Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. I just wanted to get this out there to anyone it may concern: CHECK YOUR CHAMELEON FOR PARASITES- ESPECIALLY WHEN U FIRST BUY THEM. I bought mine from a store and they told me not to worry about parasites. Ive had my panther for a year and he just got diagnosed w/ intestinal parasites. He is weak and hopefully recovering. I have to give him medicine twice a day for 3 weeks, not to mention other things to take care of his condition. Even if your cham. seems a little off or has a lack of apetite- get a stool sample tested. It will save much stress and anguish. I took my panther cham. to a vet after he stopped eating for over a week and showed a little blood around his rectal area and he LOOKED fine otherwise, but his stool had tons of parasites. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!

Sorry to hear about your chameleon having parasites. I hope he will recover from them.

You said..."I have to give him medicine twice a day for 3 weeks, not to mention other things to take care of his condition"...what kind of parasite showed up? Coccidia? What medicine was prescribed?

Hi Kinyonga
The Vet said- and showed me 2 different types of parasites, I don't remember which ones. I should've written it down! He said there were actually 3 or 4 different kinds of parasites in his stool. the med. he gave me was an oral pink formula abbreviated "SMZ"- it had reeeally long name. He wrote down that it was an antibiotic and antiparasitic. Although I am concerned that dose is too high (.2 ccs twice a day for 3 weeks). After 1 week on it (plus the first "deworming" he's gotten a lot more tired and weak. His color is good but he barely has any energy.

Right now he's sleeping and its 85-90 degrees in his spot in broad daylight. I actually had to put him in a basket so he doesn't fall off his perching branches- its that bad. I thought he'd be better after the treatment and a couple bowel movements. but it seems like he's losing strength- poor guy. My mom is taking a stool sample to the vet as i type. Has anyone got any good links on the web about reptile parasites? I wish I knew if I'm prolonging his misery and eventual death or if I'm actually helping him recover... I will respond again when I get the fecal smear results. Has ANYONE had a cham. w/ parasites before?? Do they recover or is it all downhill after a certain point? ARRGh so many questions...

Was the drug Sulphamethoxazole?

You said.."Although I am concerned that dose is too high (.2 ccs twice a day for 3 weeks)"...I'm sorry I can't tell you if the dosage is right or not. It goes by the weight of the chameleon.

You said..."After 1 week on it (plus the first "deworming" he's gotten a lot more tired and weak. His color is good but he barely has any energy"...sometimes if the parasite load is heavy it can cause problems. The way I understand it is that the chameleon's body doesn't "recognize" the live parasites as something that has to be gotten rid of but once they are dead the body does "recognize" them and has to get rid of them. If the load is too heavy the body can't cope with it and toxic shock can occur. Your description of your chameleon would make me wonder if this is what's going on with him....but I'm not a vet so I can't diagnose it. I hope I'm wrong.

You asked..."Has ANYONE had a cham. w/ parasites before??"...lots of them....and lots of different parasites too.

You asked..."Do they recover or is it all downhill after a certain point?"...most of them I have had treated recover, but there have been a couple that ended up dying from it. I've had a lot worse things than parasites to deal with in chameleons.

I'll have to see if I can find the good sites I have about parasites tomorrow...I have to sign off now.

I hope your chameleon will be okay. Make sure you give him plenty of water.

Well, the lesson here is that most pet shops have no real understanding of herp parasites. Just because a cham is cbb doesn't mean it doesn't have parasites. All their prey is full of them and you will never get rid of them entirely. Generally, if a cham is healthy it can handle some parasite load without much trouble. If the cham ends up with some other health issue that is when the parasite load adds to the problem. Some types of parasites cause more trouble than others. The key is...check your chams even if they are healthy and at least KNOW what is present. If the checks don't show anything really heavy or species that are dangerous you and the vet can choose to watch for change.