For an effective fecal examination you will need a high power light microscope with at least a 10x and at best a 40x objective lens. There are two ways to prepare slides for a fecal examinations and I reccomend doing both!
The first is a direct smear. To do this tane a toooth pick and dip it in the feces and place it on the slide. Swirl the tooth pick in circles till you can see a very thin yet transparent layer of the feces. Then add a few drops of water and a cover slip and your good to go.
The second methode is called a fecal float and it requires fecosol (or sodium nitrate) which can be purchassed online. If this is not possible, make a saturated sugar solution by boiling water and dissolving sugar into it until you see crystals on the bottom of the solution that will not dissolve. This is great for emergency cases but fecosol works best. To prepare the float fill a small vial half full with the floatation solution and drop some of the feces in the vial. stir it with a tooth pick so that the feces breaks appart. the more the better. the fill the vial to the brim with more floatation solution, until it appears as if it will over flow. Then place a cover slip over the top of the vial and allow it to sit for fifteen minutes. After this time period, remove the cover slip, place it on a slide and your ready to go. Some parasites show up on a direct smear better than in a float and vice versa.
The sooner you check feces the better. Parasites will last for some time and we do not always have the luxury of a fresh sample. But whenever possible it is best. Also, expect to see lots of bacteria. This is normal. Parasites will last longer if the sample is refrigerated (not frozen), but still the sooner you check it the better. If they die, then bacteria will begin consuming them.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL BECAUSE MANY REPTILE PARASITES AND BACTERIUM ARE TRANSMITTABLE TO HUMANS AND SOME MAY BE DEADLY!
Always wear latex gloves when handling!
Coccidia, Hook worms, filarial worms, tape worms, protazoans and ascaris worms are the most common if that helps any. If you suspect Cryptosporidia or trichomona then you will need a 100x oil imersion lense.
If no parasites are present then I would consider taking him to a vet asap because chances are it is an internal infection or something much worse causing his anorexia. Tube feeding is very similar for lizardsand their stomach resides usually about a centemeter below the breast bone (give or take depending on its size). This is very stressfull for the animal however. I can say though, from experience, that most reptiles in need of tube feeding are straddling the line. I wish you the best of luck and I hope this helps!
