Question About Poop

[Oatmeal]

I'm new here, so forgive me if this is the wrong place to post. I browsed the forum to see if there was a better place to post this question, but either I missed it or I didn't see one.

My question is about my geckos feces. I saw something on on his feces last night (at least what I think is odd). I can't really describe what it looked like, so I've taken a pic.




It should be noted that I took my gecko (Oatmeal) to the vet on the 12th of this month and had them do a fecal analysis. They said that they found an "organism" and gave me some medication to give to him once a day for 3 weeks. Before the vet visit, I didn't noticed anything weird about his poop, but the past two nights I have. It should be noted that, what you're looking at, isn't the "white stuff" (whatever it's called) that is normally there. Is this anything at all? Could it be the very thing the medication is for? And should I be too worried?
At the moment, I have so many expenses that I just can't afford another vet visit right now. The earliest I could get him to see a vet would be in July (assuming my unforeseen expenses are all paid off by then).

Any help in answering my questions would be greatly appreciated. This is my first gecko, though not my only gecko, so I'm not familiar with all the things I could face. Though I've done my research before purchasing him, the application of the knowledge and care is quite a bit more challenging than it all is in theory.

 

[sausage]

i cant see what it is im afraid. was it wormlike? alive and moving? squishy? hard? ect ect.
parasite treatment takes a while to get in the system and then time to get out the system again. parasite treatment will also upset your geckos normal bowl functions for a while too, its normal.

Is he still eating?

 

[Olympus]

If the antiparasitic is working he may be shedding the "organisms" now in his feces. It's hard to say without knowing what was identified in the fecal. But some worms are large enough to be seen in the feces as adults.

 

[LeopardGeckoMom]

It looks like a worm the vet said an organism?? How long have you given Oatmeal the meds?

 

[favrielle]

Pinworms are whitish and can be visible to the naked eye in feces. I'll second the question above... Was it moving?

Even with unexpected expenses, you need to come up with and set aside some $$ for another vet visit, just in case it's needed. Over 4 months is a LONG time to be without any way to get your gecko seen if something goes wrong.

 

[Oatmeal]

It wasn't moving at all. Last nights poop was normal. I'm going to see if anything shows up in the next one. He's been on the meds since the 12th. He's been eating fine and is acting pretty normal now.

The best I can do for a vet visit is set whatever I have left over back each month, but even then, it'll be months before I get enough and there's no one to borrow from.

 

[Oatmeal]

Okay, I just collected some poop from like an hour ago. The bit on this one doesn't look like a worm...just maybe some undigested something???


If that's the case, perhaps that's all it is. I would imagine that if he had parasites, they would have seen them when I took him, less than 2 weeks ago. I can't imagine him suddenly getting them just days after being there.

I honestly can't believe I'm handling gecko shit. I consider this my exposure therapy to germs.

 

[favrielle]

It's still possible it was just a pinworm. As long as the poo otherwise still looks pretty normal, I wouldn't worry, especially if he's eating fine.

You really should set aside anything you can for a vet fund, even if it means sacrificing things for *you* for a while in order to do it. If you can set aside enough for at least a basic vet visit over time (even if it does take a while) and then leave it aloneno matter your other circumstances (which means DON'T touch it unless you're starving to death or your power's being shut off), you'll always have the money to do what's right for your gecko. I understand money being tight... we had to take TWO animals in for multiple visits and meds while my husband was laid off and we were living entirely off of our savings and dealing with multiple unexpected expenses/incidents. It wasn't easy. But as pet owners, we have a responsibilty to ensure that our animals are cared for, including necessary, prompt medical care; it's no different than if it were a child. So please, save what you can, when you can.

And with that, I'm off my soapbox.


If your geck is eating and poo-ing normally now, I'd say all is well and unless something changes, you're good. Finish out the meds, follow any other instructions your vet may have given you, and enjoy the company of your scaly little friend. I'd also do daily poo spot-cleaning if you don't already. Most parasites are easily spread by fecal contact, and the meds usually don't actually kill the parasite eggs. That's the reason for the spread-out treatment... the goal is to kill off any parasites that hatch out after the first dose kills the already-existing adult parasites.

Good luck, and by the way,


WELCOME TO THE GECKO FORUMS! :main_cool3:

 

[favrielle]

You posted while I was typing.

That looks pretty normal, honestly. White urate (the gecko version of urine, only concentrated because they're arid/desert animals) and larger, solid, brown poo. The off colored bit where the two came together isn't out of the ordinary that I can see.