A few Detailed Question about Alligator care

[ReptiZone]

I am going to be reciving a young gator in the up coming weeks.
I was just woundering what is the proper dose of Panacure for baby crocodolians and is Flagyl a good worming med to use with them I know my baby is perfectly healthy but I like to worm my animals every few monts or so.

As well I was thinking do Feeder guppies Have the same toxic component as gold fish or are they safe to use as a prey Item. I think they are but I just read somthing that has left me to wonder.

The rest is preaty much clear

1) Large pond like enclosure
2) Proper feeding schedual with a staple of rodents till further Diet changes take place.

3) Heated and Filtered water to swim and drink.
4) Hiding places above and blow the surface of water hiding places in cool and warm sides of land area.

5) Access to gravle for digestion purposes.

I think I have it all. Let me know if there is anything I am leaving out.

The ReptiZone
Marc Doiron

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

50-100 mg/kg by mouth and flagyl can be used with crocodilians.

If the toxic compound in which you speak of is thiaminase, then it's rumored that guppies are clear from this, as well as any other fish you could use when they are young. (e.g. Large/small mouth bass)

Generally, I would be sparingly with fish.

[Linds]

Originally posted by ReptiZone
I was just woundering what is the proper dose of Panacure for baby crocodolians and is Flagyl a good worming med to use with them I know my baby is perfectly healthy but I like to worm my animals every few monts or so.

Why do you feel you need to worm your animals so frequently? Both medications are nothing but mere poison that can be tolerated by the animal in certain doses... it is definitely not healthy and wipes out both the good and bad organisms in the body. It takes a while for the good stuff to be replenished and the animal to recover from treatments, by which time you are wiping their systems out again??

I used to run all new comers through one course of treatment upon arrival, as a preventative measure, but have discontinued that practice for quite some time now and only worm animals that show an outward reason for doing so. IMHO it does more harm than good. Flagyl is an especially harsh medicine that can cause more harm than good in reptiles

Originally posted by ReptiZone
5) Access to gravle for digestion purposes.

Now I'm no crocodilian expert, but is this not a myth of all myths? I know you can find many books that are several decades old that read Iguanas must have gravel for proper digestion, but that is nothing more than a bunch of hooey. Additionally none of our caimans at my old job ever required gravel. It really makes no sense to me at all why any reptile would need to ingest foreign material such as gravel in order to digest food that their stomach juices can take care of

[chuck911jeep]

This gem is CB, eating well and very healthy, i don't think you need to medicate this animal.

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

No myth.

Crocodilians, as well as other animals, demonstrate geophagy (Normally refers to eating dirt, but also classifies for stones.) These stones work as gastroliths to help break up food items.

Antlers, hooves and the such will need help to be broken down, digestive enzymes in a crocodilians stomach is not strong enough to work alone on this. Like other herps, digestion is only so strong and the animal passes what it cannot digest (e.g. fur), so being that most crocodilians are rather large which take large prey, the animal will need help to break down the items of the large prey such as antlers and horns.

As for medicating, I panacure the animals I see fit when they come in and leave it at that until they actually show signs of needing it. I don't go overboard because it's a waste of money if it's not needed. And as you said, could be dangerous; especially if they do not know what they are doing.

Zane

[ReptiZone]

Not to worry guys i would not do anything that would put my show animals lives or health in question.

Once again Thanx Zane for your helpful and plentifull Information.

Linds dont worry about me overdosing my animals on harsh meds. I am 2 classes away form being a registered Vet Assistant I have my own personal vet that knows a few things about herp care me and her teamed up on my collection and they will have top notch care.

When I brought it to her about my worming schedual she said the same thing as you so we will run a stool sample frist when s/he arrives and run stool samples every 3 monts as long as they stay clean I will not treat him/her.

My vet care is free all I need to do is pay the cost of the drug it self.

The ReptiZone
Marc Doiron