Digging to hunt worms!
- Thread starter Yuk
- Start date
Yuk
New member
Haha I bet they will. One of my good friends is going through vet school and I was telling her my plan of doing the fecals myself and she was totally on board. The first one I am doing through a vet (still in the process of finding the right one) and I'm going to ask them to check for Crypto just in case. If one of my geckos has it, then they all do, and it would mean having to start all over with their enclosures and quarantine and all that, so I'd like to eliminate that as a possibility first by someone qualified.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
Yuk
New member
Please ask your vet! I will also be asking mine. You can see it in a normal fecal, however there are many false positives and it isn't very reliable. The best test is the dye test (I don't remember the name off hand) and I'm thinking it is expensive. I've been looking into this vigorously for the past hour. I will update in a few minutes. I'm going to check the book. Here is a useful link to look at in the meantime:
Cryptosporidiosis | Arizona Exotics | -Lizards Resources
I am going to find out the name of the reliable test and the cost of the test and medication real quick.
Cryptosporidiosis | Arizona Exotics | -Lizards Resources
I am going to find out the name of the reliable test and the cost of the test and medication real quick.
Yuk
New member
It is called an Acid-fast stain. Wow, only $16 here https://vetmed.tennessee.edu/vmc/dls/Documents/FeeSchedule_Apr2014_r2.pdf
I am going to call some of the vets in the area tomorrow and see how much they charge for it and check out any local animal labs here, for pricing too. That is SO worth knowing.
Checking on treatment costs now.
EDIT: They are all prescription (I figured, but it didn't hurt to look) -- looks cheap in the UK, I don't know if those were scams though. I don't know about in the US.
EDIT: The more I am reading about this, the more it looks like it is a REALLY good idea to just get a full fecal test on your geckos. (Do the Fast-Dye) There is a good chance of catching it early or at least having peace of mind that everything is okay. And if you get a new gecko, do a fecal along with your quarantine ASAP. I'm going to see about getting it done tomorrow :/ I'll also ask about crypto treatments and cost while I'm at it.
EDIT: Another tidbit... -_- Cryptosporidium was the leading cause of waterborne illnesses in 2003 because of inadequate water purification in various parts of the US. This is ridiculous :/ I used to raise my eyebrows at one of the gecko breeders recommending only purified water and not tap water, but I guess they have a point.....
Okay, I'm moving off of this topic now. :/ Back to diggin'....
Happy thoughts... happy thoughts...
I am going to call some of the vets in the area tomorrow and see how much they charge for it and check out any local animal labs here, for pricing too. That is SO worth knowing.
Checking on treatment costs now.
EDIT: They are all prescription (I figured, but it didn't hurt to look) -- looks cheap in the UK, I don't know if those were scams though. I don't know about in the US.
EDIT: The more I am reading about this, the more it looks like it is a REALLY good idea to just get a full fecal test on your geckos. (Do the Fast-Dye) There is a good chance of catching it early or at least having peace of mind that everything is okay. And if you get a new gecko, do a fecal along with your quarantine ASAP. I'm going to see about getting it done tomorrow :/ I'll also ask about crypto treatments and cost while I'm at it.
EDIT: Another tidbit... -_- Cryptosporidium was the leading cause of waterborne illnesses in 2003 because of inadequate water purification in various parts of the US. This is ridiculous :/ I used to raise my eyebrows at one of the gecko breeders recommending only purified water and not tap water, but I guess they have a point.....
Okay, I'm moving off of this topic now. :/ Back to diggin'....
Happy thoughts... happy thoughts...
Last edited:
hmarie186
New member
Yuk,
I found a thread on another forum linking to Avian Biotech for an accurate swab test. They send you the test for free, you use the swabs and collect a fecal sample and send it in with payment and get results a few days after they receive it. It seems like the best way to do it, but I will ask the vet about an acid fast stain test as well.
I don't think Edgar has crypto but has had some on and off weirdness as of late with his eating and poo schedule and he lost a gram since yesterday. My husband and I are taking up a sample to a highly recommended reptile vet an hour away because the other exotics vet close by I used before and they killed my dog. I sent away for the PCR test just for piece of mind. It's only $24.50 and I don't pay anything until I get ready to send in the sample.
I have a zero water pitcher in my fridge that I use to fill Edgar's water bowl with. I never use tap water with him.
Back on topic though, there seemed to be an escapee mealworm in the tank today that got caught between the glass and the tile right outside his warm moist hide. I noticed it this morning and found the paper towels all dug up in there. I'm sure he could see it but just couldn't get to it! I plucked it out with tweezers and set it outside the hide and he snatched it up. LOL!
I found a thread on another forum linking to Avian Biotech for an accurate swab test. They send you the test for free, you use the swabs and collect a fecal sample and send it in with payment and get results a few days after they receive it. It seems like the best way to do it, but I will ask the vet about an acid fast stain test as well.
I don't think Edgar has crypto but has had some on and off weirdness as of late with his eating and poo schedule and he lost a gram since yesterday. My husband and I are taking up a sample to a highly recommended reptile vet an hour away because the other exotics vet close by I used before and they killed my dog. I sent away for the PCR test just for piece of mind. It's only $24.50 and I don't pay anything until I get ready to send in the sample.
I have a zero water pitcher in my fridge that I use to fill Edgar's water bowl with. I never use tap water with him.
Back on topic though, there seemed to be an escapee mealworm in the tank today that got caught between the glass and the tile right outside his warm moist hide. I noticed it this morning and found the paper towels all dug up in there. I'm sure he could see it but just couldn't get to it! I plucked it out with tweezers and set it outside the hide and he snatched it up. LOL!