Worms...

[hunterk997]

So my Russian tortoise has her first vet appointment tomorrow, and so I soaked her to get her to "excrete" and when I looked at it, there was a worm. So I am almost positive she will have to take a worm medicine. Do all tortoises have worms, and they just get too many worms? Or should they not have them
at all? Oh, and should I change the substrate after she is treated?

 

[mctlong]

Not all tortoises have worms, but Russians bought from petstores usually do. It's best to treat and kill all the worms, IMO, as they can cause health complications. Yes, you should change the substrate after treatment. If you see any more worms, snap a picture and bring to the vet with you (along with a facal sample, of course). Good luck at the vet. I hope all goes well.

 

[wellington]

I wouldn't use the substrate while you are treating. You could re-infest your tort. I would keep him on paper towels and change them daily. Whatever you do use for a substrate should really be replaced every day until you have a clean fecal test done.

 

[hunterk997]

Update: So I took my tortoise to the vet today, he seemed very knowledgable about tortoises. The fecal test said she has worms. So he gave us this canine deworm medicine. Is this okay? I know that they use other species medicines for tortoises, so I'm kind of in agreement with the treatment, but this was the first time with this veterinarian, so I'm not sure if he even specializes in tortoises.

 

[theelectraco]

What was the dewormed called? Panacur is usually prescribed and is used on other animals also

 

[hunterk997]

It's called Safe Guard mage by Intervet.

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Made*

 

[theelectraco]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that is safe for tortoises.

 

[mctlong]

Safegaurd and Panacur are name brands for the same product, Fenbendazole. Using safegaurd is the same as using Panacur. Its safe.

 

[theelectraco]

Safegaurd and Panacur are name brands for the same product, Fenbendazole. Using safegaurd is the same as using Panacur. Its safe.

Just did a google search, they are the same. I have heard people not recommend them for use on tortoises, must be because the OTC ones are hard to dose.

Op, did the vet give you the proper dose or were u advised to buy over the counter dog dewormer?

 

[hunterk997]

He told us to go buy it, the 1 gram one, and split it into 1/20 and give her the dosages once every two weeks. Six times to insure all of the worms are gone.