question about deworming

[armando]

I have a 5.5 month old male veiled cham..
he seems healthy and everything
I was just wondering...
Is it healthy to deworm chams (just in case) every year?
I mean, just like humans...
Or.. is it better to run a check up every time?
Is just that, I feed crickets, superworms and wild captured insects.. (Grasshoppers, locusts and dragonflies) ...
Thats why Im worried, and I would like to consider deworm my little guy to prevent any sickness...

 

[nightanole]

Do a yearly fecal exam. You only deworm when you find worms. It is very hard on them.

 

[cricketkilla]

I have a 5.5 month old male veiled cham..
he seems healthy and everything
I was just wondering...
Is it healthy to deworm chams (just in case) every year?
I mean, just like humans...
Or.. is it better to run a check up every time?
Is just that, I feed crickets, superworms and wild captured insects.. (Grasshoppers, locusts and dragonflies) ...
Thats why Im worried, and I would like to consider deworm my little guy to prevent any sickness...

If your feeding wild insects, you should probably do a fecal at least every 6 months or so.. Wild insects are risky business if fed regularly. I would be more worried about possible exposure to insecticides as they could be deadly to a Cham. You should collect enough to start a colony and feed the offspring to your Cham, better safe then sorry.

 

[biochemnerd808]

You should not treat your chameleon with a dewormer "just because" - it stresses their kidneys, and should only be used if worms or worm eggs are found in the feces. Our vet runs a stool sample parasite test for about $20, no appointment needed.
The safest dewormer is fenbendazole (sold as panacur or safeguard here), and the proper dosage should be determined by your vet according to your cham's weight. While fenbendazole is deemed "safe", it does stress a chameleon, and should only be used if worms are present - worms are more harmful than fenbendazole.

Also, it is VERY important to keep a cham well hydrated during treatment for worms - possibly to include giving liquid by eye dropper to make sure they are getting at least 1cc per day (for a full-grown male).

We had to de-worm our cham after a positive fecal. He sat on his branch, dark brown and black, for 3 days. He looked nauseated. Poor guy. He's fine now, and in the middle of an explosive shed.

Good luck!

 

[armando]

Great....
The thing is that I get the insects from a pesticide free area..
from a fields I have...
The thing is that I like to give him more insect choices...
I dont like to stick only with crickets
He really loves dragonflies, grasshoppers and locusts... He goes crazy hunting them...

I will do the check up every 6 months then

 

[kinyonga]

Couple more comments...the treatment is not the same for each and every parasite so without testing to see which parasite(s) your chameleon has how will you know what to give it? Where will you get the meds needed to treat it? How will you know what dose to use?