Queston on parasites

[jajeanpierre]

I'm a new chameleon owner. I bought my young veiled female from Petsmart.

On one of the threads, someone mentioned chameleons getting parasites from "commercial" feeder suppliers. Is that a real risk?

How often do people have fecal exams done on their chameleons? I intend to have her outside much of the year and I will try to offer her wild food.

What parasites do I need to worry about? (I'm in South Central Texas.) I do have access to an avian vet, who also specializes in reptiles.

Thanks.

 

[Olimpia]

Congrats on your new cham!

Yes, this is true. A lot of crickets that you buy come with minor things like pinworms and something more difficult things like coccidia. This risk goes up when you give them access to wild feeders, since they're even more likely to carry parasites. Typically a parasite load is not an emergency, but parasites can cause issues if the chameleon gets sick or weak for any reason and some or a large load of parasites can make things worse (like not wanting to eat, etc.) so most keepers perform a routine fecal about twice a year to keep an eye on things.

I keep my chameleons outdoors and they get wild food as well, so you certainly wouldn't be alone. You just have to keep an eye on things! Thankfully most parasites are pretty easy to treat.

 

[zlew]

I get fecals done every two months, just to be safe.

 

[zlew]

Because even if they're not showing symptoms, it can't hurt to find out early.