Buddy's Sick :( *Update 12/29*

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Goonie

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My poor baby snapper is sick :( I think he has tape worm(s).

I just saw this long flat white thing hanging out of his butt and upon further investigation, it had "sections" that very much resembled tape worm.

I made a call to the vet asking what I should do and whether somebody there would be able to see Buddy. The one vet on call today should be calling me back shortly to advise.

I feel so bad. No idea what could've infected him.
 

apbgv

Hatchling Member
I know with my torties we use panacur to worm, after that I feed some pumpkin occ to help worm as it is a natural wormer but I am not sure if a snapper would eat that. Not sure about the dose of panacur . Good luck. Just do NOT use ivermectin to worm as it is toxic to turtles and torts
 

whiskersmom

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apbgv":3043f said:
I know with my torties we use panacur to worm, after that I feed some pumpkin occ to help worm as it is a natural wormer but I am not sure if a snapper would eat that. Not sure about the dose of panacur . Good luck. Just do NOT use ivermectin to worm as it is toxic to turtles and torts

I totally agree with not using Ivermectin, it would most likely kill Buddy.
Droncit is what is used to rid reptiles of tapeworms. Are you sure that it's tapeworm? I thought tapeworm looked like rice??? It could be pinworms or even strongyloides which both would require Panacur to get rid of. Good luck, Gina, I hope you can get rid of this quick and poor Buddy starts feeling better soon. :(
 

Goonie

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It's definitely tapeworms. The things are a witish translucent color, very long flat strands, and has "sections" as parts of the body.

Tapeworm pic

I brought over two strands of tapeworms and Buddy's poop for testing last night. They're suppose to call me with the results today (have yet to hear from the vet). He pooped out another long strand of the worm overnight. The strange thing is that none of the worms were alive - meaning they didn't move - and no sight of a head. Is that normal? Are they typically excreted only when dead?

Also, Buddy had never lost or decreased his appetite. If he had, then I would've known that something was wrong with him. I doubt he got the worms from the water, because I use filtered water (Britta) to fill his tank. Could it had been the minnows??

I feel like such a horrible turtle mommy :cry:
 

Jasper's Mom

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According to the websites I found, tapeworms need to go through an intermediate host, so they probably came from the minnows. Where are you getting the minnows from?
 

Goonie

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Been getting them from PetSmart. How can I tell if they are infected or carriers?
 

whiskersmom

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Awhile back I bought crickets from petsmart and the two times I did Whiskers ended up with pins. Is there another place you could buy minnows, perhaps on line?

About the pic of a tape worm.....YUCK! That thing is in poor sweet buddy? GET IT OUT NOW!!!! It's ugly! :lol:
 

Goonie

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The pic was found online. The ones coming out of my poor little baby was much cleaner and not as icky looking - but a tapeworm nonetheless.

When I came back from my aunt's tonight, there was another small piece in the pan. It was much thinner this time. Hopefully that'll be the last of it.

Unfortunately, the vet never called. I'm going to call tomorrow AM and see what I should do.

As for ordering minnows online, I'm going to look into it. Never thought about doing that (not sure why).
 

vickson420

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Oh no poor buddy. :( I know he will be ok though because you are such a good mommy you will make sure of it.That must of been horrifying for you to see.That pic was really gross but it was interesting to see.Let us know what the vet says,ok?
 

Goonie

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Still no phone calls from the vet. Guess they didn't get the fecal results back yet.

There were more pieces of the tapeworm this morning, but much smaller (length and width). It also had holes in between each section (joints). Not sure what that means.

Does anyone know if ReptileXtra anti-parasite pellets are effective and safe? Or if Reptaid would be a good alternative to antibiotics?
 

vickson420

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Gina
I dont know much about tapeworms but I did a little googling for you and this is what most people do to treat them:
Tapeworms and flukes

Tapeworms and flukes can infect aquatic turtles, but are rare in tortoises. These parasites need to go through an intermediate host and are not much of a problem in most well-cared-for captive turtles. If the small worms are seen in the feces or diagnosed through a fecal exam, they can be successfully treated with praziquantel (Droncit) or oxfendazole.
I dont think the repta-aid would do much without this med in it.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=0+1471&aid=1467
Not sure if you can order this online or even what the dosage would be but maybe you could spw/vet about it.
 

Goonie

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I had found a turtle forum that recommended Droncit to someone for treatment of tapeworms in turtles. Was going to ask about it when (if) the vet called.

Since the discovery of the tapeworms, Buddy's poop had been very loose and small, and a light brown in color. It used to be about the size of a peanut and a greenish-brown color.

My poor baby :cry:
 
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