My Chameleon Has Coccidia...?

Question

I have a Veiled Chameleon, I bought him from a woman who rescued him from a man who neglected and abused him. So, he's malnourished and weak as well as dehydrated.

Now I just got the news a few minutes ago... I've never had a chameleon before nor have a had a reptile with Coccidia, for that matter, I've never had a reptile with a parasite - I try to keep mine in the most healthy and pristine condition.

If you could possibly help me and tell me how I deal with Coccidia, for example: how do I treat it? How long should it take for him to recover if he can? What precautions should I take? Can it spread to my other reptiles? Can it be fatal? All in all, is it easy to treat?

Thanks in advance... If you can't answer all of my questions, it's not a problem, as long as some of them are answered I'll stop worrying as much. Thanks again.

Answer 1

the vet who diagnosed him should have prescribed something. the most common prescription is for it Flagyl . remember coccidia is a nasty little amoeba.that can infect all vertebrates including you!  so follow your vets advice to a tee. don't listen to anyone else!i truely hope your cham. gets better

Answer 2

Stress is one of the predisposing factors to a coccidia flare-up with reptiles. Your chams sad history definitely contributed. You have lots of company among bearded dragon owners, coccidia infection is extremely common in beardeds. It is a single celled protozoa rather then an amoeba. Bearded dragon sites will be your best source of info on coccidia and it will be applicable to your situation. It is fairly species specific and is not a zoonosis threat to you. Sulpha based drugs like Albon are the standard treatment, you will need to keep your cham well hydrated during the treatment. You will also need to practice strict  cage hygiene  to break the cycle of re-infection.

Proper temperature and diet with a low stress environment will help your cham fight off the infection.

Answer 3

Flagyl won't deal with coccidia.

The most common med is Albon. But, the side effect is quite damaging to certain chameleon.

Many tried Appertex (Clazuril) with success without any side effect. However, all meds are available by prescription only.

You should consult your vet.

Be careful with hygiene. coccidia are very infectious. You don't want to cross contaminate your other reptiles.

Coccidia can be fatal and it is very hard to treat.

Killing them is not a hard thing to do. But, preventing the reinfestation is the pita.

After you finished the treatment, you probably better of throwing away the cage and all the equipment and get him into a new cage.