Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i know im not an experianced keeper but i know this guy has no clue look at this about substrates.

"for substrate, you can use kitchen or newspaper however, these aren’t particularly recommended as they do not do them any benefit, so I would recommend calci-sand, which can sometimes be fairly expensive, but it is very beneficial and fully digestible."

he said that about substrates. paper towls and newspaper not recomended? even tho i dontknow that much i know thats wrong. im gald that i didnt read that caresheet as one of my first.

goes to show dont beleive everything you read

>>i know im not an experianced keeper but i know this guy has no clue look at this about substrates.
>>
>>"for substrate, you can use kitchen or newspaper however, these aren’t particularly recommended as they do not do them any benefit, so I would recommend calci-sand, which can sometimes be fairly expensive, but it is very beneficial and fully digestible."
>>
>>he said that about substrates. paper towls and newspaper not recomended? even tho i dontknow that much i know thats wrong. im gald that i didnt read that caresheet as one of my first.
>>
>>goes to show dont beleive everything you read
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Katie F.
Peach State Geckos
Breeding Mealworms
My Email

"A herper's life is never dull" - ME

im realy gald that wasnt one of the first sheets i read because the earlyer ones are theones where you are learning the most so you take them in more

I remember the first caresheets I ever read were promoting sand. That's what I was planning on using but I got my first leos as babies so I had them on paper towels (I was gonna change to sand when they got older)but in the mean time I figured out it was the wrong choice. First impressions last so if that's one fo teh first caresheets someone reads it could maybe end up killing their gecko unless they come and ask some questions here...lol.
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Katie F.
Peach State Geckos
Breeding Mealworms
My Email

"A herper's life is never dull" - ME

I know! It is ridiculus, there are still prettyr ecent care sheets that say iguana's should be fed crickets and cat food as part of their diet! And someone in the cham forum recently had a vet tell them chams only live about 7months!
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican kingsnake
1.0.2 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Rose Hair Tarantula
1.0 BTS
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

No, don't believe everything you read but be careful about what you choose to believe.

Too many posts bash the opinions, care and treatment methods of vets and reptilian specialists by Joes and Janes that think they know it all because their animals reproduce.

With all posted online everywhere, my suggestion is to always consult with a professional, and follow only what he/she OKs and encourages, not what seller so-and-so yells out to the world.

My humble $0.02
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That would be fine and all but alot of Vets are completely ignorant to reptiles and their care. If your vet does not specialize in reptiles chances are they are just coasting their way through the exam and hoping they don't mess up. I have known about 100 times more than any vet I have taken any of my reptiles to. It really is a crapshoot.
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Jeff West

That's too bad . My herp vet is awesome! I have to drive over an hour to get there but he's very knowledgable in fact he treats tons of herps to it's an everyday thing for him.
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Katie F.
Peach State Geckos
Breeding Mealworms
My Email

"A herper's life is never dull" - ME

Wow, you are telling me that you've visited over 100 different vets, and found that neither knew a thing about reptiles...
HUM.. Seems to me you could have saved time and money by locating your nearest, reptilian specialist instead of promoting the ignorant attitude too many online promote, bashing vets...

Or maybe you're saying that you've been correct in your diagnosis 100/100 times, perfect score. The thing about it is, some mild symptoms you could recognize and act upon, but it is a monstrosity to get online and encourage people to medicate their animals, or worse yet, tell them what they notice is normal, while the animal may be dying and/or spreading infections. All to save a few bucks in fecals. Far worse is that the same breeders sell their animals with parasitic infestations and misdiagnosed/maltreated conditions, spreading the illnesses way beyond their tanks...

"That would be fine and all but alot of Vets are completely ignorant to reptiles and their care. If your vet does not specialize in reptiles chances are they are just coasting their way through the exam and hoping they don't mess up. I have known about 100 times more than any vet I have taken any of my reptiles to. It really is a crapshoot."
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As you can see by reading my posts i said the vets that do not specialize in reptiles. Of course specialists know more that I do about reptiles. I am sayign that a vet that does not specialize in reptiles will rarely know anything about reptiles. I am suggesting a reptile specialist. I work in the animal industry and work colosely with many local vets and some that are not so local. I am tellinjg you that vets that see cats and dogs did not learn a damn thing about lizards in vet school. I am saying that I could do a better exam on a lizrd than a regular vet could do. A regular vet is going to examine the gecko in the same manner as he would a dog. How would that vet be able to find anything worng with the gecko?? And also, the fecal check that is so simple to do probably would be done improperly by a regular vet because they wouldn't know what to look for under the microsope! There a soooo many different types of parasites. A regular vet checks a fecal and looks for coccidia, hookworms, or whipworms. That is about it.
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Jeff West

YUP... as in all medical fields, doctors go through school to get their general degree and only those who take additional courses beyond that, become specialists.

