Hookworm

[grunt_11b]

How common is it for a ball python to have hookworm. And can the snake contract this from a bad rodent. I got a normal female in with a package deal and she died about 3 days ago. She had been having diarea, and not eating. But I thought the not eating maybe from it being breeding season. I was going to take her to the vet on wed this week but she passed on on tue. Now I have had a couple other fecal exams on some other snakes and the vet found hookworms in their tests. I'm treating it with panacur so I hope I caught it in time. I'm treating all the snakes I got in the deal. But I was wanting to know if the snake can get this parasite from bad rats. Any way thanks for any help and info you can give me.

Alan

[Texas Dan]

Hookworm? Isn't that something you get while wondering out in the grass?

I'm not an entomologist (spelling?) but I think it'd be hard for a snake to get it from an animal.

[grunt_11b]

No it's a parasite that is found in their crap.

[Texas Dan]

No it's a parasite that is found in their crap.

In who's crap? The snake or the rat?

[Texas Dan]

The infective larvae develop and survive in an environment of damp dirt, particularly sandy and loamy soil. They cannot survive in clay or muck. The main lines of precaution are those dictated by sanitary science:

Prevent skin/soil contact: do not walk barefoot
Do not defecate outside latrines, toilets etc.
Do not use human excrement or raw sewage as manure/fertilizer in agriculture
Deworm pet dogs — canine and feline hookworms rarely develop to adulthood in humans (Ancylostoma caninum, the common dog hookworm, occasionally develops into an adult to cause eosinophilic enteritis in people), but their invasive larvae can cause an itchy rash called cutaneous larva migrans.
Moxidectin has been released in the United States as part of Advantage Multi™ (imidacloprid + moxidectin) Topