Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I just got a nicer microscope than the one I had before. I did a fecal smear (direct) of a 4.5" Sulcata tortoise. There were an alarming number of these things in the faeces, and looking at the Klingenberg chart, it looks like Oxyurid spp.

Anyone with experience got any ideas? I can also post the picture on the Klingenberg chart that I'm refering to, but I'm not sure about copyright and all that, since it isn't my picture.

I really don't need to be told to just take the fecal sample to the vet and see what they say. Regardless, it's going to get done, and if these are pinworms, I'll need medication for treatment anyways.

I'm not a vet. I'm a kid with a microscope and too much free-time.

Also, the magnification used on the microscope was 400x, and for my digital to hook up to it, I have to zoom and be in macro-mode, so I'm not sure if you add any multiplication onto that.

Kudos on your interest in herp health!

Looks like pinworm to me. Keep in mind though that oxyurids may actually have a commensal relationship with herbivores like tortoises and green iguanas.

If your tortoise appears otherwise healthy, I wouldn't treat it for the worms. Instead, I'd take another fecal in a month or so, and see if the level of pinworms is similar. Establishing a "baseline" for your tortoise's parasites will help let you know if his gut situation changes.

I would get some more input just in case, but IMO treating the oxyurids may cause a GI upset instead of helping the chelonian.

Christina
www.herptiles.net

To add, it might be helpfull if you document how many pinworms you see by counting how many are in ten high power feilds (400x) and then finding the average per hpf. This will give you an actual number to compare to later.

An aspect on sulcata care is that they are not just herbivores, they are grazing herbivores and that means grasses and hays, and altogether high high minimally digestable fibre. This ruffage likely helps to pass much of their parasite burdan and maintain a balance. This will be less so with a geochelone that's fed a grocery green diet.
Just another example of treatment/prevention being husbandry. Of course, if your tort shows signs of illness or abnormality, see the vet as you've mentioned.

Ian, I like this forum so much I find it hard to stay away

After speaking with the vet, we aren't very concerned with the presence of the oxyurids in the faeces now.

The tortoise is eating the Chelonia.org recommended diet for his species, with something like 80-90% ruffage; timothy hay, jamaican hay, and some other type. He also gets dandelion greens, cactus pad, and red leaf lettuce less frequently, and a lot less quantity.

He loves to eat it all.

Thanks for your response!

Christina -

Thank you for the reply! I brought the pictures over to the vet today, and he also identified them as oxyurids.

Actually, almost word-for-word, he told me what you did.

So again, thank you!

Pinworm eggs are shaped a little differently, kinda more saucer-like. Your pic resembles a hookworm egg more.

I used to study parasitology in school and spent a lot of hours in lab looking at them under the microscope. I can tell you right off the bat that the Klingenberg chart is quite useless if you really want to learn how to ID parasites.
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