Parazap for imports?
- Thread starter R.Garza
- Start date
luevelvet
New member
I don't know much about it but it would be safe to say that it will work for some, and not for others. etc etc etc.
The only way you can be sure of what you're working with is to have a fecal examined by a qualified vet. This way you can target the treatment and mitigate as much stress and danger to the animal in the process.
Good luck,
Luis
The only way you can be sure of what you're working with is to have a fecal examined by a qualified vet. This way you can target the treatment and mitigate as much stress and danger to the animal in the process.
Good luck,
Luis
jadrig
New member
Yeah, I think the first priority is to get them rehydrated, then fed. I would imagine that there are several all natural anti-parasite supplements out there. All natural does not necessarily mean safe...I always used to treat WC chameleons, but I dont think it is as important to treat Uroplatus.
Also, different species pick up different parasites...
Pietschmanni almost always seem to have mites...
Also heard someone on the forums mention that Pietschmanni often carry pinworm...Maybe from snails...I think they live in the same little nooks and crannies that snails live in.
I have a WC male henkels that is finally starting to kick the bucket after I ve had him for 6.5 years(which would put him at 7.5-8yrs minimum). He had some pretty good sized worms about 3 years ago, I think they were pinworm. I never treated him...he did fine and was a good breeder.
Also, different species pick up different parasites...
Pietschmanni almost always seem to have mites...
Also heard someone on the forums mention that Pietschmanni often carry pinworm...Maybe from snails...I think they live in the same little nooks and crannies that snails live in.
I have a WC male henkels that is finally starting to kick the bucket after I ve had him for 6.5 years(which would put him at 7.5-8yrs minimum). He had some pretty good sized worms about 3 years ago, I think they were pinworm. I never treated him...he did fine and was a good breeder.
Mantisdragon91
New member
In my opinion we kill more animals by treating them and stressing them out by the treatment than we ever lose to parasites. My protocol for uros as well as the cyrtodactylus which have similar requirements and even higher parasite loads is simple.
Rehydrate if the the animal looks dry and then place into its final cage immediatly. The faster an animal starts to settle down and feel secure the faster it's immune system will kick in to bring the parasite load down to a manageble level. The only time I interfere with meds is if an animal is losing weight, or has blood cells in its feces. This is fairly universal recommendation these days for all terrarium animals.
Rehydrate if the the animal looks dry and then place into its final cage immediatly. The faster an animal starts to settle down and feel secure the faster it's immune system will kick in to bring the parasite load down to a manageble level. The only time I interfere with meds is if an animal is losing weight, or has blood cells in its feces. This is fairly universal recommendation these days for all terrarium animals.
luevelvet
New member
I can't argue making them feel more secure does wonders to their over all well being, but we've acclimated quite a few imports this year and I will admit, while many very healthy, well established animals may carry a manageable load of [insert parasite/ailment here], if left unchecked things can spread around. I've begun taking fecal samples of both LTC and fresh imports and have found very little in the majority of imports we've received. A few LTC animals we tested showed much heavier loads of coccidia (specifically) than what we saw in the imports. Now, I will admit that after treatment the numbers went down significantly, and the animal fared better than ever before. I think we've rescued quite a few from near death with treatment, but it's not something that I recommend to every hobbyist without the help of a qualified vet.
I think Joe has the right idea though. Hydration is the most important thing when they just come off the boat. For those that are worse off than others, I will stay up at night providing water to each one with a dropper.
But people tend to over do it with the water and soak the cage down. This is why we use the dropper. A wet environment during acclimation can cause its own issues (skin infections in areas that were damaged during shipping, transmission of parasites etc via wet substrate or feces left in a wet cage all spell trouble down the road).
Luis
jadrig
New member
yeah, I feel ya Lue...
Also, like Lue said...
With the H2O in the eye dropper, I like to mix in some fruit baby food if they wont eat for the first week or two. This works better for the larger Uros. After a couple babyfood/H2O sessions...I start to slip in a few tiny inscects/tiny insect parts while they are lapping it up.
Also, like Lue said...
With the H2O in the eye dropper, I like to mix in some fruit baby food if they wont eat for the first week or two. This works better for the larger Uros. After a couple babyfood/H2O sessions...I start to slip in a few tiny inscects/tiny insect parts while they are lapping it up.
Mantisdragon91
New member
For the hydration of larger uros like lineatus, fimbriatus and henkeli I actually take a page out of the Chameleon keepers hand book and put a large branch in the shower let the water run until it hits a consistent 78 degrees and the place the geckos on the brach for 20 minutes. It will actually lead to them excreting a fair number of parasites in the shower which will be washed down the drain and not reinfest their final tank. In my opinion we still don't know the role of beneficial gut fauna in our animals and thus may be killing that by over medication along with the parasites we are targeting.
luevelvet
New member
I can't agree with you more. It's a fine line you walk between over doing it and not enough. You also have to be careful to hydrate more often when medicating any animal. This is why I say it should be done with the supervision of a qualified Vet.
But the same holds true in humans as well. I spent a whole year on antibiotics and my gut wasn't the same for the next two years prior. But it was better than dying of infection!
But, I think you bring up a great point that should always be addressed when dealing with medications for any animal. The propensity to over medicate can cause major issues down the road. Organ failure can and has occurred from over medicating and care must be taken to ensure proper dosage and hydration before during and after treatment.
