Urgent Care :: Worm from babies maybe??

[TashasTut]

How big is your turtle? about 5 inches
How long have you had it? about 3 months

What is the water temperature? 77
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? about 35 gal
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? about 81
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? rocks
Is there a UVB light? no

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets, freeze dried crickets
When was the last time your turtle ate? last night

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 50 gal
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no

We had originally bought 10 guppies for Tut. He ate 8 of them and the last two reproduced. We now have 7 guppies in our tank. Our turtle now has the wrteched long white string coming out of his tail. I know that it's a worm or parasite and we need a stool sample to take to a herp vet. But he is also shedding a lot, the top of the tank is getting very dirty very quickly. I was wondering two things. One do you think it would be the baby guppies causing the parasites or one that he ate? We have no other unusal live prey or plants in the tank. We did do a clean up yesterday and he was fine. He does seem more relaxed and slower moving than usual. So if you think it's the babies should we take them out? And two is what can help him with the excessive shedding? It's reall nasty, and difficult to keep clean with it all.

Thanks for the help anyone who replies

[steve]

Its likely they came from the ones he ate and it's possible it's been spread around to all the guppies. So I would remove them. The shedding shouldn't be so nasty, can you take a pic?

If it's confirmed they are worms and they came from the guppies, let the store know and complain... I would even ask for some compensation.

[marisa]

Live food always carries the risk of parasites, however, since you've just had him for a few months, it's also possible he had parasites to begin with and they're now just being seen (especially since you described what appears to be a good-sized tapeworm). At any rate, you know you need to take a stool sample to the vet (try to get some of that white string as well). Clean the tank, take out the guppies.

Regarding the shedding (I assume it's skin)---it sounds like you've been feeding him a rather high-protein diet (pellets, crickets, guppies). Has he been growing noticeably since you got him? If so, how much food are you giving at a feeding? How often is he fed?

BTW, there's not much of a temp difference between the water and basking area (77F vs. 81F). There should be more like a 10 degree difference between the two so that he'll be more inclined to bask.

How many gallons of water are in the tank? What kind of filter are you using on it? He should also have a UVB light.