Paarthurnax's First Trip to the Vet!

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Today, we finally took Paarthurnax to the vet for the first time!

1Ze8EBP.jpg


He was very confused as to where we were, but it didn't take long for him to get comfy and start pooping everywhere :D

We got him weighed and measured as follows:

XgzYoFu.jpg


Behold, my amazing drawing skills.
He is 12cm from the top tip of the plastron to the bottom tip of his shell;
26cm around the widest width;
and 364 grams.

The vet told us that he was probably the best-cared-for tortoise that she had seen so far, which was awesome, but sad at the same time because then you think about all those poor tortoises with owners who don't love them as much as they should :(

Paarthurnax had some worms (probably from the pet store we got him from), so I have to give him oral medications with a tiny syringe thing. He hates it though, so I have to be sneaky and basically fill the middle crunchy bit of his Romaine lettuce with it, hehe.

My boyfriend (who is a veterinary technician at the animal hospital went to) was the one who did the fecal for Paarthurnax, and he said that there was an entire adult worm in the poop! :( But with the medication, he should be all parasite-free in no time :)
 

ascott

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Worms are not unusual and while you want to make sure the bad ones are dealt with you don't want to clear their gut entirely of also the good bugs :)D)...

That is likely a once wild tort and they are prone to parasites, and out in the wild the parasites generally do not cause a problem...it is when they are introduced into a captive situation those same harmless parasite now become a hazard....

I would also soak that tort...the tort looks very dehydrated to me, the skin is not plump but rather wrinkled in a dry fashion....I would offer soaks at least once a day in a warm water soak for no less than 30 minutes...some torts of this species do not appreciate a soak so do not be alarmed if he tries to exit on his own---just make sure the tort is within eye sight in case of a roll over and make sure that that sides of the soak dish are high enough he can not exit...

I also would spray his food offerings with water to get some hydration in him....

Lovely tort :D
 
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ascott said:
Worms are not unusual and while you want to make sure the bad ones are dealt with you don't want to clear their gut entirely of also the good bugs :)D)...

That is likely a once wild tort and they are prone to parasites, and out in the wild the parasites generally do not cause a problem...it is when they are introduced into a captive situation those same harmless parasite now become a hazard....

I would also soak that tort...the tort looks very dehydrated to me, the skin is not plump but rather wrinkled in a dry fashion....I would offer soaks at least once a day in a warm water soak for no less than 30 minutes...some torts of this species do not appreciate a soak so do not be alarmed if he tries to exit on his own---just make sure the tort is within eye sight in case of a roll over and make sure that that sides of the soak dish are high enough he can not exit...

I also would spray his food offerings with water to get some hydration in him....

Lovely tort :D


I have a soaking tub within his habitat, but he never goes in it. I give him baths twice a day (or once a day, depending on the consistency of his poops), and he's alright for a while, and then he starts flailing :D But yes, I know he isn't as hydrated as he should be. He just hates the water, and I can't understand why :(
 

Donatello

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Do you use the shell wax stuff? I also got my russian from a pet store. After a good soak i put that stuff on his shell and it helps a lot. :) Here is Donatello. I am taking him to the vet next week. I hope he doesnt have worms. I never saw any in his poop. But i guess its better to be safe then sorry.
 

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Donatello said:
Do you use the shell wax stuff? I also got my russian from a pet store. After a good soak i put that stuff on his shell and it helps a lot. :) Here is Donatello. I am taking him to the vet next week. I hope he doesnt have worms. I never saw any in his poop. But i guess its better to be safe then sorry.

Do you know what the name of the shell wax thing is? Could you maybe post a picture of it? I heard from my vet tech SO that most of the things you can buy for tortoise shells are actually harmful, but if it helps for your tortoise, I would love to give it a try!

The worms are really really REALLY small, so you can't actually see them with the naked eye, haha. They have to use a x1000 magnifier to see them :p
 

Yvonne G

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Really, topicals aren't necessary. I think they're more manufactured for the keeper rather than for the tortoise - because the shell looks so clean and shiny afterwards.

I think what the poster was talking about is called Vita Shell. There doesn't seem to be anything harmful or drying in the ingredients:

Ingredients: Purified Softened Water, Sunflower Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Cetyl Alcohol, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Soybean Oil, Glycerin, Lanolin, Cottonseed Oil, Steramidopropyl, Dimethylamine Lactate, Protein Conditioners, Diazolidnyl Urea, Rosemary Oil, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, FD&C Yellow #6.

But all the shell really needs is a good diet with the correct vitamins and minerals. If you take care of the tortoise from the inside, he'll do well and look pretty on the outside.
 
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I've heard so much conflicting information on topicals that I don't know what to think.

Confused!
( ・◇・)?
 

Donatello

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Oh i didnt know they were microscopic. Did you have to change the substrate after you found out he had the worms?
 
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Donatello said:
Oh i didnt know they were microscopic. Did you have to change the substrate after you found out he had the worms?

Nope! They just gave me three days worth of oral medication that I have to give to him with these itty-bitty little needleless syringes. He doesn't like opening his mouth for them, that stubborn little butthead, so I just fill his lettuce stems with them :D
 

Donatello

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Yvonne now that i think about it, it could of been the extra soaks i was doing. When he was at the pet store i noticed his shell looked dry. So i offered to soak him for the animal care department when i was slow in the grooming department. So he could of just needed extra soaking. :D I do like the vita shell though. It smells nice too.


