Egg & mite

[Krissyr]

Hello,
First time poster so my apologies if I mess up.

I just got my first pet tortoise, but I do have experience with them from my work. He is an adult russian, active, good appetite, and extremely handsome.

We went to the vet for a check up and there were two things that came up.
1. An egg was found in his stool sample, just one.
2. A mite was found from a swab done along his neck & armpit, again just one.

The vet is trying to look up what she can on both but I figure it can't hurt to ask a few questions here. It gives me something to do while waiting.

Should I be extremely concerned? Since there was only one of each I'm hoping that this isn't a significant infestation. She said the mite resembled a demodex mite, so she is hoping it could have just been on his bedding. But she is looking into it.

How often do people have their tortoises' stools checked? I've found a wide range of times on google so am just looking for an average to go by.

Thanks for any tips
Kristen

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kristen:

Don't worry about the mite. Tortoises don't get mange. However, there usually are all kinds of little creepy crawlies in the bedding you buy. If you want to get rid of them you'll have to either bake your substrate or spread it out and let the sun shine on it for a day. The little things in your substrate don't hurt the tortoise, and they help with clean up in the habitat.

As for the parasite egg, most every creature has some sort of parasites. Its when the load gets to be too much that its a problem. If your vet saw an egg, it might be a good idea to treat a couple times for parasites.

 

[Krissyr]

Hi Kristen:

Don't worry about the mite. Tortoises don't get mange. However, there usually are all kinds of little creepy crawlies in the bedding you buy. If you want to get rid of them you'll have to either bake your substrate or spread it out and let the sun shine on it for a day. The little things in your substrate don't hurt the tortoise, and they help with clean up in the habitat.

As for the parasite egg, most every creature has some sort of parasites. Its when the load gets to be too much that its a problem. If your vet saw an egg, it might be a good idea to treat a couple times for parasites.

Thank you!