My horsfield, George was sick

[anna m]

Poor thing. He will be better soon hopefully

[lindso3000]

Glad he's getting better x

[Lynseyattwood]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

George might go off his food a bit whilst having the worming treatment Lyndsey. I wouldn't worry if he doesn't eat much, just keep his baths up.

Just an update on George...
He went to the vet on Tuesday after being sick on Monday night..he wask given worming treatment on this day and then again on Wednesday..

He hasn't done a poo since Tuesday, he hasn't eaten since Monday midday..

He has been taking two baths per day since his worming treatment and the vet gave him some liquids as well for dehydration..

I'm just worried he hasn't eaten anything yet since Monday.. I have been trying to tempt him with a piece of lettuce this afternoon but he isn't interested..

He did take a couple of gulps of water today and yesterday in the bath..the baths also liven him up and he looks visibly freshened up and more alert..

George was sick and he hasnt eaten anything, there is nothing to digest and although the worming treatment would have killed the worms, he hasnt pooed them out yet..

I wish he would just take some food so he starts pooing again! I want to get rid of these horrible worms..

How long do you think it will take for him to get his appetite moving again and to get rid of these worms?

Thanks for your help

[Kirkie]

I've just done a search through Shelled Warriors on "worms" and the experience George is having comes up again and again. After the course of worming treatment the tortoise loses its appetite for a while. Honestly Lynsey, they can go a while without eating anything. Keep bathing him.

Another thing is it might be worth removing his substrate whilst the treatment is taking place and replacing it with paper towels. This'll help to prevent the chance of George picking up worms again. Change the paper regularly.

Hope this helps.

[mazkc]

aww poor little george, im sure he will be okay

[Lynseyattwood]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

I've just done a search through Shelled Warriors on "worms" and the experience George is having comes up again and again. After the course of worming treatment the tortoise loses its appetite for a while. Honestly Lynsey, they can go a while without eating anything. Keep bathing him.

Another thing is it might be worth removing his substrate whilst the treatment is taking place and replacing it with paper towels. This'll help to prevent the chance of George picking up worms again. Change the paper regularly.

Hope this helps.

Hello Kirkie..
How long can he go without food? Surely he needs to eat to go to the toilet..

He had his treatment on tuesday and wednesday and now the treatment is finished..
After he was sick on his hay, i took it out, skimmed the top layer of soil quite deeply to remove anything lurking on the soil and used antibacterial soap and scrubbed inside his little sleeping area where his hay is, then used fresh hay for him to sleep on..
The worms are dead now because of the two shots of treatment...

Thanks for your comments.. am i doing alright?

[Kirkie]

Originally Posted by Lynseyattwood

Hello Kirkie..

How long can he go without food? - Ages, honestly. They are very energy efficient and can live off the fat they've built up.

Surely he needs to eat to go to the toilet.. - Tortoises have a very slow metabolism. You probably wouldn't notice it normally cause he's eating daily and pooing daily. So the poo he does isnt the food he ate the day before, its from a while ago. I think that the worms can be passed out of him without him actually having to poo.

He had his treatment on tuesday and wednesday and now the treatment is finished.. Did the vet mention a second course of wormer? It's normal for a second treatment 3 weeks after the first.
After he was sick on his hay, i took it out, skimmed the top layer of soil quite deeply to remove anything lurking on the soil and used antibacterial soap and scrubbed inside his little sleeping area where his hay is, then used fresh hay for him to sleep on..
The worms are dead now because of the two shots of treatment... Yep should be. I think the paper is recommeded because its easy to remove, taking any worms (live or dead) and eggs that George may pass. There is also a remote chance that George hs poo'd worm eggs ito his substrate before the treatment started. If these are ingested by George it could start all over again so its worth removing the substrate from his enclosure.


Thanks for your comments.. am i doing alright?

You're doing great lynsey, its not your fault George has worms, it's thought most tortoises carry them, its just that in captivity there's more chance of the numbers of worms building up in his stomach to the point where he cant cope with them.

Keep doing what you are doing, check with the vet if there will be another course of treatment tho.

[Lynseyattwood]

The vet gave him panacur susp 2.5% on tuesday and the same dosage the next day.. instead of giving him smaller doses over three weeks..

The vet said if he hasnt improved in two weeks to bring him in..


I did take alot of soil out and added more fresh soil since his treatment.. I think maybe i should take out his hay and wash the floor of his box again and put paper towels in there.. does that sound ok?

During the day at the moment in particular, he isnt in his box very long, only really on his hay in bed when i put him to bed.. the other times he is on my lap sitting on a towel looking sorry for himself ! Poor little guy

Another thing, he hasnt peed for a while either, since monday i think..

[Kirkie]

Poor old George

I reckon that the paper towels are a good idea, That way you'll be able to easily spot anthing that George does pass. You could still keep some hay in his sleeping area but change it when you change the paper. I'd let him rest up in his box as much as he wants to, undisturbed. Make sure the room temperature is warm as well as the usual enclosure basking spot temperature. Might perk him up.

Panacur is the normal wormer but it is still a drug (fenbendazole)and so it does affect the tortoise.

[Kirkie]

The reason he wont of wee'd is that he's not taken on that much liquid (either through drinking or food). This doesn't mean he will be dehydrated as they can also store water. They'll only wee when they feel they have access to a supply of water to replace what they have stored in their body. (Thats why they often wee in their bath or after having a drink).

You know the white stuff that they wee out sometimes , thats uric acid, a solid form of urea (urine). This means they can excrete out the bad stuff without wasting precious water, clever eh?