Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My burm has been fasting for about 2 months now, and it seems that he is not drinking quite as much either. When he does urinate, the urates seem very runny (actually I am not sure if they are urates or just small amounts of extra stool he is getting rid of...but anyway, it is very runny and messy. What could be the deal here. Does this have something to do with him not eating for a while, or is this a sign that he may have some parasites?...or something else entirely. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Matt

It's probably nothing to be too concerned about, HOWEVER, only a qualified vet should give medical advice and my advice to you is to get a fecal done on this snake to rule out any problems...fecal exams only run between $25-50 and well worth the cost in exchange for peace of mind.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>My burm has been fasting for about 2 months now, and it seems that he is not drinking quite as much either. When he does urinate, the urates seem very runny (actually I am not sure if they are urates or just small amounts of extra stool he is getting rid of...but anyway, it is very runny and messy. What could be the deal here. Does this have something to do with him not eating for a while, or is this a sign that he may have some parasites?...or something else entirely. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>>Matt
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Rob:

Thanks for the response...I would like to get a fecal exam done, but with him not eating, I am not getting much of a stool to have an exam done on. Is there another route I could take to check for parasites?

Matt

I would just wait it out until you get some feces or urates; another option, though not quite as effective, is to have the vet do a cloacal swab. Blood tests can also show certain symptoms for problems but the fecals is where you'll see most of the signs of internal parasites. The last option is to just do a shotgun approach and treat with panacur (with your vet's approval); can't hurt and will eradicate most of the common parasites that burms succomb to.

>>Rob:
>>
>>Thanks for the response...I would like to get a fecal exam done, but with him not eating, I am not getting much of a stool to have an exam done on. Is there another route I could take to check for parasites?
>>
>>Matt
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Rob:

I have a pretty good reptile vet in my area, and I have taken my ball to him before to be treated with Panacure. She did not really take that well to the dosing. Really stressed her out...anyway, I would like to administer the Panacure to the burm, if need be, by putting it in a food item when he starts eating again. Is this just as effective?

Also, are the urates just as good as actual defecation to take in for a parasite testing? Because this I could do.

Matt

You can put it in the food item; that's probably the best way w/out stressing out the animal. In terms of getting a stool sample, it's usually best to get good stool, however, I have heard that you can get some results from urates (but I don't have personal experience with that). Good luck.

>>Rob:
>>
>>I have a pretty good reptile vet in my area, and I have taken my ball to him before to be treated with Panacure. She did not really take that well to the dosing. Really stressed her out...anyway, I would like to administer the Panacure to the burm, if need be, by putting it in a food item when he starts eating again. Is this just as effective?
>>
>>Also, are the urates just as good as actual defecation to take in for a parasite testing? Because this I could do.
>>
>>Matt
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL