Pin Worms? (And any parasites in general)

[Vincenza]

I adopted my adult male Russian tortoise a couple months ago and this past weekend I took him to the vet for the first time. The fecal came back positive for pin worms. The vet said that there wasn't a large amount, so I could choose to not treat them, and a lot of people choose not to, because they think low numbers of pin worms can be helpful. I chose to do the treatment (haven't started yet, picking up the prescription tomorrow) since I don't know much about it and the vet suggested I might want to since I don't know everything about my tort's previous living situation regarding how clean it was etc nor do I know his medical history. So what I wanted to ask was: what are people's opinions here on pin worms? Does anyone leave them untreated, if so why or why not? Also, in my situation do you think it was a good idea to go ahead with the treatment? I really don't know much about this area of tortoise health so any other info would be appreciated!

 

[wellington]

@tortadise can help here.

 

[Jodie]

The advice I received recently was to not treat. The reason given to me was that it kills other beneficial gut flora as well. Light loads are normal.

 

[Yvonne G]

If you bought your Russian tortoise from a pet store, it would be good to treat him. I usually treat new tortoises a couple times at first, then after than, only if I suspect the parasites are getting too strong a foothold.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Most every tortoise I've ever had a fecal test on tested positive.
Like Yvonne suggested, I'd treat and I do treat every new tortoise that I receive.
I also give all of my tortoises a "booster" treatment every six months. I don't know if it actually helps, but it DOES make ME fell better. And I place a small amount of Diatomaceous Earth in the food semi regularly. This was recommended to me by another member here. Again, I don't know that it actually works. I just know that my tortoises are healthy. (Except for one and it's unrelated to parasites)
My herd is not really established yet. But once it is I would not worry at all about parasites unless the animal has outward signs that it is not happy.

 

[tortadise]

Pin worms are pretty common. I'm with Yvonne on this one. If pet store or wild collected if do man initial treatment just because. Then start feeding very nutritious foods and should be a good to go animal from there. It's always recommended to test annually or bi-annually. Especially if you intend to keep him indoors/outdoors during seasons that's permit. Lots of Protozoa can be picked up with tortoises on outside soil.

 

[Vincenza]

Ok great! I was feeling a bit worried about treating the pin worms and killing off helpful stuff in the process, but I feel pretty good about it now since my tort is new to me. Thanks for the advice!

 

[STEVE41]

If you bought your Russian tortoise from a pet store, it would be good to treat him. I usually treat new tortoises a couple times at first, then after than, only if I suspect the parasites are getting too strong a foothold.

HI, MY NAME IS STEVE AND I HAVE A 3-1/2 MONTH OLD REDFOOT I GOT FROM A BREEDER WHICH ALSO PER MY VET HAS PIN WORMS. SOME WHERE I READ I COULD TREAT BY FEEDING PUMPKIN/SEEDS-- IS THIS TRUE OR SHOULD I TAKE HIM/HER BACK TO MY VET FOR TREATMENT. HIS NAME IS HERMAN AT THE PRESENT TIME AND IS A JOY TO WATCH WHEN HE'S NOT BURIED.

 

[ascott]

The advice I received recently was to not treat. The reason given to me was that it kills other beneficial gut flora as well. Light loads are normal.

I agree. Also, this is a new tort and is going to already be stressed...so to add poison to the torts system when it is already going to be a system stressed would not be a good thing....the moment the tortoise goes out to graze or if you bring in produce to offer, these are all opportunities for exposure..their system is set up to handle certain amounts of parasite.. signs of some therefore are not a bad thing....I know, we humans think it is gross and all, but we forget our own bodies have their own critters at work as well....just saying is all.

 

[deadheadvet]

Don't deworm for Pinworms. They may help in digestion. There is no evidence that Pinworms cause any harm. If that was the only parasite reported, don't worry about it. Fenbendazole at high doses can be fatal in Tortoises.

 

[STEVE41]

HI, MY NAME IS STEVE AND I HAVE A 3-1/2 MONTH OLD REDFOOT I GOT FROM A BREEDER WHICH ALSO PER MY VET HAS PIN WORMS. SOME WHERE I READ I COULD TREAT BY FEEDING PUMPKIN/SEEDS-- IS THIS TRUE OR SHOULD I TAKE HIM/HER BACK TO MY VET FOR TREATMENT. HIS NAME IS HERMAN AT THE PRESENT TIME AND IS A JOY TO WATCH WHEN HE'S NOT BURIED.

I WISH TO THANK EVERYONE ON THE FORUM WHO GAVE INFO ON MY POST FOR PIN WORMS. HERMAN SEEMS TO BE EATING AND MOVING AROUND JUST FINE. WHEN I FIND OUT HOW TO POST PICTURE OF HIM/HER I WILL. AGAIN THANKS

 

[FujiBaird]

Perhaps the amount of pinworms should be considered when deciding whether or not to treat. We had a fecal done on my juvenile tortoise after having it for several months. It seemed a little lethargic, wasn't gaining weight, new growth was rough/pyramiding despite correct temps & humidity. After performing the fecal, the vet said it was one of the the highest densities of pinworms/eggs he'd seen. After treatment, my Roma really turned a corner... more energy, steady weight gain, smooth and shiny shell growth.