Control methods of tortoise saprolegnia
1. Warming and dry maintenance
Add The principle of the control method of warm and dry cultivation is actually to use the characteristics of water mold to be afraid of high temperature and hydrophilia. The incidence of saprolegnia is directly related to the temperature. Usually, saprolegnia thrives in warm water at 13-18°C. But once the water temperature is higher than 26 ℃, the water mold will be suppressed, which is why the turtle saprolegnia does not often occur in summer. It is recommended that pet owners control the water temperature at about 28~30 °C and maintain a constant temperature until the water mold falls off, which generally takes about a week. Note that when raising the water temperature, the temperature should be raised slowly at a rate of about 2°C per day, so as not to heat up too quickly and cause discomfort to the tortoise.
In addition, the instructions for use of many drugs for the treatment of tortoise saprolegnia emphasize that the temperature of the water should be raised to above 28°C. This is because within a reasonable temperature range, the higher the water temperature, the more active the tortoise is. The stronger the drug, the higher the absorption and utilization rate of the drug, and at the same time, it can play a role in improving the curative effect.
In addition, because water mold needs water as a medium for growth and reproduction, and because turtles are amphibians and tired animals, they can be dry-raised for a certain period of time, so Dry-raise the turtle infected with water mold, so that the water mold infected on the turtle will die due to lack of water. Generally speaking, in the early stage of tortoise suffering from saprolegnia, there is no need to use drugs to treat it, just dry it for a few days, about a week or so.
For diseased turtles that are more seriously infected with water mold, they need to be treated with drugs + dry support. After a few days of medication and dry support, the sick turtle can recover.
Second, the use of drug treatment
There is currently no specific drug for the treatment of tortoise saprolegnia. And most of the drugs for the treatment of tortoise saprolegnia can only get a good therapeutic effect when the turtle is suffering from saprolegnia in the early stage, so the disease needs early detection and early treatment.
The commonly used drugs for the treatment of turtle saprolegnia include: glutaraldehyde solution, povidone-iodine, sodium hypochlorite, etc., but it should be noted that frequent dressing changes and overdose medication are not allowed. And try to avoid the use of irritating drugs, such as potassium permanganate, for sick turtles. For the treatment of tortoise saprolegnia, it is necessary to choose a drug that kills fungi, rather than using antibiotics directly. Unless the tortoise is infected with saprolegnia and secondary bacterial infection, it can be treated with appropriate amount of antibiotics.
Drugs combined with heating or dry support can have the best effect on the treatment of tortoise saprolegnia.
Tips: It is recommended to keep the temperature of the water where the tortoises are kept above 28°C, and pay attention to prevent the tortoises from being injured. Doing the above two points can greatly reduce the temperature of the tortoises. Chances of getting saprolegnia.
