Worms from my turtle food pellets?

Question

My carnivorous turtle lives in an all-water tank with gravel and a turtle cave for him to sit on. I feed him turtle-food pellets and also occasionally a small piece of hotdog. I was watching him a few weeks ago and noticed tiny clear worms (less than 3mm long) that swam up to the surface of the water in a whirligig motion and were latched EVERYWHERE there was algae (the turtles back, the side of the tank).
I assumed it was the hotdogs and immeadiatly cleaned the turtles tank, scrubed him down and replaced the materials inside.
I also stopped feeding him hotdogs.
However the other day I noticed the worms still in there, and eventually found that they were coming out of the food he hadn't eaten yet (after it became soggy).
Now, my questions are...
What are the little worms... are they harmful to my pet?
Did they come from his food-pellets or were there just some leftover in there that feed also on his food once it gets soggy?
How can I get rid of them?
thanks for any advice you have

Answer 1

The worms are most likely Nematodes. They are very hard to get rid of. They are harmless though. They come from overfeeding. You should feed your turtle in a seperate container for awhile, thus starving the worms, then break down the tank and scrub everything in hot water. If your turtle appears ill, then most likely it's not Nematodes as they a harmless and you will need to take him to a herp vet. To find a Herp vet in your area, check these links, http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

http://www.vin.com/

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/reptile/herpvet.html

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/herpvets.htm

http://www.ideinterstate.com/

***IMPORTANT*** let the tank completly cool off before adding cold water or it will crack!

Answer 2

Turtles often have worms, especially if it was wild caught. You don't tell us the species or size, so I can't give a good answer.

A quick visit to the vet can clear this up, but it is not a huge problem as long as the other cares are good.

However, I've got to tell you that I am a bit concerned about your basic cares- hot dogs are not on the 'OK' list for turtles of any kind.

Try the care sheets and articles at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for help.

Answer 3

Hi I would go to a pet store that carries turtles to see if they can help you out..The food maybe old..Make sure you tell them about the worms and if you have too take some of the worms in to the pet store so they can at least look to see what they maybe and if they have a good solution for you..I hope that you find a solution soon for your turtle..Good Luck

Answer 4

I offer my turtles lettuce and leafy veggies, just float it in their water like they would find vegetation in the wild. However, in all my years I cannot actually say I've ever seen one take to the veggies. Tortoises tend to be more veggie oriented then water turtles. Give them live minnows or guppies every now and then as a treat, or even live crayfish and with the prepared food they should be good. Mine also like a rare treat of dry cat food (mostly fish meal and cereal) or canned cat food. Canned Cat food is a little trickier to "serve", I put a spot on their basking rock and they drag what they get in their mouth under. You wouldn't want to just plop it in the water, but the turtle needs to be in the water to actually eat.

Answer 5

they are the result of piss-poor turtle management. You really should find someone else to take care of your turtle, you are doing a horrible job. I think that would be best for the turtle.

The worms arent coming from the turtle food, they are attracted to it. The worms are most likely coming from your turtles feces, and then moving to the soggy turtle food.

You shouldnt have soggy turtle food in the tank long enough for that to happen. I feel so sorry for your poor turtle, he must be very depressed.

Only feed what your turtle can eat right away, scoop out any extra.

Answer 6

i dont really know why but you should have a vet look at him its probly a infection of an allergy from a food he eats