Please help identify this in the poop of my leopard tortoise

[FrankiesMom]

I found these tiny white worm looking things in the poop of my 7 month old tortoise. They weren't moving, but there were quite a few. Frankie sleeps a lot, but I assumed he was still a baby and that's what they do so unsure if related. I've only had him for 4 months and have never noticed them before...but that doesn't mean they weren't there. He usually poops during his soak so I've never seen them before. He pooped the other day in his outdoor enclosure and I decided to look thru it. I'm assuming they are a type of worm...any thoughts? I've attached photos. They are tiny little things but I blew up the photos so they may look bigger than they are. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

Tortoises can get parasites that will appear in their feces. Pinworms are the most common. I would recommend taking a stool sample to a reptile vet to determine how bad it is, and if it's just parasites, or parasites and eggs. They will also calculate the dosage of dewormer to treat the tortoise.

 

[Sleppo]

Yeah I think you should have that checked, poor thing probably has a heavy worm load that needs to be treated.

 

[FrankiesMom]

Please look at this photo of the middle of the hibiscus flowers that Frankie eats daily...the little balls look exactly like the "worms" found...same shape and size. Could this be what I'm seeing as they look identical? Frankie loves that middle part and eats that first. They are same shape as "worms" and it would explain why there are so many and why none of them move.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I think you've just figured it out by yourself.
I DO BELIEVE that that is exactly what we're seeing undigested in the poop.
My first guess was undigested plant fiber.
So much of that can look like worms.

 

[Yvonne G]

Tortoise parasites usually don't look like that. They usually look like spaghetti or grains of rice.