# Help please... pimple size growths on neck & shoulders



## Rose's Mom (Jul 17, 2012)

Just noticed these growths on her neck & shoulder today... they are small pimple like growths... I used a q-tip lightly & they did not rub off... she doesn't seem to be uncomfortable... she has been eating normally & active in her little turtle way...


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## Jacqui (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi and welcome! Huh, I have never saw them before that I can remember, hopefully soon somebody who has will let us know what they are.


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## ascott (Jul 17, 2012)

Where about in the world do you live? Wooded area? Or bushy area? Have you taken a pair of granny magnifying glasses or a magnifying glass and looked at them in the bright light? I am on my phone right now and the screen is small...but the first thing that came to mind was ticks? Like I said I am limited on screen size and so I can not tell but I would make sure to look real close....especially if you said you suddenly noticed them?????


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## nylesmommy (Jul 17, 2012)

Aww she is a cutie hope someone comes on here soon to help her best wishes to yall


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## Ethan D (Jul 17, 2012)

i'm by no mean an expert, and i don't know if tortoises can get these, but they look like cysts, my dog has 2, one is the size of a small rock, the other pimple sized, but i am commenting to bump you back up to the top so other people can see


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## Jacqui (Jul 17, 2012)

Ethan D said:


> i'm by no mean an expert, and i don't know if tortoises can get these, but they look like cysts, my dog has 2, one is the size of a small rock, the other pimple sized, but i am commenting to bump you back up to the top so other people can see



Actually they do look more like cysts. Thank you, I am having a bad day coming up with words, but cysts were my first thought. Then I also thought, on my dogs atleast, they grow rather slow. I would expect some types might grow faster however.


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## jennyBA (Jul 17, 2012)

They look very much like ticks to me, not sure of the treatment to get them off


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## Ethan D (Jul 17, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> Ethan D said:
> 
> 
> > i'm by no mean an expert, and i don't know if tortoises can get these, but they look like cysts, my dog has 2, one is the size of a small rock, the other pimple sized, but i am commenting to bump you back up to the top so other people can see
> ...



lol np


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## Tom (Jul 17, 2012)

I tried to zoom in, and they look like ticks to me too. Where are you and where did you get the tortoise?


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## Yvonne G (Jul 17, 2012)

The first thing I thought of was ticks too.


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## l0velesly (Jul 17, 2012)

Could it be warts? Please get him to a vet and get it treated.


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## yagyujubei (Jul 17, 2012)

Ticks.Pull one off to be sure.


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## Weda737 (Jul 17, 2012)

Yeah, those have gotta be ticks, I see them all the time around here, I don't know for sure but deer ticks maybe.


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## Tom (Jul 17, 2012)

It's would be very unusual for a tortoise to pick up ticks in North America. Deer ticks want nothing to do with a cold blooded animal, much less a tortoise.


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## Weda737 (Jul 17, 2012)

Just a guess about the species. But I do see a lot of fat tiny identical ones here.


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## Rose's Mom (Jul 17, 2012)

ascott said:


> Where about in the world do you live? Wooded area? Or bushy area? Have you taken a pair of granny magnifying glasses or a magnifying glass and looked at them in the bright light? I am on my phone right now and the screen is small...but the first thing that came to mind was ticks? Like I said I am limited on screen size and so I can not tell but I would make sure to look real close....especially if you said you suddenly noticed them?????



I am in Israel & 7 hours ahead of EST, so I was offline, sorry.... i did see a very small, hard to see pin prick size bug on her what should I look for... I will try & find a magnifying glass and take a peek at her next.... would love ideas for what do to. THANKS robin


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## Rose's Mom (Jul 17, 2012)

We just moved to Israel so this is a desert turtle..... any ideas on how to treat the ticks? We are a bit isolated & not sure if I could even find an English speaking vet... so any home treatments would be super helpful!

Thanks Robin


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## Nixxy (Jul 17, 2012)

Those look like ticks...I've never heard anyone having trouble with any reptiles getting ticks in North America..

Fill us in on how they got there, how long they've been there, etc..

But really, a cold blooded animal isn't attractive to ticks, generally speaking.

