just so im prepared

[ir0k]

Im making my baby cham a vet apt tommarow and was wondering what to expect. I really just want to make sure she does not have any parasites. She is only about 2-3 months of age. Is that to young for an apt? Im assuming also I will have to take a sample of her stool in?

Thanks for any advice

 

[Devokid]

Yep, a fresh stool is required.

 

[choppers1]

Just a regular check up? or is something wrong?

 

[Cami2013]

Yes, take a stool sample, fresh if possible. If not, refrigerate the most recent sample.

Cami's visit was a great experience for us. I felt like our vet was very thorough. He wanted to know all the specifics about her enclosure: size, glass/screen, ventilation, branches/vines/plants, substrate if any; specifics about what we fed her: how much & how often; our misting schedule; how she was drinking; our supplements and frequency provided, etc. He was very informative (he reinforced most everything I had learned on these fantastic forums). He listened to her heart & lungs, weighed her, tested her stool = 4 parasites, taught us how to administer her daily medication to get rid of her parasites. He gave her 3 different medications to be given over 2 weeks. I took her stool in to be tested after the 2 weeks & she had 1 parasite left (coccidia - he said difficult to treat sometimes). He continued her on 1 of the meds for another 2 weeks. Rechecked her stool after that course & she was parasite free! WOO HOO! He recommends stool checks every 6 months. He said sometimes feeders can introduce them (& we'd have no way of knowing whether feeders are carriers).

The med administration part was heartbreaking! I am a critical care pediatric nurse & can hold kids down all day long to get meds in them, but when it came to Cami, it was not so easy. She would get so ticked & would work so hard to try to get out of her hold & whip her tail around. My son & I found a 2 person system that worked really well to give her meds. He would hold her, his 2 hands encircled her body & front legs, so only her head was poking out the hole made by his thumbs/fingers, her back legs extended. If she ever got any leverage with her legs, we would lose the struggle. She is a strong little girl & the 1st time I tried to do it myself (hold her & administer meds), I walked away with battle wounds, a bunch of scratches from her trying to get out of my not so great hold.

Good luck to you & your little one! Hope all goes well! Let us know about your vet visit.

 

[ir0k]

thank you guys for the great advice.

yes I just want to make sure she is parasite free. Im really not sure how old or at what age chams can get parasites. she seems perfect to me tho. She eats great, and her poop looks normal. black with white in it.
So, there really isn't a problem other then i'd like to get her checked out for any parasites. Im not entirely sure, she might have gotten a parasite from the place I got her at.

Thanks again everyone