Do it Yourself Fecal Float Test Tutorial
Do it Yourself Fecal Float Test Tutorial
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Want to save a little money and do your own fecal tests? Curious how it's done and just want to learn? In these trying times, it's great to be able to save a little money when you can, not to mention it's a great way to keep an eye on your pets health year round and stop problems before they start! While we always suggest taking your findings to your vet for their opinion, doing your own fecal is super easy and very important to keep track of the health of your scaly babies. We will go over the process step by step below. Supplies needed: |
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Remove the inner piece of the fecal float test kit and press it into the fecal sample until the end is full. |
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Place insert back inside the test container. |
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Locate the fill line on the side and add fecal float solution to the level of the line on the side of the container. |
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Using your fingers, agitate the insert piece for approximately 30 seconds by twisting it side to side in a back and forth motion until the fecal matter is mixed well with the solution. |
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Fill insert with additional fecal solution until it gets to the top. |
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Carefully add just enough solution to form a meniscus on top without allowing it to over flow. |
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Gently place the slide cover slip on top of the insert and let it sit for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. |
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After the time is up, gently lift the slide cover slip off, holding it level with the slide and place on the top in the center of the slide. Be sure that a drop of the solution stays on the cover slip to seal it to the slide. |
Note: The microscope requires 2 AA Batteries - Install with + end pointing down. **Our microscope may vary from yours, please read instructions specific to your microscope.
| Remove the metal clip from the portable microscope by pulling straight up. This way you will be able to move your slide around on the base without disturbing the cover slip. |  |
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Place the slide on the microscope base. Be sure to add two AA batteries to your microscope with the postitive side facing downward. |
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Turn on the light and extend the zoom all the way up to 100x. Place the microscope on the stand with the zoom facing forward, then look inside turning the wheel until it is focused. Once focused, slowly move the slide side to side and up and down, stopping briefly each time to inspect the view. |
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Since this isn't the best quality microscope in the world, a single coccidia ova can be very difficult to identfy. Single pinworm ova are much bigger and will be visible by themselves. If your dragon does happen to have a concernable amount of coccida, you will be able to see it in high quantities that will most likely require medication. So if you can see them, you should go to a vet or consult with someone knowlegable enough to make a safe recommendation. |
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This view contains a high amount of coccidia with a pinworm ova in the top right hand corner. With this microscope, they will look half this size so one coccidia may not be easily recognizable. A large amount of coccidia will be characterized by many very small and consistenly shaped circles with dots in them. Rule of thumb for medicating your dragon... If there are more ova than you can count in one view of the slide, your dragon should be medicated. If you can count them easily and they are very sparsely placed all over the slide, there is no need to medicate. |
| Download the Parasite Identification Chart here | |
| Medications | Fenbendazole (Panacur) is used to treat pinworms, roundworms and hookworms, it is very mild and can be used as a preventative twice a year. |
| Sulfadimethoxine (Albon) is used to treat coccidia, it is fairly harsh and should only be used if needed. | |
| Toltrazuril is a NEW, milder treatment for coccidia and can be used as a preventative. | |
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Most of these medications are available at www.beardeddragon.co / www.reptilesupplies.co |
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| It is also recommended to test your feeders regularly for parasites. | |