Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I have been thinking of starting my guys on a probiotic, like NutriBac. I want to do this because I think it could benefit their overall health. I know the NutriBac website boasts a cure for Salmonella. I doubt their claim is true and I not entirely sure "curing" Salmonella is such a good thing. I just wanted to get the general concences on probiotic useage.
Also, would be safe to use a human probiotic with reptiles? The human probiotic I want to use is a great product and is free of artificial colors or preservatives. It is also 100% Vegetarian. The big thing I am worried about with this probiotic is that it contians a few bacterical strains not in nutribac. The strains it contains are as follows:

Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium longum.

Thanks for all the help, Josh

"...Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms, including Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium species and yeasts, that may beneficially affect the host upon ingestion by improving the balance of the intestinal microflora..."

Years ago people talked about offering iguanas small amounts of yogurt, to improve the intestinal microflora of their iguanas, and therefore keep salmonella low. Of course, we also know that lactose and iguanas don't mix either.

Your question is best addressed to a vet.

Do keep in mind that a clean, disnifected environment (i.e. daily) also helps lower the chance for us humans of contacting salmonella.

-IJ

I would just like to clarify that I want to use probiotics to improve the intestinal flora which will hopefully benefit the overall health of my animals. I am not particularly concerned with salmonella, so that is not really a reason why I want to use probiotics. Thanks for the reply iguana joe. josh

Our iguana, Iggi picked up parasitic worms from the dirt outside. Our herp vet prescibed Panacur. We were worried that Panacur would kill off beneficial bacteria as well as the parasites, so we bought a bottle of Nutribac df. We used it after the dosing scheduled was finished, with good results. Our iguana's appetite came back, and we have continued with a once a week dosing of her food. It seems to crowd out harmful parasites. Iggi still occasionally licks dirt during her daily walks outside, but her appetite is OK. I recommend a probiotic designed for reptiles and amphibians in mind. I bought my Nutribac df at www.reptileuv.com.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~