hello everyone, i recently constructed an enclosure for my snakes. i just recently finished setting it up and after my snakes lived in it for a few days, i noticed small white worms in their water bowl. i change the water regularly but the worms just keep coming back over night. they are not alive though.. but i still don't know where they're coming from. could they be coming from the snakes themselves and should i get them dewormed? hope someone can help me out.. thanks
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worms in water bowl
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 jordaks |
worms in water bowl |
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Posts: 29 (02/17/07 02:54:08) |
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bsharrah |
Re: worms in water bowl | ||
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Posts: 78 (02/17/07 03:26:20) |
Are you sure they are worms? Can you describe them? Are they very small, almost looking like dust particles?
Bart |
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dphhchondro |
Worms? | ||
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Posts: 470 (02/17/07 03:55:38) |
How's about a picture?...
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jordaks |
worms in water bowl | ||
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Posts: 29 (02/17/07 12:57:43) |
yup.. they look like worm to me or maybe insect larva. not alive though... they are white and a bit stubby. short but not as small as dust. maybe half the size of mosquito larva. they kinda look like insect larva and it seems that they are being laid their on purpose however i never see live ones. i change the water every night but they just spring up the next day. i'll try to get a picture asap. i just hope they don't do anything harmful to my snakes
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bsharrah |
Re: worms in water bowl | ||
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Posts: 78 (02/17/07 14:28:53) |
I am going to assume you are using a wood substrate. Cypress mulch perhaps. What you have are insects, not worms. Wood mites I beleive. They are not harmful to the animal but are not exactly pleasing to have either. What part of the house are you keeping your animals? I keep mine in the basement.
You could change the substrate with fresh mulch but that would only be a temporary fix unless they were introduced with the substrate in the first place. In my case, they are native to the area and thrive in dark damp areas, such as basements, and would have just returned eventually. Ultimately, I went with using towels for the substrate and tossed the mulch. I had intented to do this anyway after reading about Angelina's experience with cypress. Since going with towels, I have never seen them since. I am guessing, had I moved the cages to another, less humid, room in the house, I would not have had the problem either. As far as taking a pic, unless you have a really good macro lens, good luck. Bart |
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jordaks |
Re: worms in water bowl | ||
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Posts: 29 (02/20/07 07:03:45) |
nopes.. the substrate i use is sphagnum moss. and i keep the cage in my room. the water bowl is even on tops of a cut wood so i cant see a way for them to climb. i cant even see other insects in the cage. they just pop up in the bowl. cant find a decent camera to show u guys... still looking though
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bsharrah |
Re: worms in water bowl | ||
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Posts: 78 (02/20/07 13:59:15) |
I am sure they are the same things I had when I used cypress. Not sure about their origins considering the cage conditions you described though. I suggest removing the moss and go with paper towels for a substrate. See if they re-appear then.
This will allow you to rule out the substrate as a source of the bugs and make it easier to see where they are coming from if not from the moss. Bart |
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