parasites HELP!!!

[erik775]

if my cham has parasites would the parasites cause him to stop eating?cuase my cham is not acting like him self.he hasnt eaten in about 2 or 3 days and im worried he is almost one year old...i fed him a wc grass hopper like one or 2 weeks ago and it seems like since i fed him the grass hopper he started acting weird...im worried cause he loves super worms and eats them right away but ive tried to give him a couple at different times and he didnt eat them...i was gonna get a stool sample but before i noticed him not eating i cleaned all the poop off the bottom of the floor so i gotta wait till he poops again to get a stool sample...

 

[erik775]

Ok so he just pooped and to me it doesn't look good...what do u guys think?????

 

[jannb]

I think regular fecals are a must with all chameleons. At long as they are eating feeders they can get parasites. All it takes is for a wild lizard such as an anole to jump in the with the crickets, to eat a feat, the cricket farm. The anole poops, the crickets eat the poop, crickets eat everything and then you feed one of these crickets to your cham. My vet says almost all wild anoles carry parasites. So unless you raise all of your feeders and are extremely careful with them your cham can get parasites. So my advise to you is to get a fecal. If you don't test your chams regularly then you don't know what all they have. It's a cheap and easy thing to do if you care about your chameleon.

 

[carol5208]

I agree with you. That poop looks bad. I would scoop that up and put it in a zip loc baggie on a wet paper towel and put it in the fridge and call your vet first thing in the am and have a fecal done. I have never had a cham with parasites but from I have learned on here, yes it will effect their appetite

 

[erik775]

I agree with you. That poop looks bad. I would scoop that up and put it in a zip loc baggie on a wet paper towel and put it in the fridge and call your vet first thing in the am and have a fecal done. I have never had a cham with parasites but from I have learned on here, yes it will effect their appetite

Can i save it n the fride???cause there's no vetts open till monday...

 

[jannb]

Can i save it n the fride???cause there's no vetts open till monday...

It would not be good until Monday. You would need a fresh one. The fresher the better but no more than 24 hours old at the most.

 

[erik775]

It would not be good until Monday. You would need a fresh one. The fresher the better but no more than 24 hours old at the most.

Ok I'm going to the Emergency vett that does reptiles they said they will do the fecal...i can't wait till monday he hasn't eaten and I'm afraid he might not poop again...hes drinking but not eating and rite now i walked inn and he was closing his eyes...which i don't think is a good sign so imma take the fecal to the emergency vett

 

[carol5208]

good luck and let us know what happens

 

[jannb]

Ok I'm going to the Emergency vett that does reptiles they said they will do the fecal...i can't wait till monday he hasn't eaten and I'm afraid he might not poop again...

That's an excellent idea. The very best to you and your boy.

 

[erik775]

Thanks i will keep u guys updated

 

[erik775]

Ok so i called the vet and they said that it came beck negative for parasites ...now I'm confused!!!cause i know I've been doing everything right...misting 3 times a day i have 3 different types of feeders the dripper going all day i also put conditioner in the water i supplement with calcium no d3 every feeding and once or twice a month with repashy calcium plus there's no traffic in the room there inn his temp is right he has a uvb light and he gets light from an open window...idk...should i feel Comfortable with what this vet told me about the fecal cause i know alot of vets dont deal with reptiles???my othe 2 chams are doing great...,,,now im worried...what else could it be???

 

[erik775]

Buump???someone ?

 

[Sohumvet]

One fecal does not rule out parasites. I suggest you have another fecal run as soon as you get another fresh stool and take him into a good reptile vet for an exam.

 

[djfishygillz]

I have a few suggestions...

Check the uvb bulbs and see if they are up to date and not old.

Get him some sun outside, as I see you are in Cali it should do wonders for him...

Also up misting and up his temperatures in his cage to stimulate appetite.

Whenever my chameleons seemed to hunger strike it was typically because temps were to low and when I boosted them up nice and hot for a few days it would kick start appetite.

 

[erik775]

Ok ill do all of that imma head to the store to get him a bulb with more watts and ill check his uvb light...

 

[erik775]

One fecal does not rule out parasites. I suggest you have another fecal run as soon as you get another fresh stool and take him into a good reptile vet for an exam.

That's exactly what i was thinking also...
I hope he poops again so i can get another stool sample...

 

[jannb]

I have a few suggestions...

Check the uvb bulbs and see if they are up to date and not old.

Get him some sun outside, as I see you are in Cali it should do wonders for him...

Also up misting and up his temperatures in his cage to stimulate appetite.

Whenever my chameleons seemed to hunger strike it was typically because temps were to low and when I boosted them up nice and hot for a few days it would kick start appetite.

One fecal does not rule out parasites. I suggest you have another fecal run as soon as you get another fresh stool and take him into a good reptile vet for an exam.

I totally agree with the post above.

Did you take your Cham in for a check up or just get a fecal? He could also be ill with something besides parasite.

 

[erik775]

I totally agree with the post above.

Did you take your Cham in for a check up or just get a fecal? He could also be ill with something besides parasite.

I just took in a fecal sample to get tested ...and they told me that if he did come up positive for parasites that they would have him see the dr...i wanna take him in for Another fecal but he hasn't been eating so he hasn't pooped again

 

[jannb]

I just took in a fecal sample to get tested ...and they told me that if he did come up positive for parasites that they would have him see the dr...i wanna take him in for Another fecal but he hasn't been eating so he hasn't pooped again

There's tons of other things that could be wrong besides parasites. I'd get him a check up.

 

[ChameleonMom]

Seems like you have all the help here from those who have replied but I just wanted to say that I wouldn't 'sit' on this, I'd get your guy to the vet ASAP! He's absolutely gorgeous and it would be devestating to lose him! If he's starting to close his eyes it means something isn't right somewhere and since chams hide illness well, he could have been under the weather for awhile and just hiding it from you! I would get him to the vet first and have a Dr. rule out any health problems before looking to husbandry issues. Good luck - he's a beautiful animal!