Upon a google search or two, it'd seem desert tort's occasionally get ticks.


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## CLMoss (Jul 18, 2012)

On my computer these growths look like a virus (wart type), so I would say to get the tort to a vet asap. If it is ticks, you can use oil to smother them. Good luck.


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## Rose's Mom (Jul 18, 2012)

Nixxy said:


> Those look like ticks...I've never heard anyone having trouble with any reptiles getting ticks in North America..
> 
> Fill us in on how they got there, how long they've been there, etc..
> 
> ...



I looked up ticks & it does look like the picture but not a lot of information on what to do for turtles... I am in Israel so this is a desert turtle, I asked about an English speaking vet here & can't find one.. went to two pet stores & they don't do turtles if I understood them.... so any advise would be great!

thanks


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## Rose's Mom (Jul 18, 2012)

Tom said:


> I tried to zoom in, and they look like ticks to me too. Where are you and where did you get the tortoise?



We are in the desert & found her on the bike trail... she was hit & limping badly so we brought her in about 6 weeks ago... she has been doing great... eating well & active.. just these bumps I noticed last night.... they look a little less angry today but still there.... I soaked her today ...any ideas....


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## Rose's Mom (Jul 18, 2012)

ascott said:


> Where about in the world do you live? Wooded area? Or bushy area? Have you taken a pair of granny magnifying glasses or a magnifying glass and looked at them in the bright light? I am on my phone right now and the screen is small...but the first thing that came to mind was ticks? Like I said I am limited on screen size and so I can not tell but I would make sure to look real close....especially if you said you suddenly noticed them?????



we are in Israel... I looked with a magnifying glass & couldn't see anything ... the bumps are still there.... I saw a little bug that I couldn't even identify any parts to it was so so so small, like a small moving speck of dust..if it is ticks any ideas of what to do.... an English speaking vet isnot an option.....& the pet stores didn't have anything available or info for turtles from what we could convey .... THANKS R


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## Rose's Mom (Jul 18, 2012)

Nixxy said:


> Those look like ticks...I've never heard anyone having trouble with any reptiles getting ticks in North America..
> 
> Fill us in on how they got there, how long they've been there, etc..
> 
> ...



the bumps just showed up yesterday late afternoon, so about 24 hours ago... we are in Israel not North America.. so maybe ticks are an option.... any thought on treatment?


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## Yvonne G (Jul 18, 2012)

If they are ticks, you can smother them with Vaseline. When they can't breathe, they'll back out. If you can hold the tortoise's head out and still, you can get something red hot like a needle, and touch the back end of the tick with it, this makes him back out too. You can also pull him out with the tweezers, but you run the risk of leaving the head embedded in the tortoise this way, also, if it isn't a tick, it might be quite painful and bleed profusely. I wouldn't use the tweezer method.


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## Ethan D (Jul 18, 2012)

emysemys said:


> If they are ticks, you can smother them with Vaseline. When they can't breathe, they'll back out. If you can hold the tortoise's head out and still, you can get something red hot like a needle, and touch the back end of the tick with it, this makes him back out too. You can also pull him out with the tweezers, but you run the risk of leaving the head embedded in the tortoise this way, also, if it isn't a tick, it might be quite painful and bleed profusely. I wouldn't use the tweezer method.



call me crazy or stupid but isn't there a way to get a tick off with salt or nail-polish remover? don't do that last one lol, but just wondering?


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## ascott (Jul 18, 2012)

You will want to remove the ticks from your tortoise the same way you would approach them on a dog, you will want to have a clean pair of tweezers and have someone secure the tort so that you can gain a good secure grip of the tick head with the tweezers and gently apply pressure enough to pull the tick head out of the flesh of the tortoise and you will want to make sure you do not just pull the blood filled body off and away from the ticks head---this can then cause an infection.

Once the ticks have all been removed I would bath your tort in a warm water bath for awhile. I also would remove all substrate from your torts indoor enclosure and replace with new...and if your tort has access to the yard then occasional tick checks should be performed.

