My red eared slider is about 5 inches around. He has never been sick yet and is really awesome. It is just him in his tank and 3 tiny fish we got for him to eat but he refuses, they've been in there for about a month. (The 12 cent ones from Petco, he ate two before so we thought he'd like them again).
I went to clean his filter today, it was FILLED with thin, tiny red worms, about 1/8 to 1/4 inches long each. Most were still alive, wiggling around.
We've only been feeding him the HBH Turtle Bites from the pet store. (He refuses romaine lettuce, little carrot pieces) He used to love earthworms but it's too cold for us to find them anymore.
Any ideas why he's getting the worms? And, is it harmful to humans if we touch him?
2006-12-02 15:23:43 · 3 answers · asked by 7aliens 3 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Some turtles, especially wild caught ones, are infested with worms. A vet can recommend a course of meds to kill them off. It is also possible the worms came from a fish, etc.
At 5", your turtle should be eating some vegetation- dark leafy greens or aquatic plants are the most common. Besides pellets, try small fish (they choose fish by size, the other fish may have just been too big or two small), worms, bugs, shrimp, etc. from Petco, etc.
2006-12-02 17:10:28 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You shouldn't ever feed anything that you find outside, not only because of the risk of parasites, but because of pesticides and other harmful chemicals. As far as the worms go, have you added flora/fauna that you found outside, such as rocks, branches, etc? Clean the tank, remove your rocks, if it isn't something that was introduced from anything you may have added to the tank, they'll appear again, and it's safe to conclude that it may be an intestinal bug. In which case, a visit to your vet is in order.
As with any pet, you should always wash your hands thoroughly after handling it, especially because sliders are known for carrying salmonella, a bacteria that can infect us.
2006-12-03 00:05:21 · answer #2 · answered by Jess is all. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These are parasites. Clean the whole cage very good.
2006-12-03 00:11:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