Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ive owned a florida softshell for about 3 years now. the truth is i really know very little about this animal. he or shes (im not sure) seems very happy and healthy, but i do have some questions i would like to ask somebody who know about florida shoftshells. if you are somebody with knowledge on this subject and would not mind helping me with some of my questions please write me a message, i would greatly appreciate it.

thanks.

what are your questions?some one here will be able to help you.

I agree
Michael Fedzen
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im sorry, i dont understand. what do you agree with??

post your specific questions here. there are many of us who might be able to help.

Post your questions, someone will be able to help you.
Michael Fedzen
EMAIL ME

ok, i have so many questions i dont know where tro start. well, i guess if anyone knows an easy way to tell the sex id like to know that. also he has two reddish / pinkish marks on the side of his head behind the eyes, is this normal coloration for the florida softshell? or is it a problem? umm, i heard another user in here a while back say that his turtle had like a long white silly string haning out of the end of its tail. well, mine has had that 2 or 3 times, but only once in a really long while. is that something to worry about? well, i do have more questions but i will leave it at that for now. thank you.

on a female softshell the tail doesn't extend beyond the edge of the carapace.the males tail extends noticeably beyond the shells edge.a white stringy thing is bad.it is a TAPEWORM.if you house more than one turtle together then the others,more than likely,do as well.i would take the turtle(s)to the vet with a sample of the worm.they can treat it best.colors on the head?mine are yellow to peach colored.i've seen leucistic & albinos in the classified.what other questions do you have?
jeff

is the tapeworm something only the vet can take care of or is there some kind of treatment i can give him on my own?

Well,
I'll take a stab at some of these.
The coloration(stripes behind the eyes)is normal. I think you can tell the difference of male/female by claws. Male have way longer claws but I don't know if this is true for Softshells. Can't help you with the "silly string" thing but someone will be able to. Females are alot bigger than males if that helps. Unless your Softshell has a huge aquarium you better pray you don't have a female. That's all I can say.
Michael Fedzen
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Hey,
As far as I could find out, the stringy stuff is tapeworms. You need to take your turtle to a vet.
Michael Fedzen
P.S.-I think you should take it to a herp vet, not many regular vets know what and what not to use on turtles.
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im probably gonna sound really stupid asking this but, what is a herp vet? like i said i dont have much knowledge on these things. and by the way i wanna thank everyone that has been helping me, its very much appreciated.

most vets seem to deal with"warm blooded"critters.a vet who works mostly with dogs,cats or farm animals isn't likely to be familiar with the special requirements of herps.(or birds for that matter)some vets advertise that they will treat "exotics".its a place to start,but not a garantee.1 have four suggestions.1)ask the herp person @ your local zoo who they use.2)ask the mgr @ your local pet store.3)go to the REPTILES magazine web site.i think they have a list of herp vets.4)try other forums on this site.5)try the yellow pages.tapeworms are pretty obvious & with an otherwise healthy animal it SHOULDN'T be hard to treat.6)use "THE FORCE"
JUST KIDDING!GOOD LUCK!

If ther stringy thing is indeed a tapeworm or a roundworm:

(1)it IS a problem as the worm will cause digestion diffiuclties and effectively rob the turtle of its food, the turtle will continue eating but the worm wil eat much of its food and make some of it indigestible.

(2)yes it can be treated at home without the help of a vet but its a long difficult (months) process and it doesn't always work. I did this once with some medications designed for tropical fish but it took many monthsd before it was gone and ended up costing me lots of money and time in clenaings, bleach, the fish medication and eventuially the effort of tube feeding the turtle.

(3) The best way to go is to find a herp vet. A herp vet is simply one who has specirfic training dealing with turtles, snakes, lizards etc (herp is short for "herptile" which is generic word for reptiles and amphibians)

Most vets get very little traing with these animals; the focus of the standard veterinary couses is apparentely dogs, cats and farm animals. So you have to really LOOK for a qualified reptile vet. Unfortunately many clinics and animals hospitals wil say they will be happy to treat your turtle when in fact, their vets are less than suited to do so.

BUT in your case a roundworm or tapeworm is not the hardest thing to deal with. Even so the thing to do is go here:

ARAV

This is the web page of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarains. Using the tabs click United States (if you live there) or "worldwide" if you live outside the States and then select a more specifc region.

When you find the state or country in which you live, you will see many vets which are listed as being trained to help reptiles. Pick a name or address that seems close to you and look in your local phone book for that name or the associated animals hospital or clinic.

Then just call and ask for ther specific person listed on the ARAV list. make an appointment to see her/him.

Expect to pay 25 - 45 US dollars for the visit and 10 -16 dollars for the medication.

Usually what is prescribed for round worms is :

Thiabendazole or Fenbendazole or Menbendazole.

Sometimes less knowledgeable vets may recommend a drug called "ivermectin". This is to be avoided as it is known to be fatal to at least soem species of turtles. If the vet mentions "Ivermectin" or "Ivomec", mention that you have read it is dangerous to turtles and DO NOT give it to the turtle.

For tapeworms:
the drug of choice seems to be
Praziquantel.

In order for your vet to properly diagnose the turtle it will need a fecal sample and/or a pice of the stringy white thing. try to get some poop from the turtle and save it in a pastic bag. If you can get the white string, all the better.

expect to have to put the medication on the turtle's food and to have to clean the tank very well several times with bleach afterard. Discuss the details with the vet.

WASH YOUR HANDS afterward.

If you have trouble finding a vet still, let us know. If you tell us where you live chances are good that soembody can find you a reptile vet soemwhat nearby if you live near a big city (especially in the U.S.)

Good Luck and let us know how it works.