Thats a good idea what you do with the medicine . Ill keep it in mind incase donatello has them. Thanks
 

biochemnerd808

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I am happy to hear you took your tortoise to the vet. :) The expense is worth the peace of mind of knowing he is healthy.

About the worming - a couple of points I'm surprised the vet didn't mention. First, it is absolutely vital that the old substrate is discarded, water dish is scrubbed, and until about 2 weeks after the treatment, you use newspaper as substrate, to be switched out daily. Otherwise he'll just re-infect himself from the eggs that end up in the substrate.
Second, the normal treatment course for worms is 2 doses of fenbendazole about 11 days apart. The first dose knocks out the existing adult worm population. The second dose allows the next generation of eggs to hatch, and then kills the hatched worms. Giving 3 doses just a few days apart won't kill the eggs, so you'll end up with newly hatched ones.

Be sure to soak daily during the worm treatment, as it is important to maintain good hydration so the organs can clean out the medicine and the worm debris of the dead worms without harm.

paarthurnax.tortoise said:
Donatello said:
Oh i didnt know they were microscopic. Did you have to change the substrate after you found out he had the worms?

Nope! They just gave me three days worth of oral medication that I have to give to him with these itty-bitty little needleless syringes. He doesn't like opening his mouth for them, that stubborn little butthead, so I just fill his lettuce stems with them :D


Oh, and about putting 'stuff' on a tortoise's shell... it really isn't necessary. It looks pretty and shiny, but it can actually seal bad stuff into the shell.

You will find that with good hydration, healthy food, and good UVB (preferably natural sunlight outside!), your tortoise's shell will look much better and healthier with time. Looking back at the pictures of when I first got them, there is a huge difference, and it was so gradual, I didn't even notice how much better their shells had gotten until I saw the before/after. The interesting part is that my tortoise's shells look best after they have been good and dirty for the duration of the Summer. I bathe them when they move inside for the cool season, and under all that dirt and grime, their shells look awesome and hydrated and healthy. Mud spa, anyone?

You can mist your tortoise's shell with water if it's looking dry. The artificial lights tend to dry out the shell.
 

Donatello

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Oh dear lord i really hope donatello doesnt have worms... should of taken him to the vet straight from the pet store. Ughh..well ill find out soon. Thanks for all the info.
 

Pittrock

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I read a lot of negative posts on the Vita Shell from this forum and others - so I recently switched to "cold pressed" Argan Oil - also recommended by vet. It's a little pricey - bought mine on Amazon but you only need a few drops. I put it on mine a couple times/wk after soak before feeding. Seems to be working very well.

ImageUploadedByTortForum1393126697.203035.jpgImageUploadedByTortForum1393126707.220190.jpgImageUploadedByTortForum1393126730.101732.jpgImageUploadedByTortForum1393126741.018962.jpg
 
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Pittrock said:
I read a lot of negative posts on the Vita Shell from this forum and others - so I recently switched to "cold pressed" Argan Oil - also recommended by vet. It's a little pricey - bought mine on Amazon but you only need a few drops. I put it on mine a couple times/wk after soak before feeding. Seems to be working very well.

His (or her?) shell looks gorgeous! I think I will look around and see what options there are :)
 

Pittrock

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Thx! The thing that makes this particular oil useful is that it doesn't leave an oily residue. It's very light - and is supposed to penetrate the shell better - and works quite well on cuticles also - so I've been told!!! Lol!!
 
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biochemnerd808 said:
About the worming - a couple of points I'm surprised the vet didn't mention. First, it is absolutely vital that the old substrate is discarded, water dish is scrubbed, and until about 2 weeks after the treatment, you use newspaper as substrate, to be switched out daily. Otherwise he'll just re-infect himself from the eggs that end up in the substrate.
Second, the normal treatment course for worms is 2 doses of fenbendazole about 11 days apart. The first dose knocks out the existing adult worm population. The second dose allows the next generation of eggs to hatch, and then kills the hatched worms. Giving 3 doses just a few days apart won't kill the eggs, so you'll end up with newly hatched ones.

Be sure to soak daily during the worm treatment, as it is important to maintain good hydration so the organs can clean out the medicine and the worm debris of the dead worms without harm.

paarthurnax.tortoise said:
Donatello said:
Oh i didnt know they were microscopic. Did you have to change the substrate after you found out he had the worms?

Nope! They just gave me three days worth of oral medication that I have to give to him with these itty-bitty little needleless syringes. He doesn't like opening his mouth for them, that stubborn little butthead, so I just fill his lettuce stems with them :D


Oh, and about putting 'stuff' on a tortoise's shell... it really isn't necessary. It looks pretty and shiny, but it can actually seal bad stuff into the shell.

You will find that with good hydration, healthy food, and good UVB (preferably natural sunlight outside!), your tortoise's shell will look much better and healthier with time. Looking back at the pictures of when I first got them, there is a huge difference, and it was so gradual, I didn't even notice how much better their shells had gotten until I saw the before/after. The interesting part is that my tortoise's shells look best after they have been good and dirty for the duration of the Summer. I bathe them when they move inside for the cool season, and under all that dirt and grime, their shells look awesome and hydrated and healthy. Mud spa, anyone?

You can mist your tortoise's shell with water if it's looking dry. The artificial lights tend to dry out the shell.





Oh goodness, I didn't realize there was so much to do about it D: I wonder why the vet didn't mention any of it??? I will get right on that today!
 
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