# how do you deworm your tortoise?



## cyyoung749 (Feb 26, 2013)

i have two one and half years old lepoard tortoise and im looking forward to deworm my toroise. People recommended pancur for dogs in low dosages for toroise but never mentioned for actual dosages.can any one give me actual dosages for my tortoise. I will put weights tomorrow soon as i wake up. Thank you!


----------



## chase thorn (Feb 26, 2013)

You must have a vet recommend a dose, NEVER self dose please... Please do not deworm them if they do not show signs of worms. Worming just because can cause harm and it is not an easy drug for a tort to be on.


----------



## CDNPyxis (Feb 26, 2013)

I agree that it is better to use a vet for deworming, but would disagree with the recommendation to not deworm if you have kept your tortoises outside, if they have always been inside and you feed them store bought greens they are probably fine. Your vet can also do a fecal if you are worried.


----------



## chase thorn (Feb 26, 2013)

CDNPyxis said:


> I agree that it is better to use a vet for deworming, but would disagree with the recommendation to not deworm if you have kept your tortoises outside, if they have always been inside and you feed them store bought greens they are probably fine. Your vet can also do a fecal if you are worried.



Not sure where that recommendation was stated, but whether or not they are inside or outside, they can still have a possible chance at getting worms. 

If you are concerned about them having worms, take them to a vet WITH a fecal. Unless they have already been to the vet, otherwise, they will need to get the weight and to take a look at them. They will recommend a dose of Panacure that is correct for your tortoises. You run the risk of killing them dosing yourself. 

So get them checked out if they show signs of worms


----------



## CDNPyxis (Feb 26, 2013)

chase thorn said:


> Not sure where that recommendation was stated, but whether or not they are inside or outside, they can still have a possible chance at getting worms.



If you keep your torts outside there are many keepers, myself included, that would recommend that you deworm in the fall as there is a pretty good chance that they have picked worms up, especially if there are wild turtles or tortoises in your area. A fecal is important to assess load if they do have worms and have never been treated before. There are plenty of worms that do not show up readily on a fecal, so just because it is clear does not mean they don't have them or are not early in an infestation. Worming once you see signs also means that the worms have got out of control and most likely to the point of causing problems and the treatment is harder on the animal. 

These are all choices that we each make in assessing the best way to care for our animals.




chase thorn said:


> So get them checked out if they show signs of worms



I agree with this completely!


----------



## Laura (Feb 26, 2013)

the strength of the brand of wormer varies,, so its best to be done by someone who knows.. they make it for dogs and Cattle.. varies greatly!


----------



## Kapidolo Farms (Feb 27, 2013)

look at this thread

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-60312.html

Will


----------



## Madkins007 (Feb 27, 2013)

My nickle's worth is that dewormers are strong poisons- they are designed to be ALMOST fatal to the host animal so they can kill off the worms. Because of this, a.) you want to be sure you need to do it, and b.) you really don't want to mess up the dosage.

Because of this, I would get a vet's advice at least at first. As you gain experience, you may come to feel you can do it on your own. Many keepers do.

I kind of liken this to doing sutures. Sewing up a wound is not really that difficult of a thing to do, and you don't even really need much special training or equipment, but I sure as heck would not recommend someone taking up a needle and thread themselves if there is a doctor or experienced nurse nearby that can do it for you at least the first few times.


----------



## biochemnerd808 (Mar 1, 2013)

I agree that at least for the first treatment, you really should do this with the guidance of your experienced reptile vet. Once you have been shown how, then in future years you can choose to do it yourself IF you feel confident that you can crunch the numbers properly. 
It is not by accident that nobody posts dosage info on here - all it takes is a small mistake in the calculation to make the difference between a live tortoise and a dead tortoise. 

Incidentally, it is better to use the panacur (or safeguard) paste (active ingredient in both is fenbendazole, usually 10%) that is designed for horses - the dog/cat kind often has added protein in the flavoring, and is not suitable for herbivorous tortoises. The paste is also easier to dose, as you (or the vet) can measure it with a syringe. 

Some vets will allow you to bring in a fecal sample and will analyze it without requiring an office visit. Then if it tests positive for parasites (in a low load they would probably only see eggs, in a heavy load, there would be worms), they would want you to have an office visit, during which a dose would be given. 

Fenbendazole is actually pretty safe for tortoises - and most other organisms, except worms. So IF worms are present, I do recommend treating. Not everyone agrees... I also feed pumpkin to help prevent recurrence, but some of my rescues had such a heavy worm load that they HAD to be treated. 

Good luck!


----------

