Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi,

a couple days ago i wrote re: water poop.

my male continues to have this problem. was it pinworms that leos can get from crickets?

well, since it is the weekend, i can't get to a vet. u can bet i will be there waiting on the doorstep in the morning tho!

anyway, he just went and pooped again... so.....
i gathered up his poop and looked for myself. i am pretty sure i see some small clearish/white worms!!!!!

what do pinworms look like?????
if not pinworms, what could it be.

i put the fecal in a zip lock bag to take to the vet in the morning. is there anything else i need to do to the sample to preserve it till in the morn?????
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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Lizards

1.4.0 leopard geckos - raine, mango, noodle, jaws, & sobe
0.1 bearded dragon - sydney
0.1 king snake & 0.2.3 corn snakes
1 red eye tree frogs, 3 green tree frogs, 2 firebelly toads
5 anoles,8.0 bettas & numerous tropicals
1.2 dogs (dachshund-pepper, brittany spaniel-jenni, lab-kaci)
1 hubby & 2 boys

www.skayart.com

Pinworms don't necessarily cause runny stools. I have seen many perfectly normal looking geckos with perfectly normal looking stools with pinworms. Yes, they get them from crickets. I've never seen the actual worms in the stools, mainly because they don't normally come out until they're treated and then they flush from the animal's system. I have seen cricket eggs in gecko poop, though. Most of the time, you'll know they have pins because you see the pinworm eggs (oocysts) in the microscope during a fecal flotation.

Marcia explained on the other forum that she had seen them and that there are many different types of pinworms that can infect our geckos, so it's not impossible what you're seeing is pinworms. The best way to identify positively what they are is the fecal you're already preparing for. Put this sample in a baggie and keep it in the fridge until you go to the vet. Hopefully you can get another one before you go and take them both.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
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Rob Jenkins
Have you seen the GeckoCam?
Herptopia Reptiles
Email Me

As Rob said, there are many types of pinworms. The largest ones come from horses (females are 10 cm long). Pinworms generally don't cause any disease since all they do is eat the gecko's poop, and in some cases are sorta beneficial (break up the poop and prevent constipation).

If you can see them, they might also be ascarids which are not as nice as pinworms and do cause sickness. The fecal should NOT be refrigerated (or that's what my vet tells me). I think its because if you leave the oocysts at room temp, they hatch and you can see more worms during the fecal.

-Lemur 6

It's true (at least in my opinion) that most of the time, pinworms are no big deal. However, they have caused some impactions in iguanas and tortoises. Just don't let them build up to high of a level. I've read that some vets don't even believe it's necessary to treat minor pinworm levels.

As for not refridgerating the sample, I guess it might depend on what your vet thinks the problem is. Many of the common parasites you detect through a fecal are identified by their eggs (oocysts), so if the egg has hatched, then you're identifying the worm, which may be more difficult in some circumstances...I have never seen a pinworm, for example, but I could ID an oocyst any day. Each vet is different, though, so for your sake, do what your vet tells you, they'll be able to do their job better that way.
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Rob Jenkins
Have you seen the GeckoCam?
Herptopia Reptiles
Email Me