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How many of you have successfully gotten rid of coccidia?

xelda Nov 07, 2003 12:24 AM

I have two leopard geckos whose fecals tested positive for coccidia. One of them (Caesar) also had hookworms. He was visibly sick, so I took him to the vet the same week I purchased him. He has shown A LOT of improvement in response to the Pyrantel and Albon. The other leo (Tommy) didn't show any symptoms at all, so I didn't get a fecal done for him immediately. He was still a small juvenile at the time, so I've waited a few weeks for him to get a little bigger. I'm going to start administering the Albon to Tommy this weekend.

They both came from the same breeder, so I know they came into my care with what they had. I've had them since the end of September.

I'm cleaning rigorously with dishwasher detergent and then soaking with Nolvasan, but I'm starting to lose my steam. I have five more leopard geckos that I'm keeping upstairs. They get their own sink and own set of supplies away from the two in quarantine. I feel fortunate that I'm only dealing with mild cases of this parasite, but I'm starting to go nuts worrying about transferring oocysts upstairs the more I learn about how invincible they are.

I bumped up the temperatures on the warm side of their tanks to give their immune systems a little boost. The first round of medication really had a strong effect on Caesar's behavior, and raising the temperature seemed to help him a lot.

It looks like the two of them are doing great. They've put on weight just beautifully, and they have fantastic appetites. I haven't done any follow-up fecals on either of the two infected leos. I plan to do a series of fecals, but only when I can feel sure that I've gotten rid of the coccidia. Until then, I'm continuing with the medication (Albon) and cleaning regimen.

So that's my sob story. Will I ever be able to get rid of it? The only thing keeping my hopes up are the personalities of these two guys.
-----
chickabowwow

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

Replies (2)

lizardman Nov 07, 2003 07:47 AM

Coccidia can be a very difficult organism to eliminate. I would suggest to not use the Albon beyond what is recommended, as it can cause kidney problems; it has a dehydrating effect on kidneys. Make sure your geckos are getting enough water while being treated with Albon. Also, I really haven't heard of Pyrantel pamoate being used too much in reptiles for hookworms, so I'm not sure how effective it is. Usually, the drug of choice is Fenbendazole aka Panacur for hookworm infestations.

bigboi Nov 26, 2003 01:59 AM

I have successfully treated for coccidian infections in the past. I had some asian turtles loaded with coccidian when they came in (nearly dead). I was able to successfully rehabilitate with metronidazole.

Ryan

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