My new babies have Giardia

I have been posting on Glider Gossip (thanks to God for that site and the folks there!) and I have seen this site pop up in conversations as a reference.
Anyway, I just got 2 young females (was told one was 8 and one was 9 wks, but the 'older' one seems a bit younger - she's smaller, doesn't walk as well or jump as well either. She also still has a small area of her tail that is smooth instead of puffy).
The smaller one - Elizabeth - has been ill and a trip to the vet showed Giardia. So now both Elizabeth and Amelia are being treated.
My biggest questions about this are 1, how likely is it that my family gets this also, and 2. other than when i give them their medication, clean their cage and feed them, I have not been handling them at all. Is this the right way? I hate not being able to handle/bond with them, but I don't want to spread it around either.
As of right now I've been boiling their beading and soft toys every day, wiping the cage down with Clorox wipes, soaking the hard toys in bleach water, and changing their cage liner each day. And of course cleaning their food dishes with bleach water as well.
Do I have everything right so far? I'm so very upset about all of this... we only had them 3 days before I realized something was wrong and had to take them in. :(
I am to take them back next Thursday for a re-check. If that visit is clear the vet mentioned waiting 3 weeks (unless symptoms arise) and do another re-check then. My question is this, if the first re-check shows they are clear, can we play with them then (being certain to wash our hands very well afterward, of course) or should we wait until the 2nd re-check shows they clear, also?
Thanks for any suggestions.

Giardia ,as most parasites is zoonotic (meaning it can transfer to other animals/humans)...I actually worked one on one with a very resistant strain of Giardia in the Colorado River System Basin for months and months, including treatment of animals, cleaning, collecting samples etc and never got it. If you remember to wash your hands very throughly (when cleaning wear some surgical gloves, throw away after one use), everytime you deal with the girls or anything the girls have come in contact with is the number one prevention of transference....

Honestly, I would continue to work with them even if they are positive, licky treats (applesauce, yogurt etc) off the tip of your finger (again WASH afterwards) is a nice interaction you can do with them that will help with the bonding process and it is something you can do with them while they are still in their cage, thus not "contaminating" another area ....

We have a great section on parasites here including treatment and cleaning protocol that you might find very useful in reading

Good Luck! Feel free to ask any more questions and please keep us updated!!

I have read, read and re-read the Giardia post. It has a ton of great info in it! :)
The licky treats idea sounds good - at least I won't feel completely cut off from them.
How long after their first negative test do I need to wait to really play - as in taking them to the bathroom or a tent? Or should they have multiple negative tests before they are taken out of the cage?
Thanks for the help!!

I for one know you can get giardia as I'm pretty sure my first or second baby transferred it to me. Not fun! Two days of not fun in fact. No one else in my house got it but me, but then again, no one else handled them but me. If you are going to handle her as in take her out of the cage (I did, I couldn't resist) just change your shirt or whatever clothes you are wearing after.

I'd actually use a diluted bleach mixture for the cage, not solely Clorox wipes. I bleached my tile floor that surrounded the cage everyday too. It's a tedious task, doing the disinfecting thing daily....but so very worth it.

I have a robe that I wear over my clothes when hand feeding/playing with my wildlife rescue babies (99%+ have parasites). Giardia is one of those that is treated with antibiotics, normally if you have a decent immune system its not a issue as your body will wipe it out immediately before you even notice a symptom, if you do get it, its a very mild case (2-3 days before you fight it off)...Thats the reason it really attacks the joeys (immune system doesnt really exist yet) or the old or infirm animals/humans (underlying problem already etc).....

Once you have your first all clear (although a re-test 3 weeks after initial all clear is necessary) I would go ahead and start the bathroom bonding (tents are to hard to sterilize) then IF you get a second positive you can easily go in and sanitize your bathroom again

Awareness and following proper cleaning protols is 99% of prevention :)

I am actually more concerned about my kids (8 and 2) then I am myself, but I imagine it would be about the same for them as for me, since they are both healthy kids?
The bathroom sounds like a good idea, being able to clean it and all. Thanks!
As for the robe you wear, do you just put it on during the day when you handle them and then wash it that night, repeating that each day? Or do you do something more 'severe' with it?

Hey Davie, when you got it how long was it after the gliders had it? What kind of symptoms did you have? How did you get over it?
Sorry for the personal questions, just want to be as knowledgeable as I can... hope you don't mind.

Well to tell you the truth I don't rememeber the time frame of when I believe I got it. (Folks around here will tell you my memory stinks) But...It was in the first few weeks of having them. I had a couple of days of diarrhea and painful cramping. Not your typical cramps, isolated to the lower intestines and like I said...not fun. I had occasional bouts of queezy but really it was all down there ya know. My neighbor had come over and held Bindi one day for a few hours. (She'd sleep in your closed hands) Well she ended up getting it too. That's why I'm pretty certain we both got it from her.

I can sympathize - my memory sucks, too! LOL
At least is wasn't a long illness. Did you have to get treated or did it just go away on it's own?

Actually I wear the robe with each feeding, not washing every night,...until I get poo-ed or pee-ed on...then its boiled and then washed

Thanks, Chris - that sounds like a really good idea!

I didn't get treated, maybe I should have but I didn't. It's been two and half years so I guess I'm ok. lol
I get routine fecals *not me, the gliders* and they've been pristine ever since. Well, not including the third glider that came here with roundworm. Ok since THAT treatment...pristine ever since. LOL

you haven't mentioned but do you have any other pets?

i'm sure if you do you are already keeping them away. my cat had giardia when took him in him. it took us two rounds of meds to get rid of it.

I read on the internet somewhere, cant seem to find the article now, that says you dont ever get rid of giardia, only control it as they are very resistant to drugs.

Still looking for that article...but according to "the Mayo clinic" it can be treated and eradicated.

I think Davie needs a fecal.

queenduck wrote:

I think Davie needs a fecal.