Worming advice

[Jude2000]

Hi. I have a 7yr old Russian tortoise called Ruby. I have never wormed her and I'm not sure if and when I need to. Please could someone advise me. Thank you.
She is off her food atm a little.

 

[zovick]

Hi. I have a 7yr old Russian tortoise called Ruby. I have never wormed her and I'm not sure if and when I need to. Please could someone advise me. Thank you.
She is off her food atm a little.

You should take a stool sample to a vet and have it checked for parasites. If there are a large number of them, then the vet can prescribe the proper medication to eliminate them. If there are only small numbers, there is generally no need to worm the animal. Worming medications are all poisons, so treating the tortoise should be kept to a minimum and done only when really necessary as determined by an examination of stool samples.

 

[Jude2000]

Thank you very much for this advice ?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Do not administer anti worming medication without knowing that it's needed.
(As @zovick already said)
There are many other reasons for a tortoise to "go off" of it's food.
And even if the animal has parasites, it still might not be neccessary to treat for them.
Where is DIDCOT?
Do you have a good vet?
If not, explain what is going on with your tortoise and provide photos of your enclosure, lighting, a list of what you're feeding, temperature, etc and we can probably help you on this forum.

 

[Jude2000]

The stool sample came back positive for worms so I have been advised to treat her with panacur. I'm a bit nervous about doing . She is now eating a little again. Am I going to cause her any harm ? Thank you.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The stool sample came back positive for worms so I have been advised to treat her with panacur. I'm a bit nervous about doing . She is now eating a little again. Am I going to cause her any harm ? Thank you.

No.
But your tortoise probably wont eat much until after treatment because the PANACUR kills a lot of the beneficial gut bacteria that digest food.