Worm, to pull or not???

[stars6116]

I have two Greek tortoises (Morla and Pancake) and I've noticed Pancake has clear fluid/bubble coming out of her nose.
She seemed to be very stuffy and makes these noises like she's sneezing or something.

Took her to the vet a week ago and they gave her some antibiotics (2 weeks worth) for respiratory infection and they also checked her poop for parasites and apparently she has a lot of worms. They gave her 3 days worth of med for it, and I noticed white things on her poop starting the 4th day and I keep seeing a lot everyday. (I can post some photos if it's not TMI, I just want to know what the white things really are)

Today, she pooped twice and something very long came out, it was moving too! I am freaking out but the vet is closed today until Tuesday and we don't get seen until Thursday again.

There was a worm(?) sticking out from her butt too, I'm not sure whether to pull it or not! Please advise!

 

[Yossarian]

It is normal after a worming treatment, especially with a severe infestation, to see the dead and even sometimes live worms in the animals feces. You can post the pics here, we discuss all aspects of tortoise health and ill-health/injuries. As for the one sticking out her butt, you can try to remove it gently, if it does not come out easily, then dont pull too hard, you will just tear the worm, your tort will pass it soon enough, I suspect you will just be able to pull it out easily. Warm water soaks might be a good idea to help the tort pass this stuff.

 

[stars6116]

Thank you for the quick response!

So how long should I expect to see worms?
This was our first trip to the vet and Im not sure what to expect, or what to even ask. Also, the language barrier is real so we rely on google. Is there anything important I should ask the vet on our next appointment?

Here is the photo of her poop btw.

 

[Sarah2020]

Thank you for the quick response!

So how long should I expect to see worms?
This was our first trip to the vet and Im not sure what to expect, or what to even ask. Also, the language barrier is real so we rely on google. Is there anything important I should ask the vet on our next appointment?

Here is the photo of her poop btw.

Wow better out than in! Thanks for sharing as good for others on the forum to see and learn.

 

[Yossarian]

Yep those are worms, never had a problem with my tort but one of my cats had them really bad when we rescued her and this is basically the same thing we saw for about a week. Depending on the worming agent, there may be a follow up treatment, some of the anti wormers only kill live worms but not eggs. I would double check that but otherwise there isnt much to worry about I dont think.

 

[Tom]

I have two Greek tortoises (Morla and Pancake) and I've noticed Pancake has clear fluid/bubble coming out of her nose.
She seemed to be very stuffy and makes these noises like she's sneezing or something.

Took her to the vet a week ago and they gave her some antibiotics (2 weeks worth) for respiratory infection and they also checked her poop for parasites and apparently she has a lot of worms. They gave her 3 days worth of med for it, and I noticed white things on her poop starting the 4th day and I keep seeing a lot everyday. (I can post some photos if it's not TMI, I just want to know what the white things really are)

Today, she pooped twice and something very long came out, it was moving too! I am freaking out but the vet is closed today until Tuesday and we don't get seen until Thursday again.

There was a worm(?) sticking out from her butt too, I'm not sure whether to pull it or not! Please advise!

It seems you have the worms under control now, but did you egress the bubbles? That can be a sign of cool temps, and it can be made worse by stress. Are the two tortoises living together in the same enclosure? If yes, this is really bad. Separate them ASAP. Tortoises should never be kept in pairs. You are seeing why.

 

[stars6116]

I dont see bubbles anymore but she still makes this "squeaky" noise, when she wakes up and when she's eating. Seems uncomfortable.

They lived together for the first 3 months and have had then separately since and temps are at about 90F on the basking spot, abt 70F on the cool side. The humidity is always at 20% though, so I wet the substrate when I can and leave a humidifier nearby and it goes up to only 40%. Am I doing something wrong? Any advice is appreciated. TIA

 

[Tom]

I dont see bubbles anymore but she still makes this "squeaky" noise, when she wakes up and when she's eating. Seems uncomfortable.

They lived together for the first 3 months and have had then separately since and temps are at about 90F on the basking spot, abt 70F on the cool side. The humidity is always at 20% though, so I wet the substrate when I can and leave a humidifier nearby and it goes up to only 40%. Am I doing something wrong? Any advice is appreciated. TIA

Its very difficult to maintain any humidity in an open topped container, in a heated house. It would be like trying to heat your own house with no roof on it.

Cover the top to hold in heat and humidity, or better yet, use a closed chamber. Don't use humidifiers with tortoises.

Go a little warmer with your temperatures. 100 for basking area, and get ambient a little higher during the day. Do this until two weeks after the squeaking stops.