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Intestinal Parasites/Worms May Prove Beneficial

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chickabowwow

3.2.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 1 more egg a' cookin'

I generally agree with the contents of the article. There is alot that still needs to be learned about the inner workings of our reptile pets. It may very well be that potentially harmful organisms are a natural part of there internal micro fauna. I have never treated and will not treat any of my herps unless they show outward signs of illness. I have had dragon fecals come back positive for coccidia and the animals were perfectly fine. Did I treat...no. I still have the dragons and they healthy as any. It's when the animals immune system is compromised that these oganisms take advantage of their host. The best way to keep the immune system strong is through nutrition and providing a proper low stress environment for your herps.
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Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

Well, it's happened before in the world of science. They're using leeches again in surgery, and maggots have been used to heal the wounds of people with diabetes. Dunno about parasites with herps...I'm sure it's something that won't be tested as extensively as with humans, and I'm not sure if how I feel about -propagating- parasites in my animals.

I agree. Keeping Geckos on paper towels etc etc..

They are wild animals they can deal with alot more than people think.

Interesting article. Nature has a balance of which we really don't completely understand. The parasite/host relationship can be harmful but it can also be benefitical.
We have parasites on us right now, eating dead skin, in essance, keeping us clean on a microscopic level. I learned all about it when i was taking my PSW training. We also have naturally occuring bacteria that helps ward off more harmful agents. Without these things we are succeptable to illness. Now i'm not going to go out and try to get worms (its the diabetes study that really really interested me, its run rampent in my family, luckily i don't have it) but i would like to follow up with these studies and see what the end result is.

One thing i do know is this...After taking the PSW training, one of the woman i used to work with began using bleach in her baths, cause she was freaked out by the fact we have bugs on us. She not only got sick, she also burnt her skin very badly!!!!!

I'm also a believer in the *if it aint broke dont' fix it* mantra. None of my geckos show any signs of illness and it makes sence that until they do i shouldn't start medicating them. As long as i'm very vigilant in watching for symptoms that they are not 100% i don't foresee a problem.

Red
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Crested Gecko Zeek:1.0
LEOS: Boo: 1.0 normal , Bronx & Nala: 1.1 blizzard,
Lily: 0.1 patternless, Abby: 0.1 albino, Zoe: 0.1 reduced pattern, Dot: 0.1 hypo
Chip: 1.0 papillion (small dog)

I agree with the fact that we have beneficial flora that we need to stay healthy, makes sense that reptiles do to BUT I have to disagree with some of what they are talking about.
The biggest reason that developed countries have an increase in diabetes is because we have more access to refined sugars, junk food, etc. causing weight problems. Look at the USA, the obesity rate has increased over the years. There is also the fact that we have better health care. By having better health care, people with diabetes survive longer. Back in the middle ages, people with unhealthy immune systems, didn't make it very long...usually not long enough to reproduse and pass on their genes. We know that many diseases are hereditary and can be passed along. Since our health care systems are better, people live longer and pass on genes that might not exactly be beneficial to healthy offspring.

The IBS experiment was pretty intersting. But again, I have to disagree with some things. I worm my animals every 6 months. yeh they carry parasites in the wild, but in the wild they can walk away from where they deficate. In captivity, they are forced to stay in the region where they poop. There by increasing the possibility that they can infect themselves more. Eventually, the infestation gets high enough to cause a problem. You can have a small population of parasites that don't cause too much of a problem because the body can keep it in check but when you constantly get exposed to more parasites, eventually your body begins to lose.

how does one go about worming leo's,
and what are the signs that they have any ?
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