Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Alright I took her to the vet, the vet looked at her and gave me some meds.. She said she "didn't think" it was parasites, and then said that shes seen hundreds of geckos and only once the problem was parasites. She then said I could bring back a stool once the gecko poops.. She hasnt pooped in a while. Oh yeah and she gave me some AD catfood and a syringe to feed her with.

So from what I have read online, is that parasites are one of the more common illness' am I wrong on this, or does the vet that I went to not know what she is talking about.
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1.3.4 Leopard geckos
(Normie, Optimus Prime, Rattrap, Megatron, Amanda Jr, Peaches, Cream, Jasper)
0.1 Mali Uromastyx
(Cleo)

lol, your vet knows exactly what he/she is talking about!

Parasites freak people out, but the truth is that captive bred leopard geckos are so far from any parasitic sources that they're really isn't a problem with them.

Even in wild-caught animals, parasites are not initially a problem. Once the animal is stressed and sick from importation and poor husbandry that parasites play a role in it's demise but by then it's already on death's door.

Another thing that many "lay-people" tend to forget is that all animals have an array of gut flora. This is made up of potentially pathenogenic organisms, but in a healthy animal, they play a symptiotic role in digestion and disease control.

Ian

Thanks that is good to hear.
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1.3.4 Leopard geckos
(Normie, Optimus Prime, Rattrap, Megatron, Amanda Jr, Peaches, Cream, Jasper)
0.1 Mali Uromastyx
(Cleo)

I have actually found pinworms to be fairly common, but also blamed for a good many unrelated troubles. just my experience.
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het Rainwater from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino (Cloud)
0.2 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko (Beatrice, Pepper)
0.1 Normal (Freckles)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko (Rainbow)
0.1 Tremper Albino (Leucy)
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Hatched: ~25
Holdbacks: 1.0 SHCTB- nice surprise! and 0.1 jungle
Available:
1.0 SHCT, 0.0.1 aberrant m?, 0.0.1 pastel F?, 7 month male circleback tang

Same here with experience with worms, but not with leopard geckos. Of course, the ones in the hobby today are captive bred, so parasites aren't much of a problem, as long as they are not exposed to them or any wildcaught animal that may be carrying them.

As for wildcaughts not containing parasites, I highly disagree. I received a trio of central american banded geckos two years ago, and they went to the vets for an initial checkup. All were FULL of ringworms and strongyloid worms. Despite a $200 vet bill and lots of medication, plus extra visits to the vets, they all ended up dying. I know this is somewhat off topic, but parasites ARE something to worry about, and can cause the death of your gecko. This is why captive bred is so important.

Your banded geckos were doing fine in the wild with all those parasites. There is a balance.

The stress of importation, shipment, and/or just acclimating to captivity throws out this balance.

Not a problem with leopards (are they ever imported anymore?) but I agree that this is still common with other animals. Despite paying a vet for geckos that still died, you took the best course of action available.

Ian

The only reason why parasites would not initially be a problem is because the animal is fresh out of the wild and has been used to moving from place to place to defecate. I hate to say it, but I believe that all wild caughts endure some stress that would make them susceptible to the parasites getting to be too much for them. In captivity, if the parasites are not successfully rid, the animal will keep the parasites and it may overload them, leading to sickness and death. I know leos aren't anything to worry about, but they should still always be quarantined for any sickness upon coming into a new home.