Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

i'm taking care of a female crested gecko for a friend of mine (so i don't know too much about them in general) who's out of town for a week.

anyway, i noticed in the gecko's pee that there was something moving around. it looked like a tiny white worm, a little less than a centimeter long, and 1 mm wide. though the pee was clear there was a lot of cloudy white stuff too (i don't know if that's normal). so this worm thing was wriggling around slowly in the midst of this cloudy white stuff.

i would like to know what kind of parasite you guys think this is, if it's transmittable to humans, and how the owner might go about treating the gecko.

the only other things to note about the situation is that over the last two days there seems to be a lot of these white deposits all over the tank. it dries up into a white chalky powder, probably the white cloudy mess i mentioned above. the female, a bit on the pudgy side, is clearly not anorexic. it has a voracious appetite, and aside from not moving as actively as her partner...seems quite healthy.

any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance

-tombo

It's difficult to determine the species of parasitic worm without pictures. I would suggest to contact your friend who owns the gecko and advise them to take it to a vet that is familiar with reptiles.

What you are describing is most likely an internal parasite that has worked its way out. The only way to tell for sure is to have a fecal float done by a veterinarian or someone who is familiar with microbiology. Once the bug is identified it can be treated via medication.
As for the "white stuff" that is most likey part of the lizards normal excreta. Reptiles do not urinate like we do. That white stuff is nitrogenous waste processed out through the kidneys. It is equal to human urine and perfectly normal. Also, reptiles defecate and "pee" through the same opening. So if you see streaks of white on the glass over a fecal deposit that is just poor aim on the geckos part.
Hope this helps you out.
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