Quote Originally Posted by Monkey girl View Post
Thanks for the reply.

How long could a parasite live in a BD? Reason I'm asking is I contacted the previous owner, and she told me when she first got him (from another owner) he basically did the same thing with her. He wouldn't eat for 2 weeks and when he did it would only be any where from 2 - 3 super worms one day and 6 - 7 another day. He was never big on veggies nor was he big on eating. This being said, would it be possible for him to have a parasite in him for 6 mths or longer? Would the symptoms be the same or would they be much more serious? He has only had one or two bowel movements. I never thought to take a fecal sample. Is there another way to test?
I'm not really an expert on parasitic infections in BD's, however, I do know that many different parasites can live in a host for a very long time. Especially if the host has a good immune system, it can keep the infection at bay for long periods of time with little to no symptoms. Different environmental stresses can cause the immune system enough of a weakness where the virus/parasite/bacteria can overwhelm the immune system and that's when you see symptoms and a decline in health.

I don't want to get you scared, but I'd also hate to say "oh ya its just stress from moving it'll be okay don't worry" and then it dies from something more serious.

It's always safest to have a vet do an examination to rule out anything serious. That said, in the case of myself, I do not see a vet unless I see a decline in health, or obvious signs and symptoms. I've even had snakes with Upper Respiratory Infections that I treated myself.

But err on the side of caution and have a vet check things out. That's the best advice I can give. The second recommendation, if it doesn't seem necessary is to monitor your pet closely, and if eating doesn't resume within a week, or it is experiencing noticeable weight loss, or any new symptoms arise, then see a vet.

Hope that helps at all

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