Parasites?

[Vinesar21]

Does anybody know what these are? I was hand feeding the little guy when i dropped a feeder and as i was trying to pick it up i noticed a piece of moldy poop with these guys in it. Nothing in his fresh feces. I should mention my enclosure is bio. Could it be parasites from him or weird bio cycle going on?

 

[Uri]

Yeah no that looks a like parasites and a lot I’d definitely go to the vet for that

 

[kinyonga]

What insects have you been feeding the chameleon?
What insects are in the substrate?

 

[MissSkittles]

Do you have any soil gnats? Could that be their larvae?

 

[Vinesar21]

Yeah no that looks a like parasites and a lot I’d definitely go to the vet for that

I will, but to me is weird that it was only in older poop that was moldy. Not in anything fresh. and you can't see clearly in the photos but those white specks looked like small "spiders" walking in that area. Weird

 

[Vinesar21]

Do you have any soil gnats? Could that be their larvae?

I do, a bunch i was looking that up too. But i looked up fruit flies larvae

 

[jamest0o0]

Those are soil white worms from the looks of it. Beneficial detrivores.

 

[Vinesar21]

What insects have you been feeding the chameleon?
What insects are in the substrate?

Crickets, dubia and silkies.
Substrates got spotted isos, dwarf whites and blue and springtails

 

[Vinesar21]

Those are soil white worms from the looks of it. Beneficial detrivores.

I was hoping you'd see this thread hahah thanks.

 

[jamest0o0]

I was hoping you'd see this thread hahah thanks.

Anytime! How long has your bio enclosure been set up now?

 

[Vinesar21]

Anytime! How long has your bio enclosure been set up now?

4 weeks now

 

[jamest0o0]

Ook still establishing. I wondering why poop was sitting around that long lol. In time it'll be gone VERY fast

 

[Vinesar21]

Ook still establishing. I wondering why poop was sitting around that long lol. In time it'll be gone VERY fast

I did start with a small bio starter, i will buy some more dwarfs

 

[jamest0o0]

I did start with a small bio starter, i will buy some more dwarfs

You're probably fine, just give it time

 

[Vinesar21]

You're probably fine, just give it time

Thanks man

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

I do suggest a fecal test every few months or so, just to always be sure you cham is healthy with no parasites.

 

[jamest0o0]

I do suggest a fecal test every few months or so, just to always be sure you cham is healthy with no parasites.

Every few months is a little much. Not everyone has money to burn, hell donate it to someone that needs it if you must get rid of it. Yearly or so is a good idea, and especially if you have a concern, but every few months is overboard JMO

 

[Vinesar21]

I do suggest a fecal test every few months or so, just to always be sure you cham is healthy with no parasites.

Definitely, he will get a fecal done since he's a new addition. He is gaining weight weekly, my confusion was that if those were inside him he wouldn't be growing at the rate he. Thats why it was weird to me and i only found them in older poop on the bottom of the cage.

 

[Victoriaedmiston1]

Hello! I'm a veterinary nurse with 10+ years in a small animal and exotic clinic. Chameleons can commonly get pinworms. I would take a stool sample to your exotic vet ASAP so they can confirm via cytology. If he is positive, the treatment is oral Fenbendazole. It needs to be properly dosed otherwise they can die from overdose if not dosed correctly.

As a preventative measure we ALWAYS recommend our reptiles have a fecal screen done at least every 6 months to ensure we are catching any parasites before they become a problem.

I hope this helped!

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum @Victoriaedmiston1 !