Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok I am trying to give my uro parazap and he won't accept it?All the sudden he stopped eating greens and will only eat insects.He has an appetite but he won't eat his greens.He is still pooping and active.Any ideas?

thanks

Pacman,

The only idea that comes to my mind is not to give any more medication as a 'precautionary' measure and stick to administering medications prescribed by a vet when a specific parasite is found.

I would also recommend some research and reading on high animal protein diets and their negative effects on herbivores.

You may want to try giving a little NutriBac or other type of beneficial bacteria to reestablish any gut flora that you may have destroyed with the medication. Then, try tearing up some crickets into small pieces and mixing them in with some torn up greens. Gradually decrease the amount of cricket material until your uro is once again eating greens.

I thought parazap was supposed to have no negative effects hence you can use it as a precaution?

He started taking the parazap now.Now that he took the parazap he started picking at his veggies.Should I still not give it to him?

I agree with debb...giving reptiles medication when they don't need it can put an undue stress on their bodies.

>>I agree with debb...giving reptiles medication when they don't need it can put an undue stress on their bodies.

Here's the website for Parazap. I don't know enough about nutrition, supplementation, or medication to know exactly what kinds of effects it would have. According to the website, this isn't a medication, per se, but a supplement that stimulates appetite and discourages parasites. Many beardie owners swear by this stuff. I've never used it.

Can someone with a better knowledge base than me look at this site and post an opinion/analysis? The only mention of ingredients I could find was in the FAQ, and they were herbal. Thanks!!
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Uromastyx Maliensis (Tank and Turtle)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.0 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Sideshow)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
0.0.2 Metae Corydoras (Frank and Jesse)
0.0.2 Dwarf Sucking Oto (Tootsie and Dum-Dum)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

el toro,

I am somewhat familiar with the ingredients in Para-Zap.

The definition of a medicine is a preparation or substance that is given to treat disease. The manufacturer states that their product is not a medication but then markets the product as a treatment for parasites. I disagree with their stance on Para-Zap and believe it to be a medication.

I get a kick out of manufacturers that promote their products as safe because it is ‘all natural’. Arsenic is all natural but that certainly does not mean that it is safe. In fact, there are many ‘all natural’ plants and herbs (belladonna/nightshade, hemlock, foxglove…) that are toxic to animals and to humans. “All natural’ means nothing to me.

Although the main two ingredients in Parazap (black walnut and wormwood) are still sometimes used today for medicinal purposes, a generic web search under ‘black walnut toxic’ or ‘wormwood toxic’ will give you a multitude of hits. You will find data on plant toxicity, proven toxicity in horses, toxicity in people, and many sites which show that the use of wormwood has been discontinued and is not recommended due to toxicity concerns. If you continue to research you will find that almost every part of the black walnut tree (leaves, bark, wood, roots) produces the toxin juglone. Some sites will actually list the plants as ‘toxic’ while others are more specific with terms such as neurotoxins.

Contrary to what it may appear, my purpose with this post is not to evaluate the safety of Para-Zap. My intent is to get across my personal point that the use of medications (even if herbal or non prescription) should not be taken lightly and their use should be reserved for when it is necessary (diagnosis) not as a precaution.
Then again, this is just my personal opinion. So take it (or don’t) for what it is worth.

Debb-

Thanks! Opinions like yours are exactly what I was looking for - whatever the actual opinion, I want to hear from people who might know more about it than I do. I am certainly skeptical of using random supplements in my own body, so I'm not likely to do so for my lizards, either.

Just as it's distressing to see pictures of iguanas and beardies on hot rock packaging, it's distressing to see other advertising tactics that are just as misleading and possibly damaging. The thing that caught my attention about Parazap's website is that it's promoted for use with reptiles, cats, dogs, horses, zebras, dinosaurs, whatever. It never seemed quite right to me that one substance could be safe and/or effective on such different species.

I would still love to see other people's thoughts on this product!
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Uromastyx Maliensis (Tank and Turtle)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.0 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Sideshow)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
0.0.2 Metae Corydoras (Frank and Jesse)
0.0.2 Dwarf Sucking Oto (Tootsie and Dum-Dum)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

Again, my intent is not to give an opinion on Para-Zap but rather an opinion on the use of medications.

Also please keep in mind that prescription medication can also be dangerous or toxic if not prescribed correctly or if given improperly.

When an actual diagnosis is made, sometimes the advantage of giving medications outweighs the possibly disadvantages. This is when I advocate its use.

Alot of beardie owners do swear it works well.A couple of people told me it really helped their beardeds.My uromastyx is already pooping every day eating more and acting more energetic after 4 days of use.It looks like it works good to me.But thats just my opinion.O also wouldn't wormwood have to have some extent of toxin in it in order to kill something?

thanks for your replies

>>Again, my intent is not to give an opinion on Para-Zap but rather an opinion on the use of medications.
>>

Perhaps, but you do make good observations about the nature of some of the ingredients, as well as good points about the definition of what a medicine is. And I thank you for them all the same.
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Uromastyx Maliensis (Tank and Turtle)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.0 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Sideshow)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
0.0.2 Metae Corydoras (Frank and Jesse)
0.0.2 Dwarf Sucking Oto (Tootsie and Dum-Dum)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

Don't ask how I know....but I'm fairly certain wormwood is(was) used as a primary ingredient in absinthe, a phsycidelic drink popular in the 18th and 19th century. BTW you can still find it in alot of Europian countries to date.
2cents
MM

MistaMasta,
You are accurate in your information. Wormwood is the primary ingredient for absinth. The toxin contained within it is what brings on the psychodelic affects, and is closely associated to the toxin contained within certain mushrooms and other man made sources of psychotropic drugs. There was a very good documentary on the history channel that outlined the use and the black market that still exists within western Europe and Scandanavian countries.

Best regards,

Carson

The neurotoxin in Wormwood is also what drives chronic absynthe drinkers insane over time. Which is part of why the liqueur is illegal in the states. Wormwood and Black walnut can both be very effective in short term medications/preperations, however due to their inherent toxicity, and addictiveness, I would be very wary of using them as a long term supplement.

If you are feeding an herbivorous diet, and not introducing new Uros, the liklihood of parasites being introduced after your lizard has been verified parasite free, is quite low. Hence I am not sure a long term parasite cleanse lile para-zap would be needed.

My $.04

Elizabeth
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1.0 Uro Archimedes
0.0 Fish
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
0.1 Newfoundland Jasmine
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin