Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've kept many species of chameleons over the past 20 years and have used the "shotgun" approach when using Panacur many times with good results. I'm wondering about doing the same with my female WC chuck before I have a chance to have a vet check for what parasites might be present. On the following site, http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=27, a vet writes, "...there is no known danger to the animal (chameleon) if Panacur is used in a "shot-gun" manner (medicine given to an animal with only a suspicion that parasites are present)." Has that approach been found to be safe with chucks also?

What are the most common species of internal parasites found in chucks anyway? If she has pinworms and/or other parasites, it is my understanding that the Panacur would also eliminate the beneficial gut fauna. Some recommend using NutriBac but does that product replace the same species that are found in WC chucks? If not, what is the likelihood of getting an adult chuck to eat another adult chuck's feces? I've mainly heard of that behavior in young chucks and don't know how common it is with adults.

By the way, thanks to everyone for the suggestions of different foods that might fatten up my female WC. She likes some of them but still doesn't appear to have put on any weight, despite her eating a lot. Any info on the safety of using a shotgun approach with Panacur would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Perry

Tom Greb warned me that treating chucks can be tricky. So when I got in the emaciated wc babies that I posted about a month ago, I got the fecal done, and there were no parasites present. I'm not sure why he suggested avoiding treatment, so hopefully he will come along to explain, but you might be treating them for nothing.

To replace good gut flora, I use soy yogurt. I rehab lots of lizards, and soy yogurt is great for a number of reasons. First, it is plant based, so they get easily digestible plant based protein. Second, it provides extra fluid, and I can't stress enough how important hydration is to appetite in reptiles. Finally, it contains a good range of probiotics, so it straightens out the flora balance faster than any of the other probiotic methods that I have tried. I use O'Soy by Stoneyfield Farms, and I get it at Super Target or Super Walmart stores.

You know, you might try the probiotics or soy yogurt instead of panacur until you get the fecal done. It might just do the trick.

>>Tom Greb warned me that treating chucks can be tricky. So when I got in the emaciated wc babies that I posted about a month ago, I got the fecal done, and there were no parasites present. I'm not sure why he suggested avoiding treatment, so hopefully he will come along to explain, but you might be treating them for nothing.
>>
>>To replace good gut flora, I use soy yogurt. I rehab lots of lizards, and soy yogurt is great for a number of reasons. First, it is plant based, so they get easily digestible plant based protein. Second, it provides extra fluid, and I can't stress enough how important hydration is to appetite in reptiles. Finally, it contains a good range of probiotics, so it straightens out the flora balance faster than any of the other probiotic methods that I have tried. I use O'Soy by Stoneyfield Farms, and I get it at Super Target or Super Walmart stores.
>>
>>You know, you might try the probiotics or soy yogurt instead of panacur until you get the fecal done. It might just do the trick.
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This is all good info and thanks for posting it.. here's more info..
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.. I haven't acclimated a wild-collected in many years but when I was doing that my routine was to give new acquisitions all the heat and natural sunshine they wanted.. every one thrived and none had to be given chemicals or medications..
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Food for thought!
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Good luck.

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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

Perry,
We have used panacur on freshly wild caught chucks in the past as a preventive measure. We were careful to give them smaller doses. It didn't seem to make a big difference one way or the other. We have tried it both ways with wild caughts; treating with panacur, and not treating at all. It is a good idea get a fecal sample checked out first, though. If there are no parasites there for the panacur to kill, why put them through the stress? I think that after trying both methods, it seems to us that stress plays a bigger part in a wild caught chuck's well bieng.

Nick & Austin.