pentastomids?

[jack]

had some funny worm like things turn up in some diamond water bowls, and now in some tiger and redbelly bowls too.
about 6 mm long, clear, tapered to a point at one end.
did not recognise them as any parasites i have seen before, and under the microscope they appeared to be simply hollow tubes of undifferentiated tissue, i.e. a worm shape with no guts or head parts.
have now decided they must be the shed skins of pentastomids.

any one treated snakes for these, if so how?

(if you are just going to tell me to see a vet, please dont bother posting)

 

[grizz]

had some funny worm like things turn up in some diamond water bowls, and now in some tiger and redbelly bowls too.
about 6 mm long, clear, tapered to a point at one end.
did not recognise them as any parasites i have seen before, and under the microscope they appeared to be simply hollow tubes of undifferentiated tissue, i.e. a worm shape with no guts or head parts.
have now decided they must be the shed skins of pentastomids.

any one treated snakes for these, if so how?

(if you are just going to tell me to see a vet, please dont bother posting)

Could be used condoms...




Sorry Sparra, too many beers

 

[jack]

condoms "6mm long"? yours perhaps?

 

[grizz]

condoms "6mm long"? yours perhaps?

SNAP!:shock:

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

Haha, funny stuff
cant help with the shed bug skins though,sorry

 

[Nagraj]

Pentastomids can be diagnosed with the aid of xrays but treatment is problematic as killing the parasites can cause them to block the lung of the host.

 

[smacdonald]

Aren't pentastomatids normally segmented?

Stewart

 

[jack]

some are more so than others, these things i have look a little like the linguatula you get in sheep and goats and rabbits... and humans (i found one reference to a bloke who had the sheds come out his nose in his snot).

i know i said "must be' in my original post, but i am open to any other suggestions as to what these things could be:
transparent, less than 1 cm long, wide at one end, tapering to a point, wide end "broken' edged under microscope, no apparent internal structure under microscope

i cant get a photo because even with macro on the slr these things are too small and clear.

by the way the snakes are fine, i am just a bit nervous seeing what i take to be creepy crawlies spread through my animals.

 

[gillsy]

To treat a snake for something you are unsure of seems a bit reckless.

Maybe take one animal into a vet can it correctly diagnosed then you can treat the rest yoursef.

This would ensure your not giving medication for incorrect diagosed desease.

This isn't a simple case of it wriggled it's tail wrong get it to a vet, you seem to have a spreading infestation of what looks like a fairly serious condition, how much is your collection worth to you. $100 for a correct diagnoses, or your whole collection for incorrect medication.

 

[jack]

valid points gillsy, and i am going to show a sample and discuss any treatment with a vet prior to dosing the snakes...

however, i must point out that a lot of vets know bugger all about snakes, which is why i used this online community as a sounding board....

 

[Beardieboy]

I agree most vets know diddly about herps, I'm a vet student and I can tell you vets are basically only taught as much about reptiles as they're interested in learning! What area are you in - lots of us have our local preferences for herp vets so you might get a recommendation for someone who's actually useful. Especially if it's going to be a one-off trip, it's worth travelling the distance to talk to someone who knows what they're on about!

 

[jack]

thanks bb, i know a vet who has pet snakes (therefore has a little knowledge), she will be supplying expertise and any drugs i require.