My land turtle has ticks. How do I get rid of them and prevent reinfestation?

Those are ticks. I would suggest placing mineral oil over the body of the tick, as this will help to kill it, which will make removal easier. Use forceps/tweezers to remove the ticks and make sure to get the head out. If you leave any part of the tick in the skin it may cause an infection. After removing as many ticks as possible from your snake I recommend you get this spray and use as directed to treat the environment. This will kill any remaining ticks (there may be small ones you can't see) and larvae. http://pro-products.com/provent-a-mite/ This is going to be a long process (like months) to get all the ticks removed from the snake and environment. Remember to keep his enclosure as clean as possible at all times. I hope this helps. Best wishes!

You must treat both the environment and the pet. You can try some over the counter products but many can be ineffective if the environment is not treated concurrently. Ivermectin can be dispensed by your veterinarian to use systemically or topically. Do not treat with ivermectin without the advice of your veterinarian as it is quite easy to overdose. A 30 minute soak in a diluted Betadine bath can remove most mites and may soothe irritated skin. Remove the substrate, bag it and take it outdoors. Clean and sanitize the cage, bowls and tank furniture. You can use hot, soapy water followed by a 1:30 dilution of bleach and water followed by a thorough rinsing on the tank, bowls and non porous surfaces. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. You may need to clean and sanitize the enclosure weekly for several weeks. The pet may need multiple treatments as well.

If there are that many ticks in your environment, then a thorough cleaning of your environment is probably best as topical medications can only do so much. Scrubbing walls, baseboards, washing bedding and clearing and spraying brush and bushes around your home can help lower tick populations. Keeping Bruno in an area that is easy to clean can also help reduce the amount of ticks in his environment.

You can remove as many as you can see or you can crate/confine her for the night. Most ticks will attach and feed for 72 hours before dropping off the pet. Ideally, they should be removed as soon as possible to prevent transmission of any tick borne diseases. Your veterinarian may dispense or administer a topical or oral tick preventative.

Depending on the parasite, your turtle may be fine...or may still be infected but not have any adult parasites. Certain parasites require an intermediate host to complete the lifecycle. Ideally, you should submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to definitively diagnose or rule out infection. if your turtle is positive for parasites, a dewormer can be administered. You may need to repeat it in several weeks.

For the most part, ticks do not cause much harm, but do have the potential to transmit certain diseases and some can cause neurologic problems. Some of these diseases and complications would be obvious if they occurred already. It's good to clip the hair around where the tick was and examine the skin for any redness or swelling - this can indicate an infection. The vet can do some blood tests for the commonly transmitted diseases if necessary. However, it's likely that Pico will be completely fine. Fully engorged ticks will lay eggs in the environment, so I would make sure to clean under any dark areas of the house. Normal flea/tick medication can be given to kill other ticks and prevent any more from getting on him. I recommend the spot-on treatments like Frontline and Revolution. Your vet will be able to give you the best products, so I recommend waiting until Monday to get these. In the meantime, you can give a bath. There are some flea/tick shampoos that you can get at the pet store. Just make sure you use it as directed by the manufacturer. I hope that helps and all is well with Pico.

He needs a tick preventative such as Bravecto, Nexgard, or even Advantix over the counter can kill ticks quickly and prevent them for 30 days. Please get him on a tick preventative soon and visit your vet soon if you notice any symptoms of tick bite disease (i.e. anorexia, lethargy, fever or lameness). You should also avoid areas that he could be exposed to with high tick populations. Keep him out of the woods and consider getting your yard treated for. I hope that your pet Max gets rid of his ticks soon! Best wishes and take care.