Parasite transport

[zombiepixel]

I feel like trying to rid my environment of coccidia is like trying to keep Sand out of a sand castle.

Crickets can be parasite carriers right? How do we know theY are infected and stay away from them?

 

[jannb]

I feel like trying to rid my environment of coccidia is like trying to keep Sand out of a sand castle.

Crickets can be parasite carriers right? How do we know theY are infected and stay away from them?

Buy your crickets from a reputable dealer and not pet shops.

 

[zombiepixel]

Can't we just bomb planet Coccidia and be done with them forever!

Buying online is stressful

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I have tested many keepers' chameleons for parasites. I don't think I've ever run across one case that remotely looked like it could have been traced to commercial feeders directly bringing Coccidia into the chameleon's environment. I'm pretty confident that the cases we most often hear of are spread from infected chameleons via direct contact or from contact with infected surfaces or from keepers who "re-use" feeders that came into contact with Coccidia in their own chameleon colony. I say this with some confidence because once these chameleons and their environment are finally found to be clear of Coccidia, and no additional outside reptile contact occurs, they stay that way.

Quarantine new (or suspect) reptiles until testing is complete and a safe period of time has passed before you introduce them into the same room with the rest of your collection. This may be difficult to do so I understand why many keepers don't follow this procedure. If you are not quarantining then be sure to use extra precautions such as throw-away gloves, immediate poop cleaning, extra enclosure cleanings etc.

 

[zombiepixel]

"Quarantine new (or suspect) reptiles until testing is complete and a safe period of time has passed before you introduce them into the same room with the rest of your collection"

by "room" do you mean actual room in the house? I was planning on getting a panther at the end of the month and if "room" means room than that plan is shot. If so then i'm not going to risk it, I could always wait.

how contagious are they to each other? It sounds like the parasites can travel pretty easily is given distance.

 

[Chameleon Company]

You need to get an infected chameleon into as sterile of an environment as possible while treating it. Coccidia can suvive in dirt for six months or more, so while you might rid the chameleon of it, if the dirt is still there, it will just reinfect that animal, or any other, via loose bugs eating the decaying matter in the dirt, natural dirt eating by the chameleon, etc. Get the animal in a sterile environment while treating, toss all dirt and plants in the original cage, disinfect what's left, and let that cage be dormant for as long as you can. If only for a week or two, then bleach it well again, and make the best of it. Good luck.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...by "room" do you mean actual room in the house?

...how contagious are they to each other? It sounds like the parasites can travel pretty easily is given distance.

Howdy,

Quarantining in separate rooms can help keep you from spreading parasites, but it's really more of an issue to keep from spreading airborne microorganisms like bacteria, viruses etc.

Coccidia don't travel on their own. They need to hitch a ride in or on something like fecally contaminated fingers, plants, chameleons, feeders, enclosures, splashed liquids etc.

As Jim said, an environment that is free of Coccidia during your chameleon's treatment is imperative to eliminate external re-infection, especially later into the treatment regiment.

I was especially concerned with re-infection the first time that I had to treat a chameleon with Coccidia. I had heard from Vets and others just how hard it was to get rid of it (if that is even possible). After almost daily tracking during months of various drug regiments for that tough Coccidia case, I came to the conclusion that the fact that Coccidia can somewhat safely hide in the nooks and crannies of certain chameleon organs may lead keepers to think that their chameleon was re-infected from environmental sources when it may have been the re-emergence of a somewhat dormant Coccidia infection that wasn't completely cleared during treatment. That also means that if a dormant case re-appears without you knowing it, you may inadvertently spread it to others through your contact with it.

This all may sound pretty bleak but don't let it get you down . Ponazuril, the Coccidia drug that is somewhat new on the chameleon scene, shows to be very effective with a minimum of side-effects. It is often prescribed for 3 days straight with another 3 day round again a week later. My suggestion is to assume that there are still Coccidia present until you have testing done several weeks later that shows no evidence of the infection. You may find that you have to continue treatment for another round or two or more to get clean results. It's times like these that having your own microscope comes in handy .

 

[zombiepixel]

i've already taken out the real plant life. I only have two cages and I don't want to infect the other cage, but i haven't been able to disinfect the current fake plants.

Ugh, coccidia is so frustrating. For all I know anything I have touched within my house could be infected with coccidia. I also have a bearded dragon that was treated a while back, her cage is wiped with clorox wipes at every cleaning and I wash my hands with antibacterial soap after every handling and bath. They eat from different cricket bins and they don't have the same contact with anything. I feel like I need disposable hazmat suits

I know about Ponazuril but didn't before I started a cycle of Albon on my cham, I finished the cycle after much of my own stress from his lack of appetite. I have now started a cycle of Panacur and have 4 days left of that.

I bought a high temp steamer that I plan to use to disinfect EVERYTHING.