Birds and reptiles are related in their evolutionary path, so often an avian specialist will also be qualified to treat reptiles.

Glad we're on the same wavelength there...
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I have to step in here on the fecal issue --

Even a good small animal (read cat and dog vet) vet will know that what they are seeing on a fecal is possibly a parasite - and if they are offering to do fecals, then most likely they have reptile parasite books on hand to look at if they come across something unusual -- at least all the vets I have interned with so far have. Yes, a specialist vet is a great asset, but don't knock every small animal vet out there -- some will do a minimal exam and upon noticing anything they cannot treat/diagnose will refer out.

Another thing - if all YOUR cat and dog vet is looking for in fecals is coccidia, hooks and whips, then you better be looking for a new vet for your cats and dogs too.

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Holly Canfield, West Virginia
AAS - Vet Tech

Pets
0.1 snow corn snake
0.0.2 leopard geckos
2.1 dogs
2.3 cats -- someone dropped off a new stray! I hate that people know we'll take in animals!
2.0 rats
Mealworms and Crickets

Im memory of Kaija - a female green iguana who shared our lives for 9 years.

I am a certified Vet Tech. I have been for 3 years now, I have been reading fecals for 3 years now and I agree with you that what is being seen on the microscope is easily identified as a parasite, howvere there are so many kinds and without regular practice it is much harder to diagnose. A regular dog and cat vet which is what i have worked for needs to only be concerned with the following parasites: roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, coccidia and giarddia. Roundworms and hookworms are routinley dewormed for, so most vets dont look for those really, tapeworms dont show up on the scope, it is external signs that diagnose tapes. Yes, occasionally, we will find some other extremely rare parasite but no we don't look for them. In any of the cat/dog hospitals i have worked in we did not have any reptile parasitic information or charts, and yes, i probably would've seen it as a parasite but would not have been able to diagnose it, and neither would any of the 9 vets i have worked with would either. A specialist is definately the way to go. I am not telling these people not to go to the vet, i am saying a specialist will be much more familiar with the animal and all in all is going to take better care of it.
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Jeff West

Thanks for the clarification Jeff

Sorry, I just get riled up about some stuff --

The last vet I worked at - he even looked at fecals (smears) for bacteria and found several different protozoa in than the other vets I've interned at -- he was more concerned with proper diagnosis and treatment -- more southern vet here in West Virginia - maybe because of location, there was more concern.

The first vet I interned with -- saw limited numbers of reptiles --- but we did fecals and poured through Dr. Frye's reptile books for identification -- it was interesting because we didn't learn anything on reptiles in vet tech school -- much like most vets don't learn anything about animals besides cats and dogs and occassionally a few farm animals.

What state are you in?
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Holly Canfield, West Virginia
AAS - Vet Tech

Pets
0.1 snow corn snake
2.0 leopard geckos
2.1 dogs
2.3 cats -- someone dropped off a new stray! I hate that people know we'll take in animals!
2.0 rats
Mealworms and Crickets

Im memory of Kaija - a female green iguana who shared our lives for 9 years.

I'm in Illinois. The parastites I listen earlier are the only ones we have here. I do agree that in different regions there are different parasites. You can take a reptile or avian class at most tech schools.
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Jeff West

Unfortunately at Fairmont State Community and Technical College (the only AVMA accreditated program (only program actually) in WV - there were only 2 of us interested in the exotics class so we didn;t have it - and I got the notes from the professors that they use, and I already knew most of the stuff in it from having had an iguana before and then a corn snake -- what can I say - I research lots since we got the iguana and were given bad info, so I research everything now!

I know this is really off topic now -- oops!

Do y'all have much heartworms in Illinois? We're starting to get more in this area -- was wondering how it was progressing across the country with how everyone travels.
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Holly Canfield, West Virginia
AAS - Vet Tech

Pets
0.1 snow corn snake
2.0 leopard geckos
2.1 dogs
2.3 cats -- someone dropped off a new stray! I hate that people know we'll take in animals!
2.0 rats
Mealworms and Crickets

Im memory of Kaija - a female green iguana who shared our lives for 9 years.

Heartwrom is definately happening in the area...most vets are recommending year round protection and almost all of our clients do it...in the 3 yrs i have treated 2 positive heartworm dogs. There are a lot fo rural areas in southern illinios that i am sure have more of a problem with it.
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Jeff West