Horse Hair Worms

[BenjaminBoa]

Help my tarantula isn't eating, it's been three days, I think it might have worms!!!!!!! :cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

Just kidding, don't bite my head off.
No, I was at that.. dreaded PetsOne again, mainly because they unfortunately carry some specialty <edit> other stores don't. Anyway on my way out I saw a dead cricket in the water bowl and two needle fine brown worms in the water, one had begun to crawl out of the water bowl, the other just swam in circles, undulating. I'd guess they were both about three inches long or so but they resembled horse hair worms I had seen in an old biology class. I'm assuming they exited the cricket after the dumb thing drowned its self.

Yadda yadda, the dude there pulled the worms out and threw the cricket away but didn't do anything else. but ANYWAY
I've never seen crickets leave behind worms after drowning in my water bowls before so I assume it's not common, but, well is it? And are they able to parasitize a tarantula?

 

[THECHAD]

Hmm this is weird it really makes you think what you are really feeding your T I went to my LPS the other day to buy cricks and they told me they could not sell me any large ones but they could the smalls when I asked why the cashier said that it just came from management she did not know why I had to wait a week for the larges though. I often wonder if it was some thing like that though

 

[grizzle]

I used to work for a large well-known chain of pet stores. I spent years working there (unfortunately) and never saw anything like that. Maybe we just went through crickets too quickly for me to see that. Now we did occasionally get other beetle larvae in the shipments but nothing like that. That is really weird.

 

[esotericman]

Nematomorphs will cause crickets to search out water so the adults can emerge to mate. There is no risk to your tarantulas. Google away.

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/horsehairworm.shtml

 

[Jared781]

He should of cleaned the whole thing! if not for the T, then for you as you were standing right THERE

 

[Rob1985]

We've talked about this man, let is rest. Enjoy the pets you own and be glad they aren't yours.

 

[BenjaminBoa]

We've talked about this man, let is rest. Enjoy the pets you own and be glad they aren't yours.

That was more me rambling than actual concern for their animal, I was more concerned about my T's and feeding crickets. I'd rather not have any 8 inch long black worms crawling out of a dead p. metallica XD but its good to know the worms arn't a threat to the T's.