Question About Disinfecting After Worms

[etherealequus]

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've been on this site; I hope you are all doing well!

I just got back from taking my Russian tortoise, Oscar, to the vet. They said he was pretty much perfectly healthy, but after doing a fecal, they found he has worms in his stool. I was told they are filarial worms; he has been given Panacur and will go back every two weeks for 3 more treatments.

I was hoping to get some advice on disinfecting his living space. I had to unexpectedly move out of my house, so he is in what I call his "vacation home" rather than his normal two-level enclosure. I will attach a picture of his current setup below. I know it's not ideal It's just been a crazy few months, and both Oscar and I have had to adjust to a new living situation. Luckily, the enclosure is a LOT bigger than it looks in the picture, so my little dude has plenty of space at least. I'm hoping to get him back into his nice enclosure when I move into my own apartment this summer/fall.

Anyways, the vet agreed that I should replace all of the substrate. I am planning to start that process tomorrow once I can buy some more Eco Earth. My usual method is to purchase the condensed bricks of Eco Earth, boil them, and then bake them to dry. I'm hoping that is sufficient enough to ensure there is nothing harmful in the new substrate.

As for his enclosure, it is wooden with a floor that is covered with a thin metal material. I was wondering if I should try to clean the actual box itself? Since I had to move, I don't really have anywhere great to put Oscar while I do all of this cleaning, so I'm hoping to get it done as fast as possible for him. I was also wondering about cleaning his hide log and his water pool. I typically clean everything with water and blue Dawn dish soap, but I wanted to know if something stronger is warranted here? I'm just not quite sure what that would be, so hopefully someone can give their opinion here.

Thanks so much in advance for the help! Luckily the vet isn't worried and said he probably got them from going outside, but I want to make sure I can sanitize and disinfect his enclosure as much as possible so that it isn't a continuous cycle of worms!

 

[Tom]

I see a few problems there:
1. The ramped water bowl is a flipping and drowning hazard. Those are great for lizards and snakes, but dangerous and unsuitable for tortoises.
2. The plastic light fixture is dangerous too. Those are not meant to be on all day every day for 12 hours at a time. The black plastic part breaks down, and if you are lucky it shorts out, kicks the breaker, and everyone lives. If you are not lucky, the whole house burns down, and maybe your neighbors too. This is not an exaggeration. Spend the $13 dollars for a ceramic based fixture at Home Depot.
3. Likewise, the clamps are not reliable. They always fail eventually. Same scenario as above. The lucky person gets broken glass and live electrical current in their enclosure. The unlucky person's whole house burns down. Safely secure that lamp from overhead. ZooMed makes a lamp stand you can buy, or you can make an over head truss of sorts out of 2x4s or PVC pipe.
4. Your substrate is much too dry.
5. Your tortoise needs a humid hide, in addition to the other hide.
6. The dial type pet store thermometers and hygrometers are not accurate or reliable. Get a digital one from Walmart, Home Depot, Target, or online.
7. Put a flat rock of some sort under the basking lamp.

About the worms: Many types of worms are commensal. Some are parasitic, but only a problem in large numbers. How did your vet diagnose filarial worms? They are usually diagnosed with a blood smear, and I can't think of a reason why a vet would do that under normal circumstances. Was your tortoise showing symptoms? Was there a problem? Most vets know nothing about tortoises and they often do more harm than good. Reptile issues are often misdiagnosed and mistreated.

There is no need to boil or bake new substrate. It is not infected with anything, but it won't hurt anything if it makes you feel better to spend the time, effort and resources doing it.

After scrubbing the enclosure with hot water and dish soap, then rinsing, you can spray on a bleach solution, or 12% hydrogen peroxide, or an ammonia solution, or some F10 if you can find it. Rinse thoroughly and air dry before use again.

 

[etherealequus]

I see a few problems there:
1. The ramped water bowl is a flipping and drowning hazard. Those are great for lizards and snakes, but dangerous and unsuitable for tortoises.
2. The plastic light fixture is dangerous too. Those are not meant to be on all day every day for 12 hours at a time. The black plastic part breaks down, and if you are lucky it shorts out, kicks the breaker, and everyone lives. If you are not lucky, the whole house burns down, and maybe your neighbors too. This is not an exaggeration. Spend the $13 dollars for a ceramic based fixture at Home Depot.
3. Likewise, the clamps are not reliable. They always fail eventually. Same scenario as above. The lucky person gets broken glass and live electrical current in their enclosure. The unlucky person's whole house burns down. Safely secure that lamp from overhead. ZooMed makes a lamp stand you can buy, or you can make an over head truss of sorts out of 2x4s or PVC pipe.
4. Your substrate is much too dry.
5. Your tortoise needs a humid hide, in addition to the other hide.
6. The dial type pet store thermometers and hygrometers are not accurate or reliable. Get a digital one from Walmart, Home Depot, Target, or online.
7. Put a flat rock of some sort under the basking lamp.

About the worms: Many types of worms are commensal. Some are parasitic, but only a problem in large numbers. How did your vet diagnose filarial worms? They are usually diagnosed with a blood smear, and I can't think of a reason why a vet would do that under normal circumstances. Was your tortoise showing symptoms? Was there a problem? Most vets know nothing about tortoises and they often do more harm than good. Reptile issues are often misdiagnosed and mistreated.

