Q. My turtle has worms. I was told that I can just go to the vet & get an injection of ivermectin and that will take care of it. Is that true?

A. Any veterinarian or other person who suggests using ivermectin in a turtle is gravely misinformed. Ivermectin is TOXIC to turtles. To correctly treat worms, you need a vet to look at a fecal sample in order to identify the species of worm. You cannot properly treat worms without identifying the species because the species type determines what drug should be used.

Q. I saw a huge black mass come out of the back end of my turtle. He stuffed it back in with his back feet. What was it, should I be concerned?

A. Your turtle is most likely a young man now. Male turtles have genitals that look like a large dark purple mass. It is quite normal for a male to exhibit this now and then. There is no problem unless he can't stuff it back in. If that happens then see a vet right away or he could lose blood circulation to the area which would cause the organ to die.

Q. My turtle has fungus growing on him, what can I do to get rid of it?

A. You can usually clear this up yourself by bathing him for an hour a day in a warm salt bath. Fill a container with just enough water to cover the top of the carapace, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of table salt. Soak for the hour, but watch him closely because if he falls over backwards in shallow water he can drown. After the bath, make him sit dry for an hour. Do this for a week, if it has not begun to clear or has fully cleared within a week, see a veterinarian. Fungal infections are not serious in the beginning, but if not treated can damage the shell, and if still not treated will become systemic, which will be deadly to the turtle.

Q. My turtle has a huge lump on the side of his head, behind his eyes. What should I do?

A. He probably has an abscess of the tympanic membrane. In other words, he has an ear infection. This is extremely common in box turtles. This is usually combined with a respiratory infection caused by a vitamin A deficiency. The treatment is NOT to raise his dose of vitamin A. Doing that can be deadly. Vitamin A is one of the four fat -soluble vitamins and it will build up in him, which will become toxic. Instead he needs a veterinarian to lance the abscess and treat him with antibiotics. The doctor may give him an injection of vitamin A. If he needs any vitamin A, leave that decision to the doctor. In some areas of the country it seems that this problem has been caused by lack of humidity. Whatever the cause, a vet is needed for treatment.

Q. My turtle's eyes won’t open, & he keeps holding his up straight up, what can I do?

A. Closed, swollen eyes are also a problem usually caused by vitamin A deficiency. At this stage it is a respiratory problem, probably pneumonia. Keep the temperature higher than you normally would, about 85F. You must see a veterinarian or he is going to die. He will need vitamin A, and antibiotics. Any oral vitamin A you buy isn’t going to help him now. The Dr. needs to treat him with injectable A & without the antibiotics he will not get better.

Q. My turtle has algae growing on his shell, should I clean it off? How can I get it off of him?

A. It is normal for wild turtles to have algae on their shell; it even helps them by giving them cover from predators. A pet turtle shouldn’t have algae growing on him; it may lead to bacterial infection, which in turn will cause SCUD. SCUD is Septicemic Cutaneous Ulcerative Disease (shell-rot). If SCUD is left unchecked it will lead to death. Nolvasan (aka Chlorhexidine) is a terrific anti-microbial that is safe to use for turtles. Mixed at one ounce to one gallon of water it is strong enough & safe to spray on the shell. Use a soft brush or cloth to remove the algae.

Q. My turtle is sick, what medicine can I buy in the pet store to make him well?

A. None. There are no effective medications in pet stores to make a turtle well. Those over the counter antibiotics usually are fish penicillins, or tetracyclines neither of which are effective in herps at all. First you need to know what is wrong with him. You cannot properly medicate any pet without knowing what is wrong with him. If he has a viral, fungal, or parasitic infection, no antibiotic will work anyway. He needs to be seen by a veterinarian to get a diagnosis. The best cure for disease is prevention. Proper husbandry will prevent almost all illnesses.

Q. My turtle is dehydrated. I gave him plenty of water but his eyes are sunken in now. What can I do?

A. Water doesn't contain the macro minerals, or in other words the electrolytes that he needs, so it won't help. Soak him in a sports drink (Gatorade) or an electrolyte solution for children. If you have them, electrolytes made for animals are even better. While he is soaking get on the phone & find a vet. He probably has an underlying infection of some kind. Dehydration is a deadly serious condition that usually requires I.V. fluids administered by a vet. Soaking him in electrolytes may keep him alive until you can get to the hospital, but is not a replacement for the necessary medical treatment.

Q. My rat's faces are swollen, they seem to be sick should I put them on antibiotics?

A. You should see a vet right away. It may be a virus called Sialodacryoadenitis (SDA). Symptoms of this disease include sneezing, porphyrin staining as well as swelling of the facial area because the eyes, lymph nodes, and salivary glands are affected. With this disease the eyes may become too dry without treatment, if they live it is possible for them to lose an eye. This is a serious disease and since it is a virus antibiotics will not help at all. Antibiotics may stop a secondary bacterial infection from occurring, but medication will not kill a virus. It is possible for them to survive this disease with supportive care, but without that care they will die.

