Reptile Xtra

[tortoiselady528]

I am always paranoid about one of my torts coming up with a protozoan problem, and found a product on the market today that claims to aid in the control of internal parasites such as protozoans.
The product is called Reptile Xtra and is made by Jungle, specifically for tortoises and lizards.
I searched the forums and only found one post that mentioned this suppliment/feed. I was wonding if anyone has tried it and what their thoughts are?
I picked it up as I thought it would be good to have on hand .

Just as a side note this is what the bottle reads:
Formulated for use with all tortoises, iguanas, and other plant eating species, and all plant eating/insect-eating species, such as box turtles, bearded dragons, blue tonge skinks, tegus and dabb lizards. Promotes good health by aiding in the control of internal parasites such as Protozoans (amoeba and flagellates), Nematodes (roundworms, pinworms, hookworms) and other intestinal worms.

Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

 

[egyptiandan]

Can you tell us what the active ingredients are?

Danny

 

[tortoiselady528]

Yes, sorry I forgot to add that.

Metronidazole (1.0%), Fenbendazole (.5%)

 

[egyptiandan]

Yes that would work for worms (fenbedazole) and protozoans (metronidazole). I though wouldn't use it unless a tortoise was having a problem. Any oral medication reeks havoc with the good gut bacteria needed to digest food.

Danny

 

[tortoiselady528]

Thanks a lot for your quick reply Danny.

Wasn't planning on using it anytime soon.... or at least I hope not to. Just thought it might be a good product to have on hand.

 

[pebbles mom]

so how would a torty start acting if it had these internal parasites??? Just curious...

 

[tortoiselady528]

Anorexia, weight loss, no weight gain when eating, and lethargy, just to name a few.
Here is a site that better describes the infections and how they can be treated.
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/proto.html

 

[pebbles mom]

THANKS !!!

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...That was a great article. I was going to say that you should not give the suplement without having a fecal done first by a reptile vet. It is natural for healthy reptiles to maintain a higher level of flagellates, protozoa, etc than mammals. If you give the supplement without needing to, you could mess up their natural gut flora and cause problems. To help keep parasites at bay, offer 100% pumpkin about once a month. Walmart has it in the pie fillings section. You can freeze extra to be thawed as needed. If you do jack-o-lanterns, give them some raw pumpkin cut up. Mine all love it.
Good luck
Patsy