Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys my turtle was dewormed today at the vet. they gave him orally 2 drops of ivermectin i believe is the exact name. had a little trouble getting mouth open but we finally get it open but ill let you know how he turns out cya DRew

Ivermectin is poisonous for turtles and tortoises. It kills 100%

Well he weight the turt then he watered it down and only gay 2 drops. i dont know that is horrible if that is true man. there wasnt very much in the tube as it already is. i dont know man i screwed if it kills how long till it kills the turtle. Drew

It shuts their kidneys down, so it may take a week or two.

hey i wonder why he does that then cause he has used on snappers before he said. a guy in the herp heath forum said he might be alright i dont know man i guess my turtle will die now

You may get away with just damaged kidneys, it would depend on the dose. Change the water 3 times per day, so that when the drug is expelled, it is not reabsorbed.

I wonder what he was thinking anyway, as ivermectin does not remove tapeworms. Ivermectin is a rather harsh drug often used to rid a dog of heartworm. It removes many of the worms and bots in cattle, but not tapeworm. There is a limited few drugs that will remove tapeworms in mammals, but I have never heard of any of them being used on reptiles.

"For instance, ivermectin, a drug used extensively in cattle, has proven to be very effective in snakes and lizards for the treatment of various common parasites. However, ivermectin, if used at the same dosages in turtles, can be deadly and should never be used! Even though this has been common knowledge for almost 10 years, improperly trained individuals are still using this drug to treat parasites in turtles"*

*Reptile Medicine and surgery by Douglas R Mader, M.S., D.V.M.

common anthelmintics for chelonians and other reptiles:

Praziquantel/Febentel(vercom) 580 mg/kg PO q24h X 3 days
0.3 ml/kg PO q24h X 3 days
2.3 ml/kg PO once
(caution in iguanas and kingsnakes)
This one does not list all types removed

Fenbendazole is used for Nematodes
Ascarids in box turtles
can cause Anorexia

Ivermectin is especially harmful/fatal in Box turtles and tortoises. Water turtles sometimes escape harm by the large volume of water they consume. It will also harm indigo snakes and some skinks.
Ivermectin when used in snakes cannot be given within 10 days of diazepam. Ivermectin is often used in snakes to treat mites.

Albendazole(Valbazen)---Ascarids
Bunamidine (scoloban)----Cestodes
Carbazone---Entamoeba
Diathiazine(Dizan)---Filarids
Dichlorvos (task)----Cestodes in snakes and lizards
Diloxanide----Amoebiasis
Dimetridazole (emtryl)---flagellates
Diiodohydroxyquin----Amoebiasis
Doxycycline(vibramycin)---Balantidium in snakes and tortoises
Emetine---Amoebiasis

thanks for all the help i know the dosage he gave him was very very small because he weighted him then he put a touch of the drug in a syring and then he filled it with tap water alot of that and then he opened the mouth and put 2 drops in. im cleaing out the water 3 times a day how long should i do this for. will my turtle die if his kidneys are infected or whatever and how do i find out if they are infected or hurt. thanks man DRew

Just change the water for about a week. I'd say if your turtle is alive in a month, you are past the point that there might be a problem. There may be residual effects later, but I don't know how this can be determined. If your turtle is badly poisoned, he may expell the tapeworms himself as his tissue builds up toxins from kidney damage.
If you have problems with tapeworms, make sure you vet uses:
Bunamidine (scoloban)----Cestodes
25-50 mg/kg PO once, repeat in two weeks
I'd wait two or three months before attempting any further worm treatments. Depending on what concentration was used, your turtle may still be OK. I wish you luck, as well as your turtle.