kingsnake.com - reptile and amphibian classifieds, breeders, forums, photos, videos and more

return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research  
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply
This Space Available
3 months for $50.00
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Bearded Dragon . . . . . . . . . .  Tinley Reflections: An open letter from Mom . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Apr 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Apr 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Apr 06, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Hamburg Reptile Show - Apr. 13, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - Apr 14, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Apr 16, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 21, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 

Re: Let me share my story about sick HL's


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Horned Lizard Forum ]

Posted by Pennebaker on September 19, 2002 at 03:38:45:

In Reply to: Re: Let me share my story about sick HL\'s posted by reptoman on September 18, 2002 at 13:46:23:

The question of parasitic overload brings three issues to mind for me:

1. Equilibrium: Wild HLs(and most reptiles) generally maintain equilibrium with their parasitic 'friends'. Many variables affect this equilibrium, foremost of which would be environmental stress, diet & hydration. IMO, one of the ways HLs maintain equilibrium with their parasites is by eating ants, which are known to be beneficial because of formic acid's natural ability to kill parasites.

While ants apparently carry parasites like everything else, HLs have undoubtedly evolved around the parasites that naturally come from ants in their natural range. However, HLs do not have these natural defenses against the parasites that come with the domestic crickets raised for reptile consumption.

It is my belief that some captive HLs can, and do, cope with these 'new' parasites from crickets. However, this ability to cope appears to be very fragile as one environmental stressor can send the delicate equilibrium way out-of-wack: ie the parasites grow more than their host can handle. Which brings me to the next interconnected issue:

2. Environmental stress: If a captive HL is managing to cope with the unfamiliar cricket parasites for months, then they are usually the lucky ones and generally are as sensitive as an HL can be. Any environmental factor that is not just-right can cause stress, which, in turn, can disrupt the quilibrium maintained with the parasites from the crickets.

IMO, this is one of the reasons you see HLs fine one day and dead 7 days later; any minor disruption sets-off a chain reaction. Too cold = dead. Too many crickets or worms =dead. Not enough ants just the way they like = dead. Not enough water = dead. Not enough sunshine = dead; etc,etc,etc. Unfortunately, by the time beginners see signs of illness, it is normally too late to do anything to reverse the dying trend.

One of the most stressful things that a wild lizard could go through is capture and inadequte husbandry from a well-meaning human; ie the stress from new parasites, crappy tap water, cheesy light-bulbs for heat & UV, nutritionally deficient ants, inadequate feeding conditions and methods, dehydration, capture, shipping, handling. You get the picture.

IMO, the reason why we see so many HL deaths at this time of year is no coincidence. This is one of the most stressful times for HLs in the wild is the time approaching brumation. It's like tax day. Either they have enough calories stored for winter or they do not. Either they are healthy enough to brumate and not die in their sleep, or they are not. Either they have a spot they instinctively know will work for brumation, or they do not. Lots and lots of stress.

Compounding all this stress is normally the well-meaning human trying to get their 'sleepy' HLs to eat enough for winter by coaxing them with crickets, or jostling them about and rearranging their living conditions. The bottom-line is that stress dirupts any equilibrium being maintained with crickets. Consistent stress leads to parasitic overload.On to the last issue:

3. The bane of the cursed cricket and the uncaring dealer.
The first winter for newly 'acclimated' HLs normally finds them in very precarious health conditions. Unfortunately for most people who buy WC HLs on the pet-market, they are not told to feed ants, nor do most the dealers feed ants while the lizards are conglomerated together in a couple enclosures for months. Most newcomers would not know that, if they want to have the best chance getting a healthy WC HL in the pet trade, then spring is the time to do it. This way, they HLs are not subjected to months of inadequate conditions and diets consisting entirely of parasite-ridden crickets. While this particular point does not relate you specifically 'reptoman', i thought I'd say it because it fits well in the discussion and is appropriate for many other people.

I could think of no other feeder insect that carries more parasites than crickets. As i stated earlier, wild HLs have not had a chance to adjust or evolve around these particular parasites. This is why I rarely feed crickets and only to individuals i know are super-healthy. Unless the crickets that are being fed are miraculously free of parasites, then feeding crickets to unresponsive HLs is essentially counterproductive. HLs that do not appear to be doing well should not be fed crickets, IMO. People will often resort to feeding crickets because their HLs haave stopped eating ants. This sort of mentality of perspective is often the reason why the HLs aren't 'doing good' in the first place. It's like adding fuel to the fire.

I don't know of any vet that keeps and breeds HLs. Until I do, i could never really accept the advice they'd be giving me. Reptoman, I feel that you are, in essence, correct in your assessment that a vet is not going to be much help in these situation except maybe by providing a functional necropsy or knowledge about the particular parasite in question(if its ordinary).

If an HL is showing signs of parasitic overload, then normally it is too late. I have no advice to offer people who are experiencing parasitic overleoad and i do not know of anything that could keep death at bay beside healthy conditions and diet and no stress. I might recommend someone to try super-dilute Para-Zap because of its natural ingerdients and relatively minor side-effects that could be detrimental to an HL. But, this would be grasping-at-straws and a unproven last-resort.

My condolences to everybody who's having problems and i wish you all the best of luck.
loren


::Before you give any meds. the best thing to do is Go To A Vet.

:Ask Lester or anyone who worked horned lizards for a long time, I am on the west coast with some of the best Vets money can buy, and I have yet to have one help when a horned lizard gets sick, it's usually curians with rare exception....I don't how many times you've taken a horned lizard into a vet but we have an excellent reptile vet in Long Beach, and once their sick that's it...a $40.00 visit and drugs still won't help most of the time. This has been my experience and I have worked with horned lizards for over two decades and have a lot of experience, the one thing that I can say is the people that posted below including Lester was able to at least come up with a diagnoses for the death, but there is also something these guys can catch which kills them with in a week and it will spread to the others like a flu or plague, have you ever seen that, I'm sure LEster or others have. Horned lizards are not easy to keep and definately not for novices, and even the best of us loose an animal, it certianly not from neglect or poor maintenance techniques.........Thought I'd throw that out for anyone else that has comments about illness.
:
:





Follow Ups:




[ Follow Ups ] [ The Horned Lizard Forum ]