Q. My rat is making weird noises, like he can’t breathe very well. I think he has a respiratory infection. It’s that myco stuff. I’m going to buy that tetracycline for birds at the pet store. How do I use it?

Q. My rat's nails are tearing me up, can I clip them with regular nail clippers?

A. Yes you can! Be sure you don't clip past the quick or they will bleed. Cat or bird clippers also work well. You can roll your rat up in a towel to restrain him & then clip. It doesn't hurt to have some styptic powder on hand, just in case you do cause bleeding. You can use a sturdy nail file instead of clippers if you'd rather do it that way.

Q. My rat has yellow greasy stuff in his fur, what is wrong with him & what can I do about it?

A. Older male rats tend to have a yellowish/orange, greasy dander. It is normal to see this & easily removed. Bathing him will help, if you cannot wash it off with dog, cat, or human shampoo, you can use grease removing dishwashing liquid. After the bath it helps to brush or comb his fur on a daily basis.

Q. My rat has scabs on him, but I don't think it's mites what is it?

A. Many people automatically assume scabs mean mites or lice, but fairly often it is actually a dietary problem. Rats fed high amounts of seed mix instead of rodent lab blocks will often develop skin problems that look (to the owner), exactly like a case of mites. Treatment is simple, stop feeding seeds high in fat and protein. Put the rat on a balanced diet of lab blocks and fresh vegetables, the problem should clear up without further treatment. Be careful that he does not scratch so much that the sores become infected, this will lead to skin infections that do require a vet.

Q. My rat has blood on his nose & it’s on his eyes sometimes, what’s wrong?

A. Probably nothing. Rats have a large gland behind the eyes called the Harderian’s gland. This gland produces "red tears" called porphyrin. The gland is connected to the nasal passages so it will leak down through the nose sometimes. Red tears in rats are normal; however, it isn’t normal to see this very often. If you are seeing it often this is an indication that something is wrong. It could be a minor stress or a serious illness; it’s best to have him seen by the veterinarian. You can tell the difference between porphyrin & blood by using a black light, which is an ultra-violet light bulb, (a Wood’s lamp). Porphyrin will fluoresce, blood will not. If it really is blood, see your vet right away.

Q. My rat has mites; I want to use ivermectin on him, what is the dose?

A. I’m not going to tell you. Ivermectin can be a great drug for treating rats, when used properly with the supervision of a veterinarian. There are many people who believe it is impossible to over dose a ratty with ivermectin. This is NOT true! Ivermectin is a drug. ALL drugs are potential poisons. Horse wormers can be bought in feed stores; these are made for horses, NOT RATS! Many people are now advocating the use of these horse wormers for ectoparasite problems in rats. Some have cited a study on the safety of this drug in cattle. Cattle being ruminant animals with multi-chambered digestive systems have little in common with rats.

Q. My rat has lice or it’s mites how do I get rid of them? Will I get lice on me?

A. No you cannot catch lice from any pet. Lice are species specific. Each species of lice will attach itself to only a certain animal host. Rat lice will attack only rats. Bird lice will attack only birds. Human lice will attack only humans. These do not cross over from species to species. Lice are visible to the eye without any magnification. Mites are a bit different. Most species of mites are not visible without a microscope and it is possible for them to transfer to humans, but the probability of that happening is low.

Q. My ratty keeps grinding his teeth and makes a chattering noise when I take him out of his cage. What is wrong with him?

A. This often scares new rat owners. It is in reality a good noise to hear, it means he is happy & relaxed. He is having fun, enjoy it! Imitate him & he'll respond to you.

Q. Do rats need extra salt, should I get one of those salt wheels for rabbits? My rats keep licking my arms & neck when I get them out. Does that mean they are getting salt from me?

A. No rats do NOT need extra salt in their diet if they are eating the lab blocks made for them. Your rats are not licking you for salt; they are in fact in their minds, doing you a great favor! You are being groomed, a very high compliment!

Q. I have some tadpoles, I don't know what kind they are, what should I feed them?

A. Most tads will do all right when fed an assortment of crushed reptile floating food sticks, flaked fish foods, and live/frozen foods. Live or frozen, but thawed for the tads such as: brine shrimp, black worms, blood worms, tubifex worms, glass worms, plankton, chopped earthworms, or chopped small feeder fish. If you can get algae, this is another good food for them; it is what they would eat in the wild.

