My box turtle is 7 years old and I founded pin worms in his water. The vet gave him some medicine to treat them but he told me to completely clean his area! He lives in my back yard. Any ideas as to how I can get rid of the worms in the yard
Pin worms in a box turtle
- Thread starter Debria
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Thats a tuff one. The best thing to do is just try to keep the yard well manicured and clean from stuff like dog waste, or just keep his general area clean.
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I think that salt water would most likely kill the pinworms. You would need to saturate the ground pretty well with it, though. Also not sure how much salt you would need per gallon of water.
Almost all tortoises and box turtles have pinworms. They are not any real problem unless the animal is very heavily infested with them. The top exotics vet at UGA Vet School has told me more than once not to bother treating for them unless their numbers are extremely high. Maybe you should take a stool sample to the vet to be checked and see if the numbers are high or not before worrying too much about it.
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Yes. Pinworms are very common.
It's not always needed to irradicate them if only 1 is found. (A few)
This is excellent advice.
The vet said this because the medication kills the pinworms, but not the eggs, which hatch in the substrate and can re effect the animal.
If your boxie is otherwise acting and eating normally, has normal looking poops and is a good weight, I'd relax and just observe him/her for a few weeks
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Well then, it might be a good idea to worm the turtle. Did you already start giving the worming medicine from the vet? A lot of dead and dying worms often come out in the poop after the first doses of worming medication.
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I've also seen cases where no dead worms came out in the poop during treatments. It seems that they can break down quickly when dead and possibly get absorbed or digested.
Something like MAZURI is super helpful in helping to administer medication like this because it can be made into a paste and mixed in.
Is the enclosure the entire back yard?
Are you able to move the enclosured area to a slightly different location for a few weeks?
If not, I have a good feeling that your little friend will be just fine once the numbers come down
Something like MAZURI is super helpful in helping to administer medication like this because it can be made into a paste and mixed in.
Is the enclosure the entire back yard?
Are you able to move the enclosured area to a slightly different location for a few weeks?
If not, I have a good feeling that your little friend will be just fine once the numbers come down
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
A "hospital tank" is especially useful when there is open wounds and they need to be taken off the substrate. That is one thing to consider.
