Parasites! HELP!

[Snake Chick]

This morning I found a worm in Naga's cage close to his poo! This is the pic of it. Ewwwww and yuck! Now this would mean he got them from the pet store since I've only had him a month and there are no other snakes with him.

Is this a tapeworm? I think I've seen one before a few years ago. Sooo...how serious is this? Is there anything I can give him without seeing a vet? I know a vet close by even tho I haven't needed her yet. Money is an issue right at the moment but if there is no other way, I'll manage.

Thoughts, suggestions! please...

[Zoe]

I'm not sure what it is, but DEFINITELY go to a vet. Money can't be an issue when dealing with live animals, so you'll need to make due. Who knows what these parasites are doing to your snake's insides :S

Zoe

[drewlowe]

i would definitely go to the vet. Don't forget to take a stool sample!!!

[Grant vg]

Yup, thats a tape worm...:(

Take your snake to the vet, get a fecal done as mentioned above just to make sure there arn't any other types of parasites inside your snake.

For tapers, i reccomend your vet prescribe you Droncit (praziquantel) at 20-30mg per kg of body weight. This dosage has worked wonders for my own snakes. it usually comes in a pill...

go into the vets office with this information and compare it to what they prescribe. Should be somewhere along those lines...

Goodluck.

gvg

[gonesnakee]

After going to the vet with the snake & a fecal as already mentioned or maybe even prior. Your next stop should be the pet store where the animal was purchased. Make sure they are fully aware of the health of the animal that they sold you & see what the management has to say or plans to do for you. I realize this is your pet that you probably want to keep so you probably don't want your money back or anything, but most "decent" petstores have some kind of a health guarantee on animals they sell. Go in & address it with them in a politically correct fashion & see if they even care or not. Depending on their reaction/actions I would either be happy that they showed concern & possibly offered you some store credit or assistance in your vet bills or helping with the snake themselves (some pet stores do have qualified staff). If they take the too bad, so sad, sold as is approach, as many do, make a scene in the store & never go back to it. Find a source for the things you need where they do not sell diseased animals & do care about them. Too many people never address the source of these problems (ie: petstores) & they continue to get away with compromising the health of the animals they sell. Mark I.

[Snake Chick]

Ok...talked to a vet...it is not a tapeworm but a Nematode or Roundworm. I am going to get the medicine tomorrow and I can't remember the name of it. He isn't even going to charge me a visit for it...just for the meds. He is only going to charge me $6 for the two doses he needs.

Now I am curious...how will this affect my snake? Will he be more tempermental? The worms I mean, not the meds.

As for the pet store...I plan on taking to them tomorrow after I see the vet. I am very unhappy about it. After I bought my snake and went back one day for more pinkies, I noticed that the water in the corn cage was very gross and dirty. I knew right then I would find another source for what I wanted. But I still want to give them a piece of my mind.

[SCReptiles]

Nematode is a bad parasite and it very easy to spread according to my vet. She tells me that they are almost always present in soil, so herps could very well pick it up just by crawling around outside. I have known some people to place leaves and branches in herp enclosures for decoration, this could also promote Nematode. Fenbendazole is the normal med used to treat this, .01 ml per 5 grams body weight BW.

[Snake Chick]

I doubt he got it outside since he went straight from a breeder to the pet store and then to me and I haven't had him outside. The only thing I put in his enclosure was some flat rocks from the creek and I bleached them and baked them in a hot oven before putting them in there. I told the lady I bought him from about it and she was indeed sorry. She didn't compensate me at all tho. She has two more from that clutch and I hope she worms them before they are sold. I couldn' medicate Naga since he'd just eaten and couldn't be handled yet but tomorrow I go pick up his meds and start him. I haven't seen a stool tho so couldn't see if there were more. It has been four days since he has eaten. I wonder if the damn worms ate all his food in his stomach so he doesn't have anything to poo out. :rolleyes:



Originally posted by SCReptiles
Nematode is a bad parasite and it very easy to spread according to my vet. She tells me that they are almost always present in soil, so herps could very well pick it up just by crawling around outside. I have known some people to place leaves and branches in herp enclosures for decoration, this could also promote Nematode. Fenbendazole is the normal med used to treat this, .01 ml per 5 grams body weight BW.