# Parasite question



## GregF (Sep 13, 2009)

Hello, I have 3 blue azureus, and I noticed something funny today. I always feed them on paper towels (I shake their fruit flies on a wet paper towel so that the vitamin powder doesn't blacken the moss). Each day, I put the previous day's paper towel into a container, and at the end of the week, I throw it all away.

The occasional fruit fly makes it into the container, but mostly it's just dirty wet paper towels. You know, dead flies, frog poop, vitamin powder. Anyhow, today, I looked at the container and saw this (see attachment). They don't look like fruit fly larvae. They are these really thin worm-looking things.

Do you think I have a parasite problem?

TIA,
Greg


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

nope.

what you have looks, to me, like nematodes. completely harmless, and nearly inevitable in any enclosure.

many people refer to them as "grindal worms" but this may be an over generalization as there are many nematodes that are similar in appearance.

also i dont know how you are dusting the flies but you should be able so sort of swirl the container, you dust in, around and tap the side of the container until the flies float to the surface, from there you can simply tilt the container tap the side of the container gently and avoid spilling any powder with the flies. this will allow your flies to be dry and therefore the supplements should stick to them longer ensuring that more gets to the animals.

james


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## GregF (Sep 13, 2009)

Thank you for such a quick response. Whew. That's a relief. I kind of freaked because I took a Parasitology class in college, and parasites have kind of freaked me out since then. You know, with all of their strange mouthparts and lifecycles...especially the worms.

Maybe I should practice my technique a bit, but inevitably I get some powder in the terrarium, and it blackens the moss. I hadn't thought to swirl, but I guess that makes sense...at that point, the flies are to "slippery" with powder to climb the sides of the container.

Thank you again.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Yeah lots of frogs actually like to eat those, when I had a drip wall in a pumilio tank they would go up the wall the pums would eat them off of there


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## Cheryl (Oct 20, 2009)

I see worms in my tank too. I have a flat spot towards the top of the tank, I noticed poop and wiggly things. How can I tell if it is nematodes or something dangerous. ps I live in hickville and don't even like taking my cat to the vet here.


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## pygmypiranha (Jan 1, 2009)

I hate those worms! They got into one of my frogs clutches of eggs. Le sigh. They creep me out.


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

I always try to have a surface to feed on so that it makes the flies easier to catch for the frogs... Like a little platter . If you have magnolia leaves or something similar you could drop a couple in and dump the flies onto those exclusively. Good luck!


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

pygmypiranha said:


> I hate those worms! They got into one of my frogs clutches of eggs. Le sigh. They creep me out.


they shouldnt hurt the eggs at all.

james


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## pygmypiranha (Jan 1, 2009)

james67 said:


> they shouldnt hurt the eggs at all.
> 
> james


Well then it was some sort of other small white worm like thing... but then again the eggs were probably long bad anyway. Hasn't happened since because I just pull the eggs now.


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