There is no need to boil or bake new substrate. It is not infected with anything, but it won't hurt anything if it makes you feel better to spend the time, effort and resources doing it.

After scrubbing the enclosure with hot water and dish soap, then rinsing, you can spray on a bleach solution, or 12% hydrogen peroxide, or an ammonia solution, or some F10 if you can find it. Rinse thoroughly and air dry before use again.

Thanks for all of this advice, though I wasn’t really asking for critiques of his habitat, especially since this is temporary

So first things first, the light is not plastic—it is metal. No part of it is plastic. And like I said, due to having to move from my home pretty suddenly, this is a temporary setup. While I appreciate your opinion, I certainly have enough money to spare to buy the correct things, and I’ve never spared any funds in the past. I use ceramic ones normally, but this metal one very much the same and will do for now.
I’ve used the clamp lights for 9 years without issue, but I know everyone has a different opinion on them. I have them reinforced in the back so I’m going to keep using them, but I appreciate the advice.
I’ve always heard mixed things about the humidity. I can certainly try to make it more humid in there for him.
I do have accurate digital thermometers that I use. Those have been in there for a long time, and they’re simply extra.
Last time I tried putting rocks under the basking light, he wouldn’t go underneath it. He definitely prefers only substrate.

Regarding the worms, they did a fecal test & showed me. You could visibly see the worms in his stool, so they certainly weren’t making it up. There were also a lot of them, which is why they suggested deworming.

Thanks for the sanitizing tips!! I will start on that tomorrow

 

[wellington]

Wow!
You should do a Google search on how filarial worms are detected!
You may have seen worms,but a different kind, unless they did a blood test. If they didn't, I'd sure question their ability to properly diagnose a parasite
As for the comments Tom made, he's right on!. Just trying to help you be safe and your tort get the best treatment possible. Temporary enclosure you say, but that's a maybe so far.
Always better to be safe then sorry

 

[Tom]

Thanks for all of this advice, though I wasn’t really asking for critiques of his habitat, especially since this is temporary

So first things first, the light is not plastic—it is metal. No part of it is plastic. And like I said, due to having to move from my home pretty suddenly, this is a temporary setup. While I appreciate your opinion, I certainly have enough money to spare to buy the correct things, and I’ve never spared any funds in the past. I use ceramic ones normally, but this metal one very much the same and will do for now.
I’ve used the clamp lights for 9 years without issue, but I know everyone has a different opinion on them. I have them reinforced in the back so I’m going to keep using them, but I appreciate the advice.
I’ve always heard mixed things about the humidity. I can certainly try to make it more humid in there for him.
I do have accurate digital thermometers that I use. Those have been in there for a long time, and they’re simply extra.
Last time I tried putting rocks under the basking light, he wouldn’t go underneath it. He definitely prefers only substrate.

Regarding the worms, they did a fecal test & showed me. You could visibly see the worms in his stool, so they certainly weren’t making it up. There were also a lot of them, which is why they suggested deworming.

Thanks for the sanitizing tips!! I will start on that tomorrow

Why do you think I took the time out of my day to write all that out for you? Do you think its because I want to argue and insult you?

The black portion of the light socket that you screw the bulb into is called bakelite. Its a type of plastic and it doesn't hold up over time. Ask me how I know this?

You did not see filarial worms on a fecal smear. They are diagnosed on a blood smear slide.

I didn't say to put rocks under the heat lamp. I said put a flat rock of some sort. This is how you provide safe belly heat and help the tortoise warm up more effectively. It also help warm the enclosure better, and makes checking the temperature a bit easier.

Dry dusty substrate is not good for any tortoise. The stuff you've read about humidity is the old wrong info. An adult Russian can certainly survive in dry conditions, but moderate humidity is better for them.

You've been led to water. I can't make you drink. Here is more water:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

I'm not attacking you, insulting, or trying to offend you. I am trying, really really hard, to help you avoid some of the common problems that I myself, and many others have lived through, so that you don't have to learn these things the hard way. If you insist on learning these things the hard way, I will stop trying to prevent you from learning it your own way.

 

[etherealequus]

Why do you think I took the time out of my day to write all that out for you? Do you think its because I want to argue and insult you?

The black portion of the light socket that you screw the bulb into is called bakelite. Its a type of plastic and it doesn't hold up over time. Ask me how I know this?

You did not see filarial worms on a fecal smear. They are diagnosed on a blood smear slide.

I didn't say to put rocks under the heat lamp. I said put a flat rock of some sort. This is how you provide safe belly heat and help the tortoise warm up more effectively. It also help warm the enclosure better, and makes checking the temperature a bit easier.

Dry dusty substrate is not good for any tortoise. The stuff you've read about humidity is the old wrong info. An adult Russian can certainly survive in dry conditions, but moderate humidity is better for them.

You've been led to water. I can't make you drink. Here is more water:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

I'm not attacking you, insulting, or trying to offend you. I am trying, really really hard, to help you avoid some of the common problems that I myself, and many others have lived through, so that you don't have to learn these things the hard way. If you insist on learning these things the hard way, I will stop trying to prevent you from learning it your own way.

Lol, definitely starting to remember why I don’t post here!