Preventive Care
There are no vaccines available for terrapins and as these pets are normally housed in small stable groups with little contact with other animals there is normally no need for routine preventative medical treatments.
De-worming
De-worming be required especially if your terrapin was ‘wild caught’ and not ‘captive bred’. Wild caught terrapins can carry many types of parasites however de-worming programs are normally tailored specifically for individual animals or groups.Our vets are very happy to discuss with you what they would recommend during a consultation.
If your pet terrapin was wild caught, purchased from a food market or found ‘stray’ it may be carrying a more varied and more significant parasite burden. The signs of parasite load are variable and include poor weight gain, soft feces and in severe cases can cause generalized fluid buildup (oedema) or even intestinal blockage.
If you or your vet suspects a high parasite burden a more aggressive de-worming program may be needed, as well as medical treatment, environmental cleaning and possibly changes in management.
Hibernation
There are some species of reptiles from cooler regions of the world that in winter will slow down, stop eating and sleep for long periods. This is known as hibernation.
Few terrapins are adapted for this, and a period of cold weather is not expected or necessary and may not be tolerated by these species. For example Red-Eared Sliders do not normally hibernate. As it becomes cold they do slow down, or go into torpor, and many owners misinterpret this as hibernation. Strong and healthy animals may be able to withstand this long cold spell but the less healthy will not, sooner, or later.
For this reason it is important as a pet owner that you know the species of your pet turtle and understand its physiologic needs. If your turtle does appear to ‘hibernate’ and not eat for a long period it may be because it has a medical problem.
Hibernation is not truly necessary, other than for breeding, even for the tortoises that do.
If you are unsure if your pet should or could hibernate please speak to our vets during a consultation.