Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just started treating one of my leopard geckos for pinworms. She started shedding the worms (blood and all) in her poop today. The thing is, I can see the worms. I'm guessing they're not actually pinworms then. They were skinny and white, with the biggest one measuring just under one centimeter. Roundworms, maybe?

So now I'm wondering, how did my girl contract this parasite? I bought her as a gravid adult, so is it possible she got it from mating? Or from eating crickets?
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chickabowwow

3.2.3 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)

It sounds like they may be hookworms. So, I would venture a guess that it was infected by feces(containing eggs of hookworms?) by other(s) kept in the same caging. I've heard of crickets being a vector for pinworms; however, they may be able to carry other helminth organisms.

Plus, I've had her for almost 4 months, and she hasn't shown any symptoms at all. I also keep her alone in her own enclosure.
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chickabowwow

3.2.3 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)

Adult hookworms are usually between 7 and 15 mm long, so yes they are visible. The males are smaller than the females. You normally don't see them until after treatment and the dead adults are voided in the feces from the host animal. Hookworms can cause pretty substantial damage and even be fatal in heavy loads if not treated. It is normal to see some blood along with voided dead hookworms. That is because they make their living by attaching themselves to the intestinal membranes and sucking blood. When they turn loose, the area they were attached to will bleed a little. If you have several hundred hookworms turning loose at the same time, you can see some blood in the feces.

How could these be hookworms if my leo never showed symptoms?
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chickabowwow

3.2.3 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)

They may not always show outward symptoms depending on how heavy a load they are carrying. Food animals, crickets, worms, etc., can carry parasites that can be passed on to reptiles. Many times the only symptom you will notice will be a lack of appetite or decreased appetite or consistent runny , loose stools. It's a good idea to spot check your animals once in a while just to see if any are developing a heavy parasite load. That's not to say that you should treat every time you see a pinworm or roundworm egg in a fecal float. You shouldn't. You have to evaluate the species of parasite involved and how heavy a load is present, the size and species of the host animal, etc.

Pinworms can also be visible. They are also white and they are a nematode (roundworm). However the blood in the feces may indicate something other than pinworm like the already mentioned hookworm.

Ryan