Worms and parasites

Anyfoot

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How does a perfectly healthy tortoise end up with worms and parasites?
 

Yvonne G

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If the tortoises are kept outside, they can get parasites from grazing where birds have pooped.
 

Anyfoot

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So I imagine they can pick up worms and parasites from eating feces of other animal species.
 

Markw84

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So I imagine they can pick up worms and parasites from eating feces of other animal species.
No. Generally, most parasites are quite species (or really Order) specific. Dog pinworms cannot infect a chelonian, etc. It also depends upon the type of parasite. Pinworms are direct cycle parasites. Eating the eggs will infect your tortoise. The eggs are quite small and live outside the body up to about 2 weeks. The can even be airborne. Eating their own contaminated food/water reinfects and can build loads. Handling a tortoise - or any contact with where feces could have infected, can cause you to bring home the egg and infect your tortoises. Flies, or other animals could eat, or stand in, infected areas and then bring an egg(s) into your enclosure. Many tortoises also carry pinworms and some think they are beneficial in "normal" loads - helping in the digestion process. Since it is direct cycle, if cleaning the enclosure gets ahead of you, loads can then build to where you notice a parasite where you thought there was none before.

Some parasites need an intermediate host. Roundworms are one. The indirect lifecycle requires the tortoise to eat an infected fish or amphibian, mouse, etc. So with omnivorous species, this can be an issue. Snake keepers need to constantly think about food sources.
 

Anyfoot

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The reason I started this thread is because I was reading on a fb group(reading only, not getting involved) that advises not to feed weeds because of the risk of your tortoise getting worms. Where as with washed groceries bought foods there is no risk of worms.
 

Kasia

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No. Generally, most parasites are quite species (or really Order) specific. Dog pinworms cannot infect a chelonian, etc. It also depends upon the type of parasite. Pinworms are direct cycle parasites. Eating the eggs will infect your tortoise. The eggs are quite small and live outside the body up to about 2 weeks. The can even be airborne. Eating their own contaminated food/water reinfects and can build loads. Handling a tortoise - or any contact with where feces could have infected, can cause you to bring home the egg and infect your tortoises. Flies, or other animals could eat, or stand in, infected areas and then bring an egg(s) into your enclosure. Many tortoises also carry pinworms and some think they are beneficial in "normal" loads - helping in the digestion process. Since it is direct cycle, if cleaning the enclosure gets ahead of you, loads can then build to where you notice a parasite where you thought there was none before.

Some parasites need an intermediate host. Roundworms are one. The indirect lifecycle requires the tortoise to eat an infected fish or amphibian, mouse, etc. So with omnivorous species, this can be an issue. Snake keepers need to constantly think about food sources.
What about flagella? Do you know how would be in their case?
 

Markw84

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What about flagella? Do you know how would be in their case?
The protozoans are direct life cycle. They are extremely common in reptiles and chelonians. Many, including the flagellates, are even considered normal gut flora for chelonians. So they reinfest a host by ingestion of contaiminated food and in some cases in copulation. In captivity, this means keeping the enclosure clean, and removing waste and keep loads from building to a harmful level. If free of these parasites, reinfection could only occur if exposed to food or other tortoises or any item contaminated, where the cysts have been deposited. But since many protozoans are so common, many may be carried and never are an issue unless loads build up to harmful levels. A hatchling could well be exposed from the environment of the breeder as it axquires all the normal gut flora in its early days.

Since our tortoises tend to poop on their food and in their water so routinely, this can be the issue in captivity as they can constantly reinfect themselves. One of the good benefits of regular soaking, I feel, is that they tend to go in their bath water and it minimizes the amount in their enclosure. A daily soaking routine could well be a way to dramatically reduce levels as the infective cysts that are produced in the life cycle, are routinely discarded in the bath water and never get a chance to reinfect the tortoise and increase loads.
 

Kasia

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The protozoans are direct life cycle. They are extremely common in reptiles and chelonians. Many, including the flagellates, are even considered normal gut flora for chelonians. So they reinfest a host by ingestion of contaiminated food and in some cases in copulation. In captivity, this means keeping the enclosure clean, and removing waste and keep loads from building to a harmful level. If free of these parasites, reinfection could only occur if exposed to food or other tortoises or any item contaminated, where the cysts have been deposited. But since many protozoans are so common, many may be carried and never are an issue unless loads build up to harmful levels. A hatchling could well be exposed from the environment of the breeder as it axquires all the normal gut flora in its early days.

Since our tortoises tend to poop on their food and in their water so routinely, this can be the issue in captivity as they can constantly reinfect themselves. One of the good benefits of regular soaking, I feel, is that they tend to go in their bath water and it minimizes the amount in their enclosure. A daily soaking routine could well be a way to dramatically reduce levels as the infective cysts that are produced in the life cycle, are routinely discarded in the bath water and never get a chance to reinfect the tortoise and increase loads.
Thanks;)
 

domalle

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How does a perfectly healthy tortoise end up with worms and parasites?

Resist temptation and always carefully consider before acquiring and introducing new animals, even ostensibly clean and healthy ones,
into your existing collection. Even if their status has been attested to and vouched for.
Immediate cleanup and removal of feces and food waste from enclosures even if you have to follow them around all day to accomplish.
Keep longterm stable herds stable.
Scrupulously adhere to strict quarantine procedure. Very difficult due to impatience to stick to a year long quarantine but recommended.

All animals that graze are susceptible to worms but the beneficial aspects of natural graze in fresh air and sunlight are too great to consider
limiting access.
 

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