The issue with ticks is that they are less obvious when they are not feeding and then when they are this is when they are noticeable and likely seen "suddenly" by the human eye....Here are a couple references to also support that manual removal of the tick is best and that smothering in oils or vaseline or using a flame to back the tick out are all myths and couple of them can cause damage to the tort or human...

It is relatively common place for wild torts to have ticks, captive bred torts generally have not had this issue as their ancestors had....so, cold blooded is not the deciding factor for a tick...it is blood, if something has blood and they can access the source of the blood...they will...also, they have been known to lodge their ugly heads in the growth lines of torts to bite in to reach blood sources there as well.....


http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1831&aid=2433

http://www.tortoisegroup.org/infosheets/infosheet18.php


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## Weda737 (Jul 18, 2012)

I would really used the vaseline method. It would probably be the safest thing you can do for a tortoise and ticks so small, with tweezers you also run the risk of squeezing the blood out of the tick and back into the tortoise running a high risk of infection.


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## ascott (Jul 18, 2012)

You certainly can try the vaseline or mineral oil....however, ticks can live underwater, for example; if you flush a tick it can still live for hours and days and eventually come back up into your toilet bowl...also, ticks can remain on their host even if the host swims or submerges itself in water...so would this not be similar to the theory that vaseline or oil suffocates the tick and in turn causes the tick to back up and off of the host?? Give it a try and see what occurs....however, I would strongly suggest not using fire or a heated pin to touch the tick in hopes of it backing off and out........harm can absolutely come from this method...

I hope you let us know what you decide and the outcome of your adventure....


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## Weda737 (Jul 18, 2012)

Well, there is this completely botanical spray I use on my feeder mice to get rid of mites. It's made for chickens but I bet you could use it safely.


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## BowandWalter (Jul 18, 2012)

*RE: Help please... pimple size growths on neck & shoulders*

Acne cream, like Clean and Clear, burns them off really well. Spot treatments especially, we used it when my pug got a tick in her face wrinkle. The tick just dried up and fell out, head and all.


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## acrantophis (Jul 18, 2012)

*RE: Help please... pimple size growths on neck & shoulders*

Definitely looks like ticks. Especially if they have recently appeared.



acrantophis said:


> Definitely looks like ticks. Especially if they have recently appeared.



An in experienced vet may try an ivermectin shot. Which would kill your tortoise. If they are ticks that's a lot of them. They are probably compromising its health. I would remove them. Don't pull quickly. I find a slow twist works best. I used pick up imported savanna monitors and ball pythons out of Ghana back in the 80's. They were covered in ticks. They would get Ito the labial pits on the pythons. Tweezers with a twist and a burning candle to burn those little buggers.


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## CLMoss (Jul 18, 2012)

I don't know... But they look like growths to me. Are you sure that you just didn't notice them in the past? Could you take some more photos?


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## *Barracuda_50* (Jul 19, 2012)

Looks like ticks to me as well, if they just poped up over night or so then the tick you didnt see filled up with blood and thats why now your just seeing them. Ticks are really good at staying hidden in skin folds, cracks and crevices, up inside the shell area where the legs or tail is, they can hide in eye lid folds and just about anywhere they can be as tiny as a pin dot but once the head is inbeded and the tick fills with blood it doubles or triples in size. When trying to remove the tick with say tweezers try not to grab the body part, try to get as close to the inbeded head as possible.


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## Blastoise (Jul 19, 2012)

Anyone think this could be herpes? I just watched a documentary on turtles and tortoises and apparently the occurence of herpes is on the rise and has been found in all species of turtles and tortoises. My advice would be to get this tortoise to a vet and keep it away from other tortoises. Heres a link, no pics though. http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/herpeswarning.htm


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## CLMoss (Jul 21, 2012)

How is your tortoise doing?


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## TortieLuver (Jul 21, 2012)

Wow how is your tortoise doing? What methods have you tried and are the growths increasing or decreasing?


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## Nixxy (Jul 23, 2012)

You know, another thing to try, is to get one of those tick removers for cats/dogs at a pet store/vet. They have all sorts of types of them, but are all essentially the same. They work quite well.

I'm 99% sure those are ticks, judging by the clusters, size differences, color, etc.


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## TortieLuver (Jul 23, 2012)

Still hoping to hear from you!


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