hook worms

[jwhite]

Hey all,

I haven't been on in a long time dealing with finishing school and finding work. And now i have a new problem I had 2 of my males into the vet for a beak and nail trim and while we were there I had the do a stool check just to check. Their weight was down a little, but i thought maybe they weren't eating well because their beaks were a little long. Anyways they were diagnosed with hook worms and the vet prescribed panacur to fix that. And since the males are living with three females they will also be started on the panacur. Now my question is this The enclosure they are kept in is 6'x8' and the substrate is a mix of soil and coir do I need to get all of that substrate out of there to help get rid of the worms.

Thanks in advance for the help sorry this is so long winded.

Jon

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Jon:

Unless you change the substrate almost daily, your tortoise is likely to pick up the worm eggs again and again. It's best to keep them on newspaper or paper towels during the de-worming process. You worm now, then again in about 10 days to catch the worms that hatched after you de-wormed. And the eggs are shed in the tortoise's feces, so they get into the substrate waiting to be picked up again.

 

[jwhite]

Hi Jon:

Unless you change the substrate almost daily, your tortoise is likely to pick up the worm eggs again and again. It's best to keep them on newspaper or paper towels during the de-worming process. You worm now, then again in about 10 days to catch the worms that hatched after you de-wormed. And the eggs are shed in the tortoise's feces, so they get into the substrate waiting to be picked up again.

Thanks Yvonne that's what I thought. It's just a lot of substrate and I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to do that.

Jon

 

[J.P.]

you can nuke the substrate in a microwave if you want to recycle....

 

[kmartin]

Hook worm eggs are 'sticky' they get on everything they come into contact with and cling to surfaces. Easiest way is to set up a hospital tank for the duration of treatment and bleach all equipment you use before replacing the tortoise in his enclosure again. Make sure you use gloves, they are considered a zoonotic problem, especially if you have any kids.