Q. Are fire- bellied toads poisonous? What other pets can I keep with them?

A. No they aren't poisonous to humans; however, they do secrete a mild toxin that may burn your eyes if you were to get any of it in your eyes. It is not a good idea to keep any animal with a fire-bellied toad except for other fire- bellies. The mild toxin will harm any other species kept with this frog. (Yes, it IS a frog) Even fire -bellied newts should not be kept with the frogs. These 2 animals come from completely different areas of the world; their mild toxins are NOT the same. They will harm one another.

Q. My kids want to hold their pet frogs, what can I buy that will remove the bacteria from their hands after handling the frogs?

A. Any good antibacterial soap will work. HOWEVER, your kids should not be handling the frogs because the oils found in human skin are harmful to frogs! Frogs have delicate skin, that is easily damaged & they absorb moisture, oils, and toxins through the skin, because of these reasons is it best to look at the frogs, not handle them. This advice goes for any species of amphibian, not just frogs.

Q. My green tree frog has turned brown, why?

A. Most frogs are capable of many color changes. A green frog that has turned brown most likely is not warm enough. Raise the temperature to the degree needed for that species. Usually 85F is a good daytime range for tree frogs in general. It's best to have a handbook about your species to verify the correct temperature.

Q. I think my frog has red-leg disease, how can I cure it?

A. Red-leg disease is actually bacterial septicemia, in other words blood poisoning. This is extremely serious & fatal if not aggressively treated with strong antibiotic injections. The symptoms range from sudden death to a long, drawn out, painful slow death. You will actually see bright red legs, just as you see red streaks in the skin of humans infected with blood poisoning. It IS curable, but you need to see a vet immediately. There are no over the counter medications that will fix this, this is how deadly serious the disease is, no time to fool around trying things that will not work. Run; don't walk to your veterinarian.

A. See a vet right away. It may be a prolapse of the uterus, or intestines. This is very serious and you cannot fix this yourself. A minor to major surgery may be required to repair this.

Q. My (fill in the blank herp) stopped eating, what can I do to make him eat? Should I force feed him?

A. Anorexia (not eating) is not a disease, but rather a symptom of disease. Force-feeding is dangerous if you aren't experienced. You run the risk of causing him to aspirate (inhale into lungs) the food. This will cause almost instant death, through drowning. The best thing to do is have him checked by a vet because there are many diseases that cause anorexia including infections of all types, bacterial, parasitic, viral, fungal. Just feeding him your self will not cure the disease. Husbandry is another thing to look at, is he warm, clean, or misted enough? Evaluate every possible cause instead of forcing food on him.

Q. I have tree frogs and green anoles in a viquarium, what other species can I put in it with them?

A. Actually it isn't a good idea to mix species at all. Many people claim to successfully keep anoles with amphibians, but are they really successful? How long these animals are living never seems to be answered by the people who do this. I suspect their pets are not living a full life span. Each herp species carries bacteria that are not harmful to them, but they are harmful to other species. You run the risk of cross infections that can kill all the pets that are together. Another problem is many species require vastly different climates, the set up for one may not be correct for the other. If your frogs grow large enough, you also run the risk that they will eat the anoles. A pretty looking set-up is not a good reason to chance the death of all the animals.

Q. I found a (fill in the blank herp) & I want to keep him. How do I take care of him & what do I feed him?

A. The best thing to do here is find a safe place away from traffic & other animals then let him go. If you plan to keep a herp you have found, you need to realize it may be illegal in your state to keep him. Many herp species are federally protected, so you could be in big trouble if caught with it. Be sure to check the laws in your state. Another reason to let him go is that wild caught herps often don't fair well in captivity, so you may be keeping a cool looking pet, but causing his early death!

Q. Everyone tells me I'll get Salmonella from my herp, & I'll die, that scares me! What can I do to keep from being sick?

A. All animals potentially carry Salmonella. There are thousands of Salmonella bacteria species; it is in the environment almost everywhere. Salmonella is normally found in the feces of all living creatures. Not ALL herps are infected with it, but some do carry it sub-clinically & they too will eventually be ill. Infection occurs from housing that is not disinfected on a regular basis or through meat products fed raw. You aren't likely to die if you become infected, unless you are already ill, a young child, are elderly, or for any reason have an already compromised immune system. Death by Salmonella isn't common, it can happen, but severe vomiting/diarrhea are more likely.

A lot of people don't want to "waste" money on a vet, but think about this. Small pets often do not live long when problems arise, they must have medical care from time to time. The longer you wait around hoping they will get better, or waste time and money on home remedies, will cost you more in the long run. The sooner you get to a vet for treatment the sooner your pet will recover and that vet bill will be lower. Waiting so that the pet becomes sicker causes that vet bill to go higher as well as risks the life of your pet. Medical care is unavoidable when you are a pet owner. That is a fact of life, the only way to not have vet bills is to not own a pet. Vets are not out to rip you off, but they need your cooperation to solve your pet's medical problems. Don’t let them suffer!