by falling poop). You’ll also want to improve your gutload! Ditch the potato and replace it with sweet potato. Use leafy greens and a variety of other vegetables with it. To make things a little easier for you, I attached a chart with options. I personally use a mix of collard greens, mustard greens or bok choy (usually whatever is available at the store), carrots, yellow squash, green or red bell pepper, sweet potato and blackberries. I blend it all up with a bit of water, freeze it in ice cube trays, thaw it out completely and serve it to my cham‘s feeder bugs as a paste. I’ve also used Repashy Bug Burger with good results. The goal here is to feed your chameleon the healthiest possible insects. The healthier his food is, the healthier he’ll be and the better condition he’ll been in to fight off any possible infection (along with medication, should he need it).

I hope he’s feeling better!

He has been doing well. He had straight diarrhea once, then runny stool the next day, and ever since his poop has been just fine. I wasn't able to do a fecal float, I called the local herp shop but they didn't respond, ill have to reconnect with them. i was trying to buy products to get a fecal float kit at home since I'm low on consistent income, but I know it's less definite and can be done wrong easily, so I guess I should leave it to the professionals. as for the crickets, I've been gut loading them more healthy greens and dusting them consistently, and he's been having regular bowel movements in response to new gutloads. he willingly eats from my hand and cups, so I will stick to those. I'm so very thankful for everybody's help, he turned out to be fine but I will work on getting a fecal done. most of the small animal clinics do not see lizards around my house so it's difficult to find, but once I do I'll share it with you guys! Thanks, everybody!

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m not sure how exactly this works and haven’t heard any feedback from anyone who’s used it, but this is an option (once it’s back in stock). https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/fecal-parasite-test-for-reptiles/