Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am starting to think my mali has some sort of parasite in her system. How much does it cost to get a stool sample checked? And also how much does it cost to cure them of the parasite, generally?

The reason i ask is because i want to know a general number to expect on the vet bills.

The cost varies depending on the vet. Best bet may be to call them ahead of time and get a ball-park figure.
I paid around $55 for a vet visit and a fecal. He didn't have any parasites so there was no medication for him. However, I have had a cat with parasites before and I seem to recall the dewormer was inexpensive (less than $10)...

thanks so much i was expecting to pay like 200 bucks. phewww.

My experience is that vet visits and treatments for Uros are much less than I usually expect. I am used to dog, people, and horse bills though. The standard fee for an equine vet to come and just LOOK at your horse is usually well over a $130 (we won't even discuss medication expenses)... I think the most expensive thing I ever had done with Archie were X-rays, which ran about $65 a piece. Normal visits were $35 I think, including a fecal. The syringes, and medication we used on him were under $30 I think, for everything he needed for a fortnight of antibiotics and some other things... so generally speaking quite reasonable.

and Remember, (this is not directed at you, but the forum in general ) not only is it the right thing to do for your Uro to take him to the vet yearly, as well as right away when you suspect a problem; but it is CHEAPER to treat a condition early on, than later. As a graduate student I understand how money can be *very* tight, but these are expenses you should be budgeting for. ::ends public service announcement::

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
Madison, Wisconsin

Ok, so I took Kong to a vet yesterday. They force fed him a combo of anti-parasite meds. she didnt even check to see if she had any, however she said it was a precautionary measure. And she also gave me a big package of critical care for herps. so i got home and mixed some of that critical care in with bath water and kong swam and soaked. She seemed to really like it. So anyway, she was up till 9 o'clock last night. Today she hasnt come out of her cage. I wish she would because i bought her a rose to much on.

PS. This may be the most stupid question anyone has ever heard, however here it goes. I sleep with a big box fan on in my room, is it possible that the noise is keeping kong up all night? causing her to sleep all day? just a thought.

There's probably no way to be sure that ambient noise is causing your Uro problems, but I would highly doubt it. However, sometimes when I play music in my "reptile room" I seem to notice a small change in behavior, almost like they stop and listen every once in a while. That may just be imagined though. I'm pretty sure they can hear well though, I've noticed multiple occasions while having them outside they run into their hide when they hear a bird. On another note, I wouldn't ever challenge a trained reptile Vets reccomendations but in the case of force feeding meds to a Uro without verifying that it needs them I will; it seems very foolish to me. Anti-parasite meds can damage the way Uro's digest their food and if it's not needed it can probably cause unwarranted problems. It's kinda like a person eating Tums when they don't need them, it can change the natural PH balance in your stomach causing problems instead of solving them, as well as making antacids less efective when you do need them. That's all just my opinion though, I'd be interested to hear what anyone else thinks.
HH

Thats exactly what i thought, however kong has come out of his hide 2 days in a row. He hast done that in like 4 months. i question her methods however Kong must have had parasites because he is 1000 times better.

What made you think kong had parasites?

well i didnt really at first but i tried everything to get her going but she kept slowing down. She would come out of her hide once a week. so I decided to finally take her to the vet and she decided that as a precautionary meausure she would give her parasite meds. And it worked she has been active all day since. so to be honest i just had a hunch that she had somesort of parasite. why? do you suspect that your uro has any?

No, I don't suspect she does.

She runs around 3-5 days of the week. Seems to sleep/rest 2-3 days hiding most of the day. It has become her regular cycle. She's up as early as 9:30am but is down for the night around 6pm (what a life!).

She eats and poops fine, is plump in the legs, so I think she's fine. I'll probably take a stool sample to the vet this summer but just as part of a regular checkup.

Kim