herpgirl2510":gwfx0hh0 said:
It's a wonderful thing you are doing they are all so adorable. I hae been thinking aout getting a microscope so I an do all my fecals myself.
I got a scope for $129 and it has a camera so you can view things on your computer. I haven't set the computer part up yet LOL. Once I do, I will see if I can take screen shots of things. That would be very cool. You should see what dubia parts look like in poop. Sometimes its like whoa. :mrgreen:
It doesn't replace having to take sick beardies to the vet and having them done there sometimes, but I find it invaluable in monitoring their progress. I personally don't like not knowing what is going on or being charged so much for something that I used to do for a living in a people setting. For the most part I can check ongoing levels with a wetprep (sterline saline) since it shows flagellates as well as coccidia and eggs/worms and I do a full fecal float if I need a more precise number or count. Right now my guys came to me with heavy loads so I can tell if they are improving just from the screen. If I can get everyone cleaned up, I will save huge amounts of money since I would just be doing a float to make sure they were still clean.
I am going to get some Lugols iodine sometime soon. We shall see how that improves the visibility of the screens. Not sure if it would affect the movement of the flagellates but it should make other things easier to see. I am also going to see if I can get my hands on a few slides with a counting grid etched on them. That would be uber. Yeah, Im a nerd.