my tort pooped a worm?
- Thread starter Jack Petterson
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Oogway the russian tort
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OOO hey looks like the name is popular well take him to the vet that is a parasite its not a big deal but can mess with his eating and sleeping habits if you start noticing your tortoise being less active and not eating go to the vet they are going to give you antibiotics. Then your gonna have to throw away the substrate your tort is in and use newspaper your tort is better. Good Luck hope your tort is safe
daniellenc
Well-Known Member
Definitely vet for a deworming and no substrate until he has a clean fecal. If they’re passing worms their gutload is high and those worms are literally eating all his nutrients which is basically slow starvation.
That is a roundworm. Go to the vet and get some Panacur for treatment. You do want to get rid of this parasite load.
You do not have to worry about substrate reinfection with roundworms as they have an indirect life cycle and a tortoise cannot reinfect himself. They are usually acquired from eating a small frog or lizard or pinkie, etc... some other animal that it has eaten that is the intermediate host. So watch where your tortoise may have access to any of these.
You do not have to worry about substrate reinfection with roundworms as they have an indirect life cycle and a tortoise cannot reinfect himself. They are usually acquired from eating a small frog or lizard or pinkie, etc... some other animal that it has eaten that is the intermediate host. So watch where your tortoise may have access to any of these.
madbad
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Moving spagetti noodles!
...yum
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Thank you @Markw84
I believe my Redfoot have twice been infected by doing just that. Eating frogs and lizards.
And Panacur did indeed clear it up both times.
I believe my Redfoot have twice been infected by doing just that. Eating frogs and lizards.
And Panacur did indeed clear it up both times.
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Not antibiotics
An anti parasitic.
Very interesting. I have seen nematodes in tortoise feces, but nothing that looked quite like this. How long is that worm?
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worms are not uncommon in tortoises.
Passing whole, live worms is not normal and would indicate a large load.
Passing whole, live worms is not normal and would indicate a large load.
Jack Petterson
New Member
ok i took oogway to the vet and they got a poop sample, he is eating fine and normally active and he is super active all the time so it’s good. cleaned and changed substrate after keeping him on newspaper for a few days. vet says it’s ok for him to be on substrate. will get a result in about a week i’ll keep y’all posted. thanks again for all the help!!
Jack Petterson
New Member
the worm was like an inch or so
results in a week???
that's an awful long time for a simple fecal.....
hope oogway is doing well. Remember to change the substrate frequently, and after they finally get you a wormer to get rid of the eggs they shed in their feces.
Very interesting- this doesn't appear to be a nematode; keep us updated on the results of the fecal.
Jack Petterson
New Member
ok so the vet said that their symbiotic to my tort and that there not unhealthy and can help him somehow and they decided to just leave it? is that a bad thing?
daniellenc
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Say whaaaat? I have no clue but hopefully someone chimes in and explains.
Oogway the russian tort
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Your vet might mean symbiotic relationships. Parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism. Saying symbiotic is pretty vague but you vet might be talking about mutualism were neither gain nor lose anything. If I were you I would just play it safe and get rid of the worm since it won't harm ours tortoise if you do so.
Was the vet a good reptile vet? Did the vet report back to you what species this worm was? I'm wondering if the tide is turning in regards to worming tortoises among the reptile vet community, in general. Clearly, parasites live in tortoises naturally in the wild; it's often in captivity when imported specimens build up heavy loads of parasites because they are constantly being re-infested because they live in tight quarters in captivity....
Two of the redfoots poo'd out a live round worm each ....I increased soaking, increased food offerings and all good....yes, it sounds weird but if the load is not crazy then it is simply part of a torts life....now, if you have round worm balls and large load...I would offer worming...just my experience and opinion...remember, even WE HUMANS have a gut load of critters we would rather never see....
