Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I made a post here some time back stating how I really felt people are being mislead in the internal parasite theory.
1. Any leo consisting of more than 4 captive bred parents should be as far as I am looking at it internal parasite free!
I see daily post of juvenile leos (not eating, loosing weight, lethargic, sickly, just bad health in general.
In answer to these problems alot of times I see Internal Parasitic conditions and medical treatment as a cure.
We therefore medicate this poor little leo with all forms of antibiotic that we can purchase from hear say. Now other than either being STRESSED beyond belief from pet store life, dehydrated more than likely from being in a five gallon tank with a 90 watt bulb on sand and just generally in a bad mood. We as a workable group of sensible people here put more stress on them with medication.
1. ONLY BUY HEALTHY STOCK!!!! (pet store skinny rejects don't coun't.
2. Think about it. Only 4 to 6 of 100,000 wild born leo's live to see adulthood.
3. By our modern incubating methods of precise enviorment, We may actually reach a hatch rate of 98% posssibly better.
4. This automatically gives a 1/3 of those hatched a shot at life they never would have seen in nature because their weakness would have never allowed full embryotic development in the wild.
5. NATURAL SELECTION is done away wit in the captive bred world.
6. 75% of these parasite said leos are sick and readily not able to be careed for by a novice simply cause they a just that sickly from birth and the fact that God made us all weak and inferior.
I don't buy the parasitic thing simply because.
1. Most store bought live food is parasite free! (not for your pets health but for insect rearing purposes)
2. If you don't feed wild caught food there is little chance of it.
I do at times see parasitic conditions in wild caught snakes and such. But as to the hundreds of thousands of leos been bred you gotta search hard to even find a wild caught Leopard.
What I am trying to say is most people have never seen a healthy month old leo. I should have doubled in size and be eating every day. Most are culls from breeders doing a genetic program and sold to unwary buyers. They are bought sick and never get better. It aint parasites. Out of 100 baby leo's I have hatched 15% I myself cull from within three days of hatching. How many of those 15% of other peoples stock do you think hits the store shelves????
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"Why is it we treat the earth as if we have a spare in the trunk"

Your ill-founded notions and unsubstantiated statements are what make forums a potentially risky place for novices to seek info on an otherwise relatively simple pet species. At least your make-believe, drawn out of a seems-like-a-nice-round-number-hat statistics are entertaining.

Consider, if you must rant without foundation, do it at a small local herp club where you must look directly at those whom you try to (mis)advise.

May I ask then if I may where all these gecko's are aquiring these so called parasites. Surely when I walk into any one of several chain style pet stores in Toledo, Ohio. The whole darn city must be inflicted with a black plauge for the leo. For out of several I go check out every weekend only one or two have a decent looking leo, and they are in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I must say NO. These places have stunted,skinny,rough looking 5 weeks olds looking like they are a 6 day old in size. Out of most always stocks of 10 or more I bet even a vetern breeder would have problems keeping some of these alive. Lets be real here I bet 85% likely more but to be safe I say 85% of store bought leos die within 2 months. Mostly because of new leo owners not actually knowing a healthy looking leo. I know this thing because I have bred and raised leos for quite some years. I know the look of a baby that I hatched and try my best with all info that could be found and love and care, that I could just not make survive. Some lasting 2 or more months without eating. These so called healthy store geckos look about like a 6 week old non-eater. I call it a shame. You wan't to investigate it further buy a $20.00 microscope and do your own smear test. I doubt you find any live parasitic action. I can see poorly raised leo's being infected, but look at this. A fresh hatchling being produced in a sterile parasitic free condition by parents from the same should never aquire parasitic host! Two ways to infect. Enter hatchling to a parasitic situation. Feed infected food. Maybe chance encounter with a parasitic food item unknown but not really if enclosed correctly. All I am really trying to say is leo's do not and if bought from a repuatable seller should not have parasites these medications are a waste and a stress.
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"Why is it we treat the earth as if we have a spare in the trunk"

We already showed you the gigantic gaps in your logic back at that time. Please refrain from subjecting us to the same complete lack of understanding of basic biology.

Since you appear to have no new information, I don't see the point in posting repeatedly.

You are welcome to your opinion, but one post limit please.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Yes, Teacher I am sorry.
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"Why is it we treat the earth as if we have a spare in the trunk"

Ok well, what about the leos that have fecal exams done, and parasites are found? Is it ok to treat them? I do understand that ALL Reptiles have SOME parasites and bacteria, and stress causes this to worsen. but I do find it hard to believe Leopards that have been bred 5 generations are parasite free. Parasites are way to esasy to spread, I have taken many reptiles to the vet all, have some parasites, some have alot..they get treated. And yes the petstores care methods can cause the geckos to become thin and dehydrated, they can also cause the parasite levels to rise. All of wich will certainly kill a gecko.

all living creature have some types of parasite including humans, correct? Deadly parasites though rarely make it past a couple generations of captive bred if clean kept though because a parent infected with a parasite of such sure kill infection it rarely lives to breed. Parasites are most unlikely to be egg transferable. A baby born in a sterile incubator should be parasitic free.
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"Why is it we treat the earth as if we have a spare in the trunk"