Help! Worms!

[sammi]

So today I gave Ernie his usual bath, and I inspected his urates and poo when he was through, and I saw worms! They were small, skinny and white-ish clear. I didn't get a picture because I kind of freaked out and rinsed him off in the sink and poured everything down the toilet. I'm scheduling a visit to the vet for my next day off [Tuesday] but I have a couple questions..

1) How did he get them? I took him to a visit at the vet back in October and everything came back fine..
2) I'm planning on changing his substrate, but now since he has them, would it be pointless to change it? Or should I wait until the worms are treated?
3) Will the vet prescribe any meds?
4) Should I be SUPER worried [like I already am?]

---

Well I made the appointment for today instead, otherwise they didn't have any opening until next friday, and I can't wait that long. I will update this as to what happens at the vet.

 

[Kymiie]

I cant advise you or answer your questions, but I can wish you my best wishes... Keep us up to date!
XD

 

[Tom]

Don't panic. Worms aren't fatal. Try to take a stool sample to the vet with you. It will make it easier to diagnose exactly what kind of worms you are dealing with. The vet will advise you once he/she knows what you've got.

They can pick them up all over the place. Some, like pinworms, can even blow in on the wind.

Just in case your vet doesn't know reptiles as well as some. DON'T let them prescribe Ivermectin or any form of it. Its a big no no for torts. Its a common wormer and works very well on a lot of animals, but its highly toxic to tortoises. Your vet should know this, but......

 

[sammi]

Well, my stresses have been eased =] I didn't think he would give another stool sample since he had already pooped twice in his bath. We ending up being successful in the waiting room, but the stool he passed didn't show any signs of worms. Then while in the exam room, weighing him and such I guess made him a bit nervous because he passed another stool, and I saw the little worms in it. She got her sample, and she said it looks like pinworms, but was going to send it out to test either way. Despite what they were, she prescribed me Panacur. They are pre measured in 6 syringes [.2 ml each], which I start tomorrow. 3 Doses for the next 3 days, then 3 more in the next two weeks. She said he most likely got it from something he ate. I told her about the spring mix I buy from the local farmers market [its organic], and said its a possibility.

So two questions:
1] How do I "correctly" wash my veggies and spring mix to prevent bugs/eggs?
2] What do I do about his substrate? Do I change it now? Or wait until he's been dewormed?

 

[Seiryu]

Sounds like pinworms to me. Of course not 100% sure without pictures. How big were they? pinworms are generally very small. Like maybe a few millimeters long.

My two green basilisk got pin worms this winter. Last vet check in the summer and fecal sample showed nothing. Then they both slowed downa few weeks ago, did another sample and they had pin worms.

But yes, worms arn't fatal, just get a fecal sample asap to the vet.

Edit: Oops forgot. I would definitely change the substrate once your vet gives you whatever treatment is needed. You do not want to get more worms coming in as you do the treatment.

For my basilisk, I moved them each to a smaller 2x3x2 cage for their 3 weeks of medicine. And I cleaned out their entire cage (their normal cage) with a bleach solution to kill any eggs/worms. And only put them back in their original cage when they were clear, so I didn't have to clean everything all over. If you use bleach, make sure to rinse it off very well and wait a few days before putting anything back in.

 

[sammi]

Yes, they were pretty small. Thanks for the reassurance everyone =] Ernie is now happily passed out after his strenuous vet visit.

 

[Seiryu]

Yes, they were pretty small. Thanks for the reassurance everyone =] Ernie is now happily passed out after his strenuous vet visit.

And the verdict was? Or are they calling you back?

 

[sammi]

They'll call me back tomorrow. She's pretty sure they're pinworms, and she already gave me the Panacur to start tomorrow. {Read the post above your first one}

 

[dreadyA]

Poor Ernie! Pooped twice in one event! You scared the crap out if him
You can put him in a temp bin with paper towels as substrate and some hay for burrowing. Just a suggestion though!
Do you still have Ernie's old enclosure. You can keep him in there till he's done with treatment!

 

[sammi]

Oh yes I still have him in his original enclosure...Its the only one I have for him at the moment. Should I change the substrate now before treatment, and after too or...? I don't exactly have another bin right now =/

 

[sammi]

So here's an interesting observation -- I picked up a tub to put Ernie in for the meantime while I clean his original enclosure. I decided to throw everything out and start fresh. I threw all the moss out, and I saw a clear-ish shiny film on one of them, like the kind of trail a snail leaves behind. Lo and behold I found a pinworm on that piece of moss. Get this -- he was feeding on the moss!! I watched him intrigued for a couple minutes as he chowed down. I know I have been an avid supporter of moss, but now I'm not so sure. It provides food for the pinworms? Not good. Anyone else heard of this? By the way, the moss is on the "cool" end of the enclosure. So it was by no means the "warm" climate that a pinworm needs to survive in. I'm stuck on this one.

 

[dmmj]

Now I thought pinworms were intestinal parasite myself.

 

[Tom]

Pinworms don't eat moss.

 

[Yvonne G]

From the slime you've described, I was thinking some sort of small slug. I don't think what you saw eating the moss was the same thing that was inside the tortoise.

 

[sammi]

Well gosh I've got my hands full this weekend don't I? How do you think the slug got in there?

 

[Tom]

I think they use a slithering technique for locomotion.

Ha Ha! I'm just kidding.

Since I don't see kids listed, I'd go ask the boyfriend.

Is the cage near an entry way? Did you leave some freshly cleaned cage decorations outside to dry before putting them back in?

Just guessing.

 

[sammi]

I think they use a slithering technique for locomotion.

Ha Ha! I'm just kidding.

Since I don't see kids listed, I'd go ask the boyfriend.

Is the cage near an entry way? Did you leave some freshly cleaned cage decorations outside to dry before putting them back in?

Just guessing.

Maybe the slug came back in with the boyfriend from the beach, on a free trip in his hair [his hair is longer than mine!] Haha jus' kiddin' Actually I hand dry everything and put it back in his enclosure pretty promptly. His enclosure is in our bedroom, not near a door or anything. I mean the only thing I could think of, is if the slug really did come in on one of us, or if it was in the house, and made his way up to the enclosure? [It sits on top of our dresser]...