pinworms from feeders? Is that possible?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Ancline

Member
Is it possible to get pinworms from feeders?
I got hornworms for the first time from dubiaroaches .com and when the worms came in they had these small white worms in the cup with them. I separated the tiny white worms from the hornworms as best I could but now I'm wondering if those tiny white worms were pinworms.
full

the small white speck in the red circle I believe is a pinworm.

I had a fecal test done on my bearded dragon as a 2x a year precaution and this time it came back positive for pinworms. I'm about to go buy the medicine for my beardie along with a probiotic but I'm just wondering if my beardie was exposed through the hornworms which were really the only change to diet in the last 6 months.
My dragon seems fine for now, other than he hasn't been eating much, but his weight hasn't decreased any so I'm not super worried. Hopefully the dewormer will make his appetite come back. This time I'm going to stick with my home bred dubia roaches, occasional superworms from amazon, and occasional crickets from the petstore. Even though I hate crickets because they smell awful, sometimes that's all my dragon wants to eat.

Edit: Here's a video I just found on my phone: https://youtu.be/7lqOlXObNZc
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
It's absolutely possible, usually from crickets and roaches and not worms, but absolutely possible. Lots of parasites live on and inside of insects, most baby beardies get parasites from their feeder crickets as they are very naturally dirty insects. That being said, you need to call or email dubiaroaches.com (I order Phoenix Worms from them regularly and have never had an issue), email is better because you can send the photo along with your question about the worms, because some feeder insect breeders purposely add "cleaner worms" to their feeders to actually prevent parasites. So you need to distinguish between the two. They seem to be a very reputable and trustworthy company, so I'd email them the photo and just ask them what the worms are, don't mention "cleaner worms" to them, let them tell you. If they tell you on their own that they are "cleaner worms" then you're fine, but if they don't know what they are, then throw the hornworms away and request a refund...And I'll not be ordering my BSFL from them anymore either, lol...Let me know what they say, I'm now a bit worried too, though I've never seen them before in my BSFL from them, that doesn't mean they're not inside them...uhg
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
It's unlikely they are pinworms, pinworms can be transmitted (as eggs) by insects but they really only develop and reproduce inside the host animal. The life cycle of pinworms really would never cross over with rearing hornworms.

That hornworm cup looks messy... I can't see the photo super well but it's possible they are larvae for some sort of small pest fly.

"Cleaner worms" (typically dermestid beetle larvae, mealworms etc) are generally used for colony insects like roaches and crickets. I've not heard of them being used with BSFL or hornworms. They are mostly used to keep waste food and dead bugs under control not parasites.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, I saw the video....looks like tiny maggots possibly from some type of gnat or similar small fly. They must have laid their eggs in the hornworm chow. You got extra food with your hornworms. :)
 

Ancline

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":1xjebckb said:
Hi there, I saw the video....looks like tiny maggots possibly from some type of gnat or similar small fly. They must have laid their eggs in the hornworm chow. You got extra food with your hornworms. :)
That would explain why a few weeks after my husband fed off all the hornworms and threw away the cup was complaining about a swarm of gnats in the garbage can :lol: I was out of town for a few weeks after the worms arrived and thought he had just not thrown out the garbage for 2 weeks.
Good to know that dubiaroaches.com doesn't have pinworm infestation in their stock.
So where could my beardie have gotten pinworms? Someone mentioned crickets? Is it common for crickets to be infested with pinworms? I buy mine from petco or petsmart, whichever one is more convenient. Are those stores possibly the culprit? If so I might have to refuse to buy crickets ever again and let my beardie get over it, he's such a weird picky eater. Today I fed him two adult male dubia roaches and he ate the wings off of one and the wings and head off the other :roll: why?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Yes, those little buggers fly around our garbage once in a while, too. :) But the pinworms could definitely come from pet store crickets. What many people don't realize is that when the stores sell all the critters in a tank [ or some critters die ] employees may catch the loose, hidden crickets and put them back in the cricket bin while cleaning the tank for the new arrivals that will be for sale. The crickets will eat the fecal matter in the tanks if they are hungry, so there is a transfer to the crickets.
Yucky, huh ?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

No members online now.

Still Needs Help

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,896
Messages
1,255,655
Members
75,964
Latest member
lil booshka
Top Bottom