Box Turtle Parasites

[Behnad]

Hi,
I've had my baby eastern box turtle for about 3 months now and ever since I got him, he's seemed healthy. But today, I noticed a small white worm in his poop. Does anyone know what type of worm this is and how to cure his condition? I've been feeding earthworms, crickets, mealworms, fruits and vegetables. I live in Southern Ontario and I'm not aware of any herp vets near me.
Your input is appreciated.
Thanks,
Ben

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome

 

[Behnad]

Hello and Welcome

Thank you

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ben, and welcome to the Forum!!

Here's a brief synopsis from the Ojai Project web site:

"An anthelmintic is a drug or substance that expels or destroys intestinal worms. An anthelmintic medication is commonly called dewormer or wormer. One of the more popular brands is Panacur® (fenbendazole), which has been used with good results in tortoises.

Never use or allow the use of the board-spectrum antiparasitic medication ivermectin. It is toxic to turtle species and has caused the deaths of many tortoises!

Whether chemical or natural, all anthelmintics kill worms either starving them to death or paralyzing them. This is accomplished by interfering with the parasites' feeding for about 24 hours."

Because baby box turtles are so very tiny, I wouldn't even begin to know what dosage to use. Perhaps you might try the more natural de-wormers first and see if they help. Again, from the Ojai Project:

"There are natural dewormers: pumpkin seed, garlic and others. Some people use ground, air-dried pumpkin seed kernels that contain an anthelmintic known as cucurbitacin. This has been used for generations by Native Americans and others as a wormer for humans.

Dosage has not been scientifically established for humans or animals. To quote the University of Maryland Extension's Small Ruminant Info Sheet, “Numerous plants are being tested for their anthelmintic properties (e.g. pumpkin seed, garlic). So far, none have been proven under formal research conditions to be effective anthelmintics.”

All this being said, using pumpkin seed to deworm your tortoise may or may not work, but at least it is not toxic. If you have a positive case of parasites and you successfully deworm using pumpkin seed, please document all criteria, dosage, number of times administered, etc. "

If you contact a knowledgeable turtle vet, you may be able to get the correct dosage of Panacur from him. I use a Panacur horse de-wormer, but all my animals are considerably bigger than your baby turtle.

 

[Allghoi Khorkhoi]

Hi,
I've had my baby eastern box turtle for about 3 months now and ever since I got him, he's seemed healthy. But today, I noticed a small white worm in his poop. Does anyone know what type of worm this is and how to cure his condition? I've been feeding earthworms, crickets, mealworms, fruits and vegetables. I live in Southern Ontario and I'm not aware of any herp vets near me.
Your input is appreciated.
Thanks,
Ben

Hey Ben! As long as the turtle is active and eating well I wouldn't worry about it. Box turtle digestive systems are very slow and they actually benefit from the help of round worms to move food through their digestive tract.

It only becomes a problem when the turtle is in prolonged stress or health problems weaken it to the extent the worms presence can overwhelm the turtle and rob it of nutrients it needs in its weakened state.

If you think it should be treated or just to be safe a dab of panacure (maybe 1/4 size of an aspirin - I'd use safeguard paste for horses) on the tip of a toothpick 5 days in a row at this age should rid it of worms. Pancure dosages do not have to be precise and even a considerate overdosage (within reason) doesn't cause ill effects.

 

[Behnad]

Thanks for the replies.
I never knew roundworms can be beneficial, that's good to hear! I just got some pumpkin seeds and I'll give him those just to be safe. If his condition worsens, I'll go ahead with the panacure. Any ideas on how to get him to eat the pumpkin seeds?