Re: SICK TORTOISE-HELP!!!

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Posted by Esther on December 25, 2000 at 14:34:05:

In Reply to: SICK TORTOISE-HELP!!! posted by D_N_J on December 25, 2000 at 14:09:52:

Some vets can be very understanding and will often waive certain fees related to a visit. You should definitely have a vet diagnose for you, but if you want to avoid the office visit fee, you can often just drop off a fecal sample and they will only charge you for that, and be able to tell you what is wrong with your tortoise. Just make sure you give all your tortoise's information (age, species, and supplementary information like what you are feeding it and how you are keeping it) in case it can help the vet to shed some light on your situation.

As for parasite medicine, I have seen Flagel and Panicure sold in pet stores, but the dosage amount and getting it in your tortoise can be tricky since they hate the taste of it. . . . You really need a vet to tell you how much and how to do it.

I have often seen vet's tube-feed a turtle the parasite medicines by plunging a tube deep down their throat (almost to the middle of their shells, it appears to be VERY traumatic to the little guys), but if your tortoise is used to eating out of your hand, it may take the meds directly from the syringe. The syringe has no needle on it, but you put in the dose of panicure or whatever the vet recommends, and your eager trusting tortoise will go up to it and take the end of the syringe in his mouth. Then you plunge the plunger, which pushes the meds in their mouth. My turtles, Chanel and Albrecht, will take all their meds like this and ask for more (they love the attention of being hand-fed, even if it is yucky medicine)!

My old vet would analyze poop samples for a VERY LOW cost if you mail them to him. He moved away, but I will try to locate his number -- he is in either Conn or NY upstate now.

What kind of tortoise do you have again? How old is it? How long have you had it?

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: Some vets can be very understanding and will often waive certain fees related to a visit. You should definitely have a vet diagnose for you, but if you want to avoid the office visit fee, you can often just drop off a fecal sample and they will only charge you for that, and be able to tell you what is wrong with your tortoise. Just make sure you give all your tortoise's information (age, species, and supplementary information like what you are feeding it and how you are keeping it) in case it can help the vet to shed some light on your situation. : As for parasite medicine, I have seen Flagel and Panicure sold in pet stores, but the dosage amount and getting it in your tortoise can be tricky since they hate the taste of it. . . . You really need a vet to tell you how much and how to do it. : I have often seen vet's tube-feed a turtle the parasite medicines by plunging a tube deep down their throat (almost to the middle of their shells, it appears to be VERY traumatic to the little guys), but if your tortoise is used to eating out of your hand, it may take the meds directly from the syringe. The syringe has no needle on it, but you put in the dose of panicure or whatever the vet recommends, and your eager trusting tortoise will go up to it and take the end of the syringe in his mouth. Then you plunge the plunger, which pushes the meds in their mouth. My turtles, Chanel and Albrecht, will take all their meds like this and ask for more (they love the attention of being hand-fed, even if it is yucky medicine)! : My old vet would analyze poop samples for a VERY LOW cost if you mail them to him. He moved away, but I will try to locate his number -- he is in either Conn or NY upstate now. : What kind of tortoise do you have again? How old is it? How long have you had it?

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