Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently purchased a juvenile White Lipped Python and upon examination I discovered that it has several subcutaneous nematodes. I have removed these from other species of snakes and have found this to be a rather simple procedure. My question: does anyone know what the consequences of not removing them is? Does their life cycle take place within the host animal or does this worm require a life stage outside of the hosts body? What is the conventional and accepted way of dealing with this problem? Excise them, drug 'em or leave 'em alone? I am very reluctant to intervene with drugs or even minor surgery if it is not necessary or can be avoided. The animal, by the way, is in very good apparent health and has been eating well. Thanks!

Are you sure it's nematodes? Sometimes subcutaneous parasites are flukes or tapeworms or something else. It is really not going to be possible to answer your question without knowing the species, or at least they "type" of worm. All of them have some part of their life cycle outside of the host animal, sometimes in another host (that is consumed by the definitive host), sometimes as infective larval stages on the ground.

I would suggest a fecal exam. The type of eggs that are found will identify the offending worm. The adults that are encysted need to be removed also and identified. Sometimes in the case of filarial nematodes or lungworms of one type or another, they have to be eliminated carefully because the dead worms in the circulatory or respiratory system can cause problems. Those can't be eliminated by the animal's body as easily as intestinal worms.

In any case, you don't want to just leave them there. Any parasite can cause serious problems if they are allowed to build up. Some tend to be self limiting in because of the lack of an intermediate host (in captivity), but those with direct life cycles can build up to overwhelming numbers if untreated. Cage cleanliness is extremely important in controlling them. At any rate, you need to know what you are dealing with before you can know how to proceed.