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Post by laurent on Jun 29, 2008 9:38:02 GMT
Hi,
I'm wondering if my snails have a worm issue. I've noticed tiny white worms that could be mistaken for flies maggots in the tank2 months ago. I went into a massive cleaning operation, and everything seemed fine until I found again others 2 weeks ago. Massive cleaning operation again, check of all possible ventilation access big enough to let a gorram flies get in... and this morning, found a couple tiner ones in the poo while cleaning.
So, I'm wondering : is it coming from the outside... or the inside. What do you think, and what would you use as dewormer ?
Cheers, Laurent
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Post by AlienSnail on Jun 29, 2008 10:22:16 GMT
hmmmm.
Are these long and thin and clear? Like white hairs that move and wriggle up the side of the glass?
I see them in mine from time to time, they appear to have come in from soil from a batch of springtails and woodlice I got ages ago (not the ones from Spook).
At first I was concerned but I've never ever encountered any problems that I can tell, relating to these little critters.
I wonder if hypoaspis miles predatory mites will get rid of them?.. I've not purchased any of those for quite some time as I've not had any problems with pests for ages now (apart from annoying little flies)
Some people fead their snails sead mixture to de-worm them, but I've had problems with feading sead mix to my snails in the past (though I've not heard of many cases of problmes from other people with feading sead mix).
x
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Post by laurent on Jun 29, 2008 16:44:03 GMT
Hi,
just to be sure... you haven't been in my room to check what this things did look like ? 'cause they just look like white hairs (up to 10-15 mm) wrigglingup the side of the glass, under the coir !
I never got springtails or anything, and I've let all my coir in the oven (240°C for an hour to an hour and a half).
If they're just here and do nothing else but bug me, then so be it ;o)
Thanks, Laurent
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Post by AlienSnail on Jun 30, 2008 7:45:34 GMT
Hi, just to be sure... you haven't been in my room to check what this things did look like ? 'cause they just look like white hairs (up to 10-15 mm) wrigglingup the side of the glass, under the coir ! I never got springtails or anything, and I've let all my coir in the oven (240°C for an hour to an hour and a half). If they're just here and do nothing else but bug me, then so be it ;o) Thanks, Laurent Hahaha, I have my spies EVERYWHERE - be afraid - be VERY afraid...... Well - they're harmless to the best of my knowledge, I've not had problems with my own snails and no one else have reported any problems with these that I'm aware of
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Post by Arno on Jun 30, 2008 14:55:28 GMT
These are most certainly nematodes,like Aliensnail said the ones we encounter pose no direct threat to (adult)snails.But you have to be careful with newly hatched snails and keep them under control.
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Post by AlienSnail on Jun 30, 2008 16:17:43 GMT
Oooh I didn't realise these could be harmsul to the babies
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Post by Vida on Jul 15, 2008 18:18:51 GMT
I have them too and was worried. Thanks for putting my mind at rest. I thought my two eldest snails were getting a bit more.....hmmm....slimy and gelatinous and thinner, but they seem to be ok. So at least I know it's not the worms.
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Post by laurent on Jul 16, 2008 17:34:07 GMT
Hi,
that might be them ! How can I keep these under control ?
They seem to be coming back everytime a bit faster (2 months at first, and now, 3 weeks after my last soil sterilization, they're already back).
Do you think the de-wormer that can be found on ebay would have an effect, or any other food I could give them ? Actually my snails never have eaten poridge, just fresh vegetables, and I don't know how well they may react.
Thanks, Laurent
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Post by crossless on May 14, 2009 7:49:26 GMT
I read from petsnails forum that pumpkin seeds would prevent worms.. Then I was wonder in my small head. If worms r so bad that u could lose snails 'cos of the worms. Would it be smart and worth of trying to put in their food tiny amount of dogs or cats parasite medicine?
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Post by ade on May 14, 2009 10:16:43 GMT
Yes i have used pumpkin seeds once , just offer them crushed with food, i had to as my snails wouldnt take them otherwise.
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Post by AlienSnail on May 14, 2009 11:53:21 GMT
I don't know what to suggest with medicine. There are many chemicals that mammals such as humans, dogs, cats, mice etc can tolerate well but are very harmful to creatures such as snails, fish and insects. Medicine designed to kill worms may also have a bad effect on other invertebrates too, including the snails.
Thanks
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Post by snailcrazy on May 14, 2009 13:32:30 GMT
I've had those in the past and done the same, paniced and cleaned all my tanks out. At least I know now they are not harmfull. No idea where they come from as I use coir and give my snails a mix of pumpkin seeds, hemp and sunflower seed once a week so I didn't think it was worms.
Strange how these things just sppear.
I have a problem with flies getting in at the moment. They are gettingon my nerves. Don't want them laying eggs in the soil etc. Any ideas how to keep them out. The holes are very small but they still get in.
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Post by AlienSnail on May 14, 2009 13:40:03 GMT
The flies are likely to sciarid fly (fungus gnats) though there's several tiny species that like to lay their eggs in coir. The grubs generally fead off spoiled vegetation.
Hypoaspis Miles predatory mites are sold to rid soil of Sciarid Fly larvae, but they will eat many types of very small invertebrates. Buying a tub may do the trick.
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Post by laurent on May 14, 2009 13:40:14 GMT
Hi,
I still have issues with these buggers! They vanished from my A. achatina tank, but are present in my A. reticulata, a lot, and especially in the poo. I wonder if they act as cleaners, or if they come from it (worm infection).
Laurent
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Post by AlienSnail on May 14, 2009 14:07:31 GMT
I'll have to try and do some research, but it may be hard without knowing the identification of the worms. I do query whther or not they are harmful.
I've never had an issue with regards the health of snails that i would ever have linked to having worms, not to my knowledge anyhow, though I'll feel awful if I found out that worms had caused any unexplained illnesses! But these do happen on occasions with or without worms in the tank. The first time I ever saw them was when I introduced the first tub of clean-up crew (white springtails and woodlice) into the tanks. I suspected that's where mine had come from.
They appear to come and go in phases, I thought I'd got rid of these too many months ago, only to find them re-appear in some tanks. It could be that they live on rotting vegetation and snail poo. They have not had any noticeable effect on any hatchlings that I've had though. In the past I've raised strong and healthy hatchlings in wormy tubs/tanks. If there are any dead snails with these worms on it then perhaps it could be that the worms just feed off decay, but I haven't noticed worms infesting the dead myself. I've seen springtails congregate around dead snails, but the springtails are not the cause of the deaths.
How certain is it that these worms live within the snails guts? If these worms need to live within the snails then why would they be climbing up the tank sides, unless they had been pooped out and were following a snail trail to another snail....? Could it be that they come and go in phases because they grow and mature within the snail and emerge as adults to continue some other part of their life cycle? If this was the case I would have expected that by now there would be a fairly consistant level of worms reaching maturity and exiting the snails, and that I wouldn't be noticing them in pahses. Or could it be that they don't live in the snails at all but are commonly found feeding on snail poo, and harmlessly inhabit the soil?
Has anyone confirmed for definite that they are found growing within the snails?
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