Re: Russian Problem!!

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Posted by LauraO on August 30, 2000 at 07:53:43:

In Reply to: Russian Problem!! posted by Paco on August 28, 2000 at 21:45:27:

: Well, here's how it goes folks. Last night, my tortoise went into one of his hidey holes around 6. I thought it was a little early to turn in, but I decided to let him sleep and leave him outside. I started school the next day, so when I left for school, I gave him some food, and then was off. He was still sound asleep, or so it seemed. When I came home, around 3:30, Dagwood was still in his hideyhole. His food had been eaten, so I think he must have come out. The bad part is this - Earlier, when I got Dagwood and picked him up, he'd stick his legs out like he was trying to get away. Today, when I picked him up, he kinda just sat there. I could pull his legs without much resistance. I know this is awful and means something is wrong with my new tort. I'm calling the vet tomorrow, but if he doesn't know anything about tortoises, I don't know what I will do... Help? Anything I should do besides get him to a vet ASAP?

If you have not had your Russian checked for worms since you got him, I would do it now! Practically every one of the imports is infested with worms. I have had to get my pair dewormed and even have had to make several trip to my herp vet. WHen I got my female, she pooped that day and I could SEE the worms wriggling around! It was so bad, her feces looked like a portion of blackworms you'd buy at a pet store for feeding fish or salamanders. I have seen the droppings of many other imported Russians look like this too. THe thing is, Russians are stoic and may appear active and keep up their appetites despite infestations, so you should never take activity as a pure sign of health. If you let it go too long, by the time the worms causes the tort to noticeably slow down, it may be too late. This is all aside from the fact that it may also be that time of year to hibernate. But it is a mistake to let an infested tortoise hibernate. During hibernation, the animal's immune system will be in a weakened state and may not be able to fight off the worms any longer. Check the animal first!! DO 2 or 3 fecals! If they all come back negative, then start to cool the animal down gradually.

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: : Well, here's how it goes folks. Last night, my tortoise went into one of his hidey holes around 6. I thought it was a little early to turn in, but I decided to let him sleep and leave him outside. I started school the next day, so when I left for school, I gave him some food, and then was off. He was still sound asleep, or so it seemed. When I came home, around 3:30, Dagwood was still in his hideyhole. His food had been eaten, so I think he must have come out. The bad part is this - Earlier, when I got Dagwood and picked him up, he'd stick his legs out like he was trying to get away. Today, when I picked him up, he kinda just sat there. I could pull his legs without much resistance. I know this is awful and means something is wrong with my new tort. I'm calling the vet tomorrow, but if he doesn't know anything about tortoises, I don't know what I will do... Help? Anything I should do besides get him to a vet ASAP? : If you have not had your Russian checked for worms since you got him, I would do it now! Practically every one of the imports is infested with worms. I have had to get my pair dewormed and even have had to make several trip to my herp vet. WHen I got my female, she pooped that day and I could SEE the worms wriggling around! It was so bad, her feces looked like a portion of blackworms you'd buy at a pet store for feeding fish or salamanders. I have seen the droppings of many other imported Russians look like this too. THe thing is, Russians are stoic and may appear active and keep up their appetites despite infestations, so you should never take activity as a pure sign of health. If you let it go too long, by the time the worms causes the tort to noticeably slow down, it may be too late. This is all aside from the fact that it may also be that time of year to hibernate. But it is a mistake to let an infested tortoise hibernate. During hibernation, the animal's immune system will be in a weakened state and may not be able to fight off the worms any longer. Check the animal first!! DO 2 or 3 fecals! If they all come back negative, then start to cool the animal down gradually.

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