HELP Worm-like Creature in Water Dish?

hello! i am a first-time snake owner with a ball python named Bonnie. shes about 9 weeks old (the store didnt give us her exact age upon purchase) and a regular morph. (brown with black markings) about a week ago, i noticed a small, worm-like creature in her water dish. i was worried it was a parasite, so without thinking, i dumped the water out and gave her new water. i didnt see another one until today. my father told me to capture it so he could look at it later. its now sitting in a plastic container.

description: a tiny, brown, worm-like creature with a darker head. approximately a centimeter long.
behavior: if the water is disturbed, it will thrash around violently for up to 60 seconds and then sit motionless in the water.
images:
http://orig00.deviantart.net/3cd5/f/...an-dad3kg4.jpg
http://orig13.deviantart.net/29c0/f/...an-dad3kgl.jpg

anyway, to the point: i need help identifying the creature i found and deciding if it could be fatal to my snake. thanks!

Almost looks like mosquito larve.

Treat it as suspicious until proven otherwise. Maybe consider photographing it up close and showing it to a exotic vet?

Looks like mosquito larvae... Make sure you change your water every couple days and scrub your water bowl clean regularly.

tapeworm or some kind of parasitic worm it take it to a vet, then let us know.

Looks like a mosquito larvae to me.

I agree looks like a mosquito larvae. Where do you keep your snake?


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If when you poke it it swims by jerking it's self into a 'J' shape it's a mosquito larvae, they kinda have a distinct way of moving. I has little hairs so it's not a worm. 99% confident it's a mosquito.

Same, 99.9% sure that's mosquito larvae. That's just what they look like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BPGator

I agree looks like a mosquito larvae. Where do you keep your snake?


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i keep my snake in my room which is at the back of the house. summer in Oklahoma is ridiculously hot sometimes, so this state can be a mosquito heaven. i havent seen any mosquitos in my room, but i suppose they could get in when im not around.

if you're referring to her enclosure, i keep her in a 50 gallon tank with a grate top. i dont think any mosquitos could make it through the grate, but i could be wrong...

UPDATE:

thanks for all your replies! i appreciate it. i was actually quite worried about Bonnie, but i'm now confident she's safe, thanks to the help of you guys. it looks like mosquito larvae as some of you said. i'll make sure to keep an eye on her water from now on.

You'd be surprised how cunning mosquitos can be when getting into a space that has water to breed in. You're going to want to cover part of your screen top and have some hides that have damp moss in them if you want to keep the humidity up. 50 gallons is a lot of air space to try and keep humid when the room is dry.

Not sure if you stated how often you change the water, but it should be at least every other day, but preferably daily.


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