Deworming or not?

[Dratth]

Hey, i need some advice for my WC indonesian BTS. 2-3 days after i bought him, i saw some movement in his poo (i saw it because he literaly defecate from stress on my hand like 10seconds uninterruptedly ). Then i go to vet with him and i gave him 3 doses of panacur. He was on paper towels then. After a week (yea i should wait a bit longer maybe ) i gave him some substrate (coco fiber + sphagnum + cypress).
After another week i saw some tiny little worm in his poo again and vet told me i need to repeat treatment with panacur.

That whole procedure with paper towels and handling with panacur application per os was very stressfull for him and for me too (for him more ofcourse).

So here is my questions:
Do i need to deworm him right now if he still isn't accustomed and stress him more or should i wait a bit longer? It is possible for him to get those parasites under control without deworming medication?
About paper towels - is it possible to have him in "quarantine" setup with substrate etc. so i can keep hes enclosure humid? Or he can be ok with paper towels for 2-3weeks with improper humidity? ( i can't find solution how to keep 60-70% humidity with just paper towels ).

Thanks

[splashy07]

You really need to get the parasite situation under control. He will keep getting re-infected in a damp substrate situation. Keep him on the towels until the parasites are totally alleviated and you're sure of it. You can make a humid hide with sphagnum moss for him and use a very large water bowl. If your cage has a screen cover, put foil over the open end opposite the lamp to hold in humidity. Keep the cage spotless and change water frequently. On and off treatment will not work, all at once and be done with it. Recurring parasites will certainly stress out your animal far more than the treatment, and can compromise his immune system. Good luck, and keep us posted. I've been there, I come from a time when every reptile available for purchase was an import.

[Janella]

Definitely agree! Parasites are no fun. Deworm again and paper towels for now. Can you imagine having worms in your belly??? Blah....

[Dratth]

Thank you for advice guys, i appreciate it.

About quarantine - i take everything out, use bleach solution for enclosure and let it dry. Then wash with water and put paper towels on bottom.
Then i make him humid hide from plastic box with sphagnum moss, put there big water bowl and slate or rock under heat lamp... thats it?
Do i need to take everything out and sterilize enclosure and humid hide every day with bleach solution (or heat)?

Edit - tomorrow i am going for another doses of panacur (3)

[mb606587]

To err on the side of caution, sure some people disinfect every day while treating. At the very least, thoroughly disinfect every time your skink poops though.

[Dratth]

Little update - he is in quarantine now and have first of total three doses of panacur in him.
I made him two plastic humid hides and two pairs of textile towels and three rocks. I am planing to rotate them every day (one in enclosure and second in bleach solution in meantime ).

He eats yesterday - would it be ok to give him another meal in 3-4 days or should i feed him more ?

[mb606587]

He looks fairly young. If he'll eat, I'd probably shoot to feed every other day with him.

[Dratth]

Oh , seller on expo told me he is about 1.5 year old so i thought normal feeding should be 1-2 times per week. You think he is younger than that?

[aaronhouts]

Completely agree with the others about the importance of deworming. We’ve gotten to where we start deworming the day after we get them. The stress it relieves should far out balance the stress of the deworming process.
We use panacur (fenbendazole), metronidazole and praziquantel.
What is the schedule for the panacur?
We have Halmaheras (which are Indonesians) and still offer food every other day.
Our girl is a 2015-so @3.5-4 years old, one of our boys is a 2017-so 1.5/2 years old and the other boy is older than that and maybe older than our female.

[splashy07]

Hi Aaron! When I kept Halys they ate every day most of the time (except when shedding) regardless of age and did not become overweight. Their metabolism must be a bit faster than that of other species. This one here is definitely a juvenile or was half starved most of it's life. Mine were that size at four months.

[Dratth]

I gave him panacur 2 days after i bought him. 3 doses, every day. Then i leave him for 2 weeks maybe. Problem was, i doesn't know that after panacur, he can defecate worms another 1-2 weeks (i was worried that treatment didn't work).
My vet told me that i need to repeat procedure with panacur anyway so here i am. Today it's second dose, last one tomorrow and after that i leave him be 10-14 days and then i send his poo for exam.

