Urgent Care :: My Turtle Has Tapeworms!!

[Shan2k]

For the past several days I've noticed my turtle eating her own excrement (doo-doo)! By the time I get to the tank , she's already consumed the waste. One day, after feeding her, I saw this long white string coming from her bottom. I'm for certain it's a tapeworm!!

Is there any medication I can use to cure her that will not require me spending a huge amount of money going to the veterinarian?

[SpotsMama]

Vet time. Sorry. They're the ones that will have to prescribe and administer the meds.

[Safdar]

Yes vet time it is

Only the vet will know what type of worm it is
And theyll prescribe a certain medicine

[shelach]

oh!
that sucks! Do you know how she might have got them?

[Safdar]

Parasites usually come from other infected turtles and fish. Parasites are unique, so it is important to correctly identify the type before any treatment.

[cheech&chong]

One of my turtles had tapeworms not long after I bought them. One visit to the vet took care of it. If you feed your turt guppies or fish, kill them by putting them in really hot water (the temperature shock is the most humane way to kill them, almost instantly) then freeze them for a couple of days before you feed them to the turts. This way, any parasites will be dead by then.

[shelach]

is there a way to stll feed the turts live food with out risking parasites?
they like the chase but i dont think they would like tapeworms....

[Safdar]

Do what cheeck&chong has said
Freezing them for a week or two
Will kill all the parasites if present

[marisa]

The drug of choice for treatment of tapeworm can only be obtained from a vet. Take a stool sample with you when you take your turtle in to be seen.

[Safdar]

Plz resize your avatar to 100 by 100 pixels

[shelach]

if you feez the fish it will kill it. right?
is there something im missing?

[Safdar]

No no
First put them in hot water
So they will die in a water change
No Pain

Then freeze them

[Shan2k]

Don't worry about it.... After 3 years of taking care of turtles, I've decide to give them up for adoption. I can't continue to take them to the vet time and time again. They will constantly eat their own poop and I will constantly have to take them to the vet, spending 100s of dollars!


I Thank you all for your help!

[megcornell]

What did you do with the turtles?

[DavidY]

poor turtles...