I have been informed that i can buy worming tablets for tortoises over the counter from a local reptile shop, are these as effective as the ones from a vets

nope, use panacur its a worming fluid

I personally would avoid these, panacur is really the only safe wormer for tortoises at the moment. If you are unsure of the dosage please take to a reputable tortoise vet and get him/her to administer this. Although panacur does have a wide spectrum you still need to be careful how much you give. Just for the record, don't allow anyone to use Ivermectin as a tortoise wormer, this is lethal.

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Phoebe

Keeping: Hermanns and Whitei's