Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a pair of females being treated for Giardia. Both have diarhea, and neither has eaten voluntarily (that I have observed)in the last 10 days.

I am dosing a cocktail of pedialyte, turkey or chicken baby food, and Nekton MSA. They are taking it well. I was curious to find out if there are any other combinations for liquid suspensions that people may give their sick leos.

Here is what I have used successfully to dropper-feed many of the sick PetCo rescues I have taken in in the past:

In a blender, mix the following:
1 small can Hill's A/D pet food (available at most Vets)
1 jar baby food squash (good carbs, and binds in the gut)
1/3 cup Ensure Plus (not chocolate)
1/4 cup Pedialite
1 tsp. calcium powder
1/2 tsp. vitamin powder

As mixture blends, add a large handfull of mealworms a few at a time and puree until completely smooth. Pour mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze. Store frozen cubes in a zip-lock bag in the freezer, and only thaw out one at a time as needed. Keep thawed mixture in the baby food jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

NEVER tell anyone you put mealworms in the blender!
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Marcia McGuiness
Golden Gate Geckos
www.goldengategeckos.com

N/P
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2 male leos: Winky HY & Lenny TangCT & 6 Female Leos: Sunshine Super tang,Starburst, & Daisy Super tang carrot tail, Serenity Tremper HY Jungle Albino, Skittle Hypo-Golden, and Banana Patternless.

Thanks for the response Marcia. Your recipe sounds much more rounded and robust. (I might just have to go and buy a new blender)

Did I spell that right? One of my females also has diarrhea and has not been eating. Are those the only symptoms of this disease? Is it a parasite? What are the primary causes of this disease? I know diarrhea and not eating could be a number of different problems, so I need to know what causes these diseases to see which one most likely affected my gecko. Thanks

Joe

Yes, it is a parasitic protozoan. I'm used to it being called "beaver fever" as a result that it is usually contracted through contaminated water. Prior to this, I had never seen, or heard of giardia in herps. I was surprised by the vets diagnosis, but they seemed confident about the source.

If your leo is showing similar symptoms, it is worth having a fecal done to rule out further probs. I am using paper towel as a substrate, and just cut out a square covered with the wet stool.

So far my cousin, a dog at the place I worked, and my bearded dragon have had giardia, so I guess it's an equal opportunity disease. My cousin got it overseas.
I've seen the A/D diet recommended in books, but you've got to go through a vet to get it. I've used baby food and whipping cream on snakes in a pinch, but I'd get A/D if I could. It looks like I might go through the same thing with a cat gecko I have... sigh...
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?