Round worm
- Thread starter OkAdiza
- Start date
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
Yeah, that certainly looks like some kind of ascarid. Time to have a stool sample analyzed.
Deworming reptiles is a bit specialized (ivermectin in any form is toxic, and usually lethal), so do your best to find a dedicated reptile practice, or one that sees wildlife on a routine basis.
Deworming reptiles is a bit specialized (ivermectin in any form is toxic, and usually lethal), so do your best to find a dedicated reptile practice, or one that sees wildlife on a routine basis.
Thanks. Yeah, when I first got him, he had to be dewormed. I found a Vet who works with tortoises and other exotics. My tort did well and samples came back clean. That was over a year ago, so I guess it’s time to head back.
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, the eggs of these beasties are impervious to everything. Literally.
So eggs hiding in the slow-moving reptile gut or shed out onto substrate will happily re-infest. They can also be ingested while eating wild foods.
Treatment should include several doses given a week or two apart over the course of a few months. (Ascarids have a two-week lifestyle - developing egg to reproductive adult - give or take, but the eggs can last a while on their own.)
So eggs hiding in the slow-moving reptile gut or shed out onto substrate will happily re-infest. They can also be ingested while eating wild foods.
Treatment should include several doses given a week or two apart over the course of a few months. (Ascarids have a two-week lifestyle - developing egg to reproductive adult - give or take, but the eggs can last a while on their own.)
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
That's a standard protocol trying to catch that lifecycle change-over. I do think reptiles hang on to eggs more often than endotherms with faster gut motility, but ask the vet if fenbendazole might be the next thing to try (it tastes crappy, but if your population of ascarids is in some way immune to pyrantel, worth a try).
During treatment and for a time afterward, be sure to optimize all of the heat zones so that the immune and digestive systems are fully functional 24 hours/day.
Get rid of the substrate, disinfect the enclosure, and house over daily-changed newspaper. Keep water and food dishes cleaned daily, along with soaking pans. Encourage exercise.
Wash your hands - these guys can be zoonotic.
These stinkers can and do come back, even when we are very careful, so don't be hard on yourself. *kicks intestinal parasites*
During treatment and for a time afterward, be sure to optimize all of the heat zones so that the immune and digestive systems are fully functional 24 hours/day.
Get rid of the substrate, disinfect the enclosure, and house over daily-changed newspaper. Keep water and food dishes cleaned daily, along with soaking pans. Encourage exercise.
Wash your hands - these guys can be zoonotic.
These stinkers can and do come back, even when we are very careful, so don't be hard on yourself. *kicks intestinal parasites*