I didn't know that i need to feed him every other day, even here in diet chart state "more than 8 months - feed 1-2 times per week". I was worried for obesity, but I'll tried dog food and omnigold and repashy buffet every other day. He definitely doesn't eat every day.

I asked about metronidazole on our first visit in vet, but he told me it's not necessary.

[mb606587]

I didn't know that i need to feed him every other day, even here in diet chart state "more than 8 months - feed 1-2 times per week".

It all comes down to the amount you feed and what works for you and your skink. For most people, feeding an adult 1-2 times a week has been effective in maintaining healthy weights for a majority of skinks so it is what's usually recommended. But that's just a guide, not the golden rule. I've had skinks I've fed every other day for years and they were healthy. And on the flip side, I've had other skinks that I scaled feedings to once a week because they were getting overweight on any more than that. The ultimate goal is a healthy looking skink and it will become obvious if your skink is getting too thick. Looking at your skink, he just seems a bit small. Maybe it's just the picture, maybe it's that I've kept Meraukes too long and some of the other species seem dwarfed in comparison to me now. Either way, I don't see any issue giving a newly acquired import an increased feeding schedule. As I stated, if after a while you notice he is getting rounder, you can always scale back.

[aaronhouts]

Hey, Dratth.

It sounds like your vet is on top of it. I'd do exactly what they're telling you to do. All of that makes sense. Worms coming out for 1-2 weeks doesn't surprise me and only using Panacur doesn't either-especially if you're having fecals run. Either Panacur or Metronidazole by themselves can kill most stuff out there. I use both just in case and added the Praziquantel because those two won't kill flukes. Sounds like you're doing exactly what you're supposed to. Just keep it up. It'll be worth it. Remember that this is only temporary. Your animal will be healthy and out of quarantine soon if you keep it up and the schedule and routine won't be so demanding to you both.

I'll bet the attitude will improve as your skink feels better, too. Ours will show an uncharacteristic change in temperament when something is not right with their husbandry or themselves. Right about now, you will have probably killed all or most of the adult parasites that your skink had when it came to you. The second dose in 10-14 days will kill the rest and anything that hatches from the eggs that were already laid. Most likely though the number of living parasites in the animal will still be less than what it had when you got it and that has to feel better. Just make sure to do the second round of panacur and to keep your humidity up and you should be good.

Hi, Splashy!

I'm still here and check in as regularly as I can. You, Janella and mb606587 do such a great job at providing solid information and advice that I usually just read the posts and go "Yup. They've got it under control. There's nothing I can add." I just love deworming animals so I had to jump in on this one!

As you can see my wife Susan (there are a lot of Susans on this forum!) and I are still working our Halmahera game. We're still watching to see if we'll get any babies this season, but will soon give up to focus on getting ready for this fall.

Great job, everyone! From what I understand FaceBook just tightened up on their regulations and it seems people are returning to the forum format. Add to that the fact that BTS are getting more and more popular and I predict this site will be seeing an uptick in traffic soon.

[Dratth]

Thank you guys for your help. Today i was at the vet and fecal test was negative for parasites . He is more active and curious, i can change him water without him hissing too. Can't wait to make him bioactive planting viv instead of this towel tank.
Do you think i can stop quarantine him?

[Janella]

Glad to hear he is parasite free. As long as the vet said he can be out of quarantine, then he should be good to go.

[Dratth]

Vet said it's ok to stop quarantine him but then he told me to stop using dog food, because it's hard on liver (too mutch fat he said) so he lost a little on my trust .
Is 1 fecal exam enough or i should try another?

[Janella]

The quarantine should be fine to go a head and stop. You did two treatments of meds and now the fecal was negative.
As for the dog food, it is a very controversial topic. Some like using it and others don't. Your vet just may be one that doesn't. I have know people who use dog food mixed with veggie and a little fruit their skinks entire lives with never a issue.