Needles to say this subject is one of my all time favourite, however I dough we can take this to a higher level of understanding, first I do not have the competence to do so, and second I dough others will be interested by this subject.

I really appreciate your opinion, as I do when keepers have different views then mine, I believe all of us have something to share, and opposing views allow progress.

To date none of my research have demonstrated a significant difference between African or Asian parasites, I hope you aren’t confusing them with viruses?

Theirs far more to fear with external parasite like ticks and mites then any internal parasites.

I am not saying all parasites live in symbiosis with lizards, but those that do have a much more important role then we think they have, true round worms and tape worms feed on nutrients, however these are mostly fat lipids that are then processed into healthy proteins by the worms, exactly the same way night crawlers fertilise your lawn.

In 99% cases parasites aren’t the problem with captives, parasitism is a disease of husbandry, without proper care no reptile will flourish in captivity.

This is my point, I advocate better husbandry over what in my opinion is total nonsense deworming an already weakened host, the poor lizard is sick and we are trying to help him by poisoning and killing his natural defences.

Sure I understand nobody wants there lizards to have these disgusting worms, but they didn’t evolve to be sterile, they are a complexity of organism in constant mutation, the more you try to alter there system the less they are likely to survive.

Where did this concept of deworming reptiles took birth in herpetoculture? Who started advertising this practise (vets) where did they get this (from medicine) the study of medicine is based on mammalians, species that evolved a metabolism in depended of there environment, our lizards are temperature dependent.

This is not the first time we see an idea (deworming) being passed on from one source to an other until it becomes universally accepted and propagated in most literatures, why?

Because who other then a few, can argue this malpractice? Who amongst herpetoculturist will experiment with parasites and drugs until they reach a better understanding?

Iv spent 15 years with my eye ball stuck on the microscope, trying to understand this complex relation, iv spent the same amount of time trying to eradicate these parasites, those years of failure have tot me a lot more then I can express here, probably much less then any biology student think they know, I say think because there will always be a world of difference between herpetoculture and biology.

The first thing anyone should ask a vet is if he is a keeper, then how did you diagnose and why this treatment. Most are not keepers, do not identify parasites and offer generally used drugs in general dosage, if your animal survive it’s the treatment, if it dies you broth it in to late, don’t you think this is to easy?

Personally I am a friend of lizards, I want them to flourish as captives, I much prefer that keepers save hard earned money for important husbandry and foods.

Tomorrow I am receiving some rare lizards, $2000ea I may refuse them because they transited in Miami, where I am told they where treated with wormers.
This for me is terrible as the affects of wormers are far more dangerous then a few worms, iv seen to many animals fail to acclimate and die from organ failure to accept this risk with such expensive lizards.

Sorry I really tried to keep this short, but I get carried away, the worst is that I am French and often my post are incoherent when I re read them. so dont wory about upseting me in anyway.

Rgds

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