PLEASE tell me this isn't a problem!

[Augie]

So I was cleaning Reggie's tank for the first time since I put him in there and saw these little worms crawling around the bottom of the tank after I removed the paper towels. At first I thought they were little pieces of one of the driftwood logs I have in there but to my surprise, were moving around.

I scooped them up with a paper towel and got a better look at them. They looked like very tiny versions of the cleaner crews that sometimes tag along with the crickets I buy at my local pet shop. He had pooped in the tank an hour or two prior to me cleaning it, so naturally I started thinking pinworms and cleaned the hell out of my hands (along with the tank, of course).

But then I looked online and they looked nothing like pinworms. Small, yes (incredibly tiny, actually), but also black and they had what looked like little hairs all along their bodies. Any ideas?

Reggie's behavior hasn't changed. If anything he is more active than ever now that he has more space. Any insights you can give will be well-received!

 

[Noella]

I'm pretty sure they're cleaner crews. But you can never be too safe. I'd bake the basking logs and basking rocks in the oven just to be on the safe side. Wouldn't want anything to happen to Reggie by ingesting those cleaner crews.

For spot cleaning I use hand sanitizer. For general all around cleaning, I use warm water and vinegar. (Since I'm sensitive to bleach and have asthma, I use vinegar over bleach.) You can clean the tank with either bleach and water or use vinegar and water.

 

[Augie]

I actually froze the driftwood pieces overnight last week. I'm not as concerned as I was yesterday because after cleaning the cricket keeper, I found a few more. Plus they were one the same side that I dump the crickets when feeding him.

Oh well, at least I gave the tank a good cleaning. I use vein bar and water, for pretty much the same reason.

 

[joshjack90]

yup i have these in my roach bin every now and then