General Care Discussion :: Err, possible worm?

[Emily!]

So, I've been watching my turtle lately, and sometimes there will be this longg whitish string coming from under his tail. He is fed Reptomin pellets with baby shrimp and mini krill, could these be causing it? It doesn't move or act like its alive, it just floats. Just curious as to what it is. Also, sorry for the terrible phone quality. The black spot you see in all of the pictures is just a scratch on my camera lens.




This is one of the ends,



This is the full length of just a segment that I managed to pull off. Its about 12 inches long.



Andd, this is it hanging out of my turtle. :/ (Also, my pleco, Mr. Suckerfish, says hello from his log. :0)

The string never breaks or falls off, it will just recede back into him and come out again another day. His poop is normal, and so is his behavior.

If anyone has any ideas, that'd be great!

[Sir Max]

Sounds like it might be a tapeworm. Turtles with tapeworms often pass long, white worm-like segments which are actually tapeworm egg cases. The turtle may have eaten the eggs again (gross I know) or they could've got sucked in the filter. Praziquantal is used for tapeworms in turtles.

See if your vet will just let you bring in a stool sample to be tested. Alot of vets will do that without having to see the turtle (saves money and stress on the turtl

[marisa]

Yes, it's most likely a tapeworm. Get a stool sample and have it checked by the vet.

[Emily!]

Thanks for replying! I've called my vet, and he says that it is indeed most likely a tapeworm, and that he'll verify that with a stool sample and inject him with a dewormer if necessary.

[Sir Max]

Keep us updated on it;P

[Emily!]

Okay, so the vet has discovered nematodes! He has to go in tomorrow morning for a check, and an injection. Anything special I should do when he's brought back?

[marisa]

Your vet would be the one to best answer this question.