monitor parasites

Lrptls · 01-30-04, 12:52 AM

i had posted a while ago about my baby savannah monitor having parasites. He had to take a bit of dewormer medicine twice, got another fecal test done and got 2 more doses of the dewormer meds. I was disapointed when i got the 2nd fecal results because i didn't get to talk to my vet. I was hoping he could tell me if the parasites were still as bad, worse, better. But i just got told he is still positive for parasites and keep giving the meds. So i have to take another fecal sample to them soon (by the way its $13 every time =\ ) and hope i get some sort of information about it. He does look alot better though, his colors are brighter, he use to be very dark and he looks like he may be gaining weight. Hes been taking meds sence the beginning of December, do you think this is taking too long, maybe he should be taking some other kind of meds? Has any one else had a monitor with parasites before, very bad? (my vet said mine had the most eggs in his fecies than he had ever seen before)

Jeff_Favelle · 01-30-04, 02:44 AM

I don't think meds and monitors mix too well. Any pictures for us to see for ourselves?

KaHane · 01-30-04, 04:25 AM

my oppinion on meds is that if the reptile is healthy, active an eating good, then you might not need to medicate them. A healthy animal will usually rid itself of parasite, just as long as you keep them in a well, clean environment. But if you need to treat them, here's what I do for wildcaught reptiles: As soon as the animals arrive, we give them a simple setup. We treat for possble skin parasites immediately, and wait to worm them. We want the animal to rest and not be stressed before we treat them for internal parasites. I'm a firm believer that if you treat a stressed animal for internal parasite the medication could do more harm, possibly kill the animal. I usually try to get the animal to voluntarly eat by itself, if it's not already eating. I let the animal settle and have a shelter to rest and eat in privacy for a couple of weeks before I start medicating it. A STRESSED animal will not eat on it's own, and a stressed animal do not have a strong immune system. Without a strong immune system it will not be able to go through the medication process. Everyone has to be aware that the medication that kills the internal parasites is POISON, the body has to fight that and the buildup of dead parasites that the medication killed. How toxic do you think that is!!! Just my 2 cents and my experiences

reptiguy123 · 01-30-04, 10:16 AM

Thanks for telling the general price. I was just going to ask that

SHvar · 01-30-04, 02:49 PM

Over the years, of the monitors I got treated for internal parasites (worms every one of mine) went down hill if not in a few weeks but a few months later, all were from kidney or liver failure from a combination of the treatment and what I consider substandard husbandry. Ive made many changes to my own husbandry in 12 years, including one, I dont worry about internal parasites unless their health is at dire risk. One important difference once I stopped gettting them treated was they stopped dieing. You may want to consider some questions to answer of your own husbandry if your getting the animal treated; Does my animal live in a temp gradient that goes from room temp (66-75f) to 86f or so(ambient temps)? Does the basking spot have an area the size of its body that is 130-180 dgrees (surface, basking)? Does my animal have the ability to drink clean water when he needs it? Does my animal have the ability to conserve moisture by going underground (burrowing) into a deep moist substrate? Does it have hide spots on the surface to help accomodate his need for security and heat? Does my animal eat on a regular basis as they get the majority of their water intake from the food they eat (another point behind whole animal foods)?
I dont need an answer to these questions, you need to answer these for your animal. External parasites I get rid of quickly but internal have a relationship with their host, sfter all if parasites harmed HEALTHY hosts there would be no parasites left on this planet, sucessful parasites do no harm, but captive husbandry raises issues of stress and other health problems.

Lrptls · 01-30-04, 05:24 PM

thanks alot every one for your help. i think i'm more worried now. do you think the meds have already done alot of damage to him? i think they helpd because he looks so much better. But now i'm worried he may get worse from what i'v read. i wont get any more meds though. i have just about all of his cage and care needs right except i dont have dirt in the cage yet. I do plan on geting that when the ground thaws. I will probably get reptile dirt soon and by later this year mix it with natural soil. From the day i got him hes always acted healthy, basks, drinks, hides, eats like a horse. and i only have old pictures of him, i will get a newer picture of him soon.

SHvar · 01-31-04, 02:51 PM

Just improve his husbandry and see how things go. If he is improving then thats great. Good luck. Hope to see pics soon.

Lrptls · 01-31-04, 04:41 PM

heres the newest picture of him next to a 6 inch ruler

Lrptls · 01-31-04, 04:43 PM

heres his cage, on the cool end is his shoe box he hides in, in the middle is his water bowl, on the closest end is the basking spot and a hide log. there are also a few slate rocks.

V.hb · 01-31-04, 04:44 PM

meds hurt animals that are already in a damaged position. your little guy doesnt look that bad. Were talking completely dehydrated, emaciated animals being pumped full of medications! Thats just stupid. But a healthy animal in need of a treatment for parasites etc certainly wont hurt. Alot of monitors don't need to be treated, some do.. I think its based on the strength of your animal over the all around animals response to the medications. Some do well, some dont. You have to be the judge as to wether or not your animal can handle the meds... If thats a brand new pic, he looks fine to me.

V.hb · 01-31-04, 04:46 PM

Ok, ditch your current substrate and use something that will hold burrows. outdoor dirt is the best, although you usually have to mix sand, peat, or soil into it to get a good blend. Depending on what kind of top you have on your enclosure will determine if your substrate will work or not. Too much ventilation will make it no better than newspaper.. So get something tight fitting to keep the dirt moisture at a level sufficient enough to hold burrows. Remember these guys dig down low to get their humidity, they dont swim.

Lrptls · 01-31-04, 04:54 PM

i'm ordering a bunch of "eco earth" dirt out of a herp magazine. in the spring when the ground thaws i'm geting natural soil to mix with it. also he'll soon be going in a new huge enclosure. theres no top so i'm going to have my uncle make it for me. i was going to have it be all wood, 2 peices conected by hinges so i could just open half instead of having to take the whole top off all the time. it will also have some screen on the top for the lights. does that sound good?

crocdoc · 02-01-04, 07:38 AM

ditch the screen on top idea, fix the lights to the inside of the lid. Screen on top, even a small area, allows the hot air and moisture to go up and out. Put vents on the sides or back, around midway. You'll save on electricity trying to heat the enclosure and will also find your lizard will not dry out too much.

reptiguy123 · 02-01-04, 01:56 PM

What type of vents? Can you drill holes?

crocdoc · 02-01-04, 08:41 PM

yeah, you can drill holes. What I do for smaller cages is use a door handle kit to drill a large hole (the kits come with a hole saw that can be attached to a hand drill), then use a stainless steel sink strainer from a hardware store (around 98c or less) and drill holes in the flange, then screw it into place.

With larger enclosures I drill two of those holes side by side and cover with a plastic vent (one for the inside to prevent the monitors escaping when small, one for the outside for appearance only).

If you want, though, you can drill holes into the wood itself, but seal the holes with whatever you use to seal the interior.