Luis
But the same holds true in humans as well. I spent a whole year on antibiotics and my gut wasn't the same for the next two years prior. But it was better than dying of infection!
But, I think you bring up a great point that should always be addressed when dealing with medications for any animal. The propensity to over medicate can cause major issues down the road. Organ failure can and has occurred from over medicating and care must be taken to ensure proper dosage and hydration before during and after treatment.
Luis
Mantisdragon91
New member
I can't agree with you more. It's a fine line you walk between over doing it and not enough. You also have to be careful to hydrate more often when medicating any animal. This is why I say it should be done with the supervision of a qualified Vet.
But the same holds true in humans as well. I spent a whole year on antibiotics and my gut wasn't the same for the next two years prior. But it was better than dying of infection!
But, I think you bring up a great point that should always be addressed when dealing with medications for any animal. The propensity to over medicate can cause major issues down the road. Organ failure can and has occurred from over medicating and care must be taken to ensure proper dosage and hydration before during and after treatment.
Luis
If people choose to medicate make sure you utilize a vet that is upto date on the latest dosing regimens. There has been a huge change in the last 5 years in terms of what was previouly thought to be safe dosages for drugs such as Panacur. Attached is a link to the Amphibian and Reptile Association of Veterinarians site(ARAV) there you can find a members directory by state to find one near you.
ARAV
Mantisdragon91
New member
Very good point! If you happen to be in the Central Florida area, I've been working with Dr. Ivan Alfonso (link can be found on our site). He may have the most veterinary experience with Uroplatus than any other I know at this point.
Luis
And he is a great Chameleon vet to boot!!!:biggrin:
pakinjak
Member
Here's a question for you guys:
I've been told that some of the parasites that WC's come in with can devastate CB Uros, since the WC's are used to them and the CB's aren't. #1- Is this true? and #2- if true, how does this affect how we choose to treat parasites in WC's when they will eventually be paired with CB's?
I've been told that some of the parasites that WC's come in with can devastate CB Uros, since the WC's are used to them and the CB's aren't. #1- Is this true? and #2- if true, how does this affect how we choose to treat parasites in WC's when they will eventually be paired with CB's?
Mantisdragon91
New member
Good points all. MY stance is that unless an animal is visibly declining I choose to not treat for parasites. Our hobby needs animals that are strong enough to resist parasites as opposed to breeding generations of animals with no natural immunities
thorrshamri
Moderator/The French Viking Moderathorr
If it's on the open market, I would be more than cautious with "Parazap". First, I would really be surprised if any drugs could cure both internal and external parasites. As said above, a fecal sample aims at targetting the right treatment for the parasites which are actually present. None of the efficient drugs I know against any type of parasite is totally safe- cures for external parasites are more or less insecticides, and for internal parasites a certain toxicity is also present, depending on the active molecules.
Treating for parasites when you are not even sure there are any and which ones are there is like giving antibiotics to a human baby who has diarrhea :lol:
As said above, I would first focus on rehydrating the animal with an electrolyte solution like Gatorade and put him/her in a quarantine enclosure to check more easily the feces and food intake, and any signs of disease like quick weight loss, shedding troubles...
Then take a fresh fecal sample in a sterile jar to your local vet as quickly as possible (some protozoans don't survive more than an hour in the open air, so they may go unnoticed if you wait for too long), then once you have the tests results your vet should be able to give you a prescription targetting on the parasites which are actually present. You could do more harm than good by giving "blindly" f.e. Metronidazole or Fenbendazole if it is not necessary.
And last but not least, do whatever you can to minimize stress- enough hides for the newcomers, no unwanted noise, crude lights nor vibrations, no other pets lurking around the tank, and if your animals should be treated, you can in some cases inject the treatment with a syringe inside a prey then offer that prey to your leaftail with tweezers
Treating for parasites when you are not even sure there are any and which ones are there is like giving antibiotics to a human baby who has diarrhea :lol:
As said above, I would first focus on rehydrating the animal with an electrolyte solution like Gatorade and put him/her in a quarantine enclosure to check more easily the feces and food intake, and any signs of disease like quick weight loss, shedding troubles...
Then take a fresh fecal sample in a sterile jar to your local vet as quickly as possible (some protozoans don't survive more than an hour in the open air, so they may go unnoticed if you wait for too long), then once you have the tests results your vet should be able to give you a prescription targetting on the parasites which are actually present. You could do more harm than good by giving "blindly" f.e. Metronidazole or Fenbendazole if it is not necessary.
And last but not least, do whatever you can to minimize stress- enough hides for the newcomers, no unwanted noise, crude lights nor vibrations, no other pets lurking around the tank, and if your animals should be treated, you can in some cases inject the treatment with a syringe inside a prey then offer that prey to your leaftail with tweezers
thorrshamri
Moderator/The French Viking Moderathorr
I wish to add that I used to use T-Rex's "Bio Mist" (hope there is no problem giving commercial names on this forum) but it is no longer available, at least in my country. This was an interesting product though, to help the newcomers rehydrate a bit (though it would not replace a lukewarm bath for the same purpose, baths are much more efficient but also much more likely to generate stress) and this product also helped when used as the first signs of shedding appeared. Just my 2 (euro) cents anyway