Please help..new tortoise owner and my tortoise has worms

[Kelly.324]

Hi, I’m pretty new to the forum and posted in the introduction section about this issue and was hoping some people might be able to give me some advice; i re-homed a 3 and a half year old horse field called Sebastian.
I took him to the vets for a check up just after I got him and they said he had a very high level of pin worms. They gave him a worming treatment which is for 8 weeks and he’s only have way through his treatment.

I’ve been cleaning his table each day and changing food and water and spot cleaning as often as possible each day.

Is there anything else I can do to help clear up the worms? Any food that is particularly good for him? Temperatures I should be keeping him at?
Anything else I can do to really to help get him healthy?

Thank you [emoji4]

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Anything else I can do to really to help get him healthy?

Thank you [emoji4]

All those questions and ones y’all haven’t come up with yet can be answered in the sticky posts at the beginning of the russian tortoise section.

 

[Ben02]

Ive had no experience with parasites but just keep him warm and hydrated, give him baths more often

 

[Kelly.324]

All those questions and ones y’all haven’t come up with yet can be answered in the sticky posts at the beginning of the russian tortoise section.

Thanks, I’ve read the sticky posts and care sheets in that section but couldn’t find anything specific for if they’ve got worms, sorry I’ve missed it, I’ll have another read

 

[Kelly.324]

Ive had no experience with parasites but just keep him warm and hydrated, give him baths more often

Thank you, should i keep him warmer than usual? I’ve been bathing him everyday and hoping that helps somewhat but I’m not sure if it’s making a difference.

 

[JoesMum]

@Yvonne G is it best to keep them on newspaper during worming?

 

[Kelly.324]

@Yvonne G is it best to keep them on newspaper during worming?

That’s what I was told by the vet but I think it’s just because it’s easier to clean, he seems miserable with it though and tried to dig all the time.

 

[JoesMum]

I had to keep Joe on newspaper when he was under treatment (not for worms). He wasn't fond of it, but I can understand it from the hygiene point of view. With worms, I think it is pretty much essential as you can change it daily. With normal substrate you risk reinfection

 

[Markw84]

PInworms are a direct cycle parasite. In minimal "normal" loads they are often considered normal gut flora. If the load get high, as it appears your tortoise has, then worming is a good choice. Because it is direct cycle, it can re-infect itself by eating contaminated water or substrate. The treatment should be a dose now, and then another dose in a few weeks. The dose now should kill any live worms in the tortoise now. The follow up dose is to kill any new worms that have hatched out from eggs that may be in the system now.

I would clean the enclosure and change the substrate a few days after the first dose. By bathing the tortoise daily during the treatment phase, you should dramatically reduce the amount of poop the tortoise does in the enclosure and make it much easier to stay on top of reinfection. Otherwise, ensure good feeding and hydration and treat the tortoise normally.

The normal treatment for pinworms is Panacur. - "Fenbenzadole." It actually is quite safe and has an extremely large margin of safety. Your tortoise should do just fine with this treatment.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Just like Markw84 mentioned, my turtle had two doses - initial one plus another 2 weeks later. Is the de-worming medicine you have more frequent?

 

[Kelly.324]

The vet prescribed profender- one dose(which was 2 weeks ago now) and then another 4 weeks after the first dose and then after another 4 weeks the vet wants a poo sample.

I’ve been cleaning the enclosure daily and giving daily soaks as well as lots of food. I’ve heard carrot is meant to be good worming but he’s not interested in it.

Otherwise he seems to be eating fine and only appeared to be lethargic in the last couple of days, I’m not sure if this is a side effect of the treatment or if he’s just had a lazy couple of days.

Thanks

 

[Ben02]

Bathing won't help the parasite issue but it will prevent any more problems such as dehydration which is common with torts that have parasites. Increasing temps will just help your tort get through this in general

 

[Kelly.324]

Thanks everyone, I think I’m just a worrier, plus he’s my first tortoise and everyone says it’s so hard to tell if they’re ill and I’m worried I’m missing something.

 

[Yvonne G]

The vet prescribed profender- one dose(which was 2 weeks ago now) and then another 4 weeks after the first dose and then after another 4 weeks the vet wants a poo sample.

I’ve been cleaning the enclosure daily and giving daily soaks as well as lots of food. I’ve heard carrot is meant to be good worming but he’s not interested in it.

Otherwise he seems to be eating fine and only appeared to be lethargic in the last couple of days, I’m not sure if this is a side effect of the treatment or if he’s just had a lazy couple of days.

Thanks

Carrot has no de-worming properties.

 

[drew54]

I think pumpkin is a natural dewormer, but I could be wrong.

 

[Yvonne G]

I think pumpkin is a natural dewormer, but I could be wrong.

It's actually the pumpkin seeds, ground up.

From my friend, Google:

In recent times, herbalists have discovered that the seeds of the pumpkin also work as an effective deworming agent against tapeworms and other intestinal parasites in dogs and humans. Pumpkin seeds contain the amino acid called cucurbitin, which paralyzes and eliminates the worms from the digestive tract.

 

[jsheffield]

Same with papaya seeds ....

J

 

[Yvonne G]

Same with papaya seeds ....

J

My friend, Google has this to say about papaya seeds:

Improper use of commercial medicines has lead to parasites resistant to many deworming drugs for goats and other livestock. In a Florida study, 10 grams of ground papaya seed added to a base diet of bahiagrass removed 78 percent of adult parasites and 72 percent of their eggs.

 

[Yvonne G]

Good to know, thank you.

 

[jsheffield]

I used it on myself while livong in Ecuador and populated by all manner of intestinal bugs ... it worked for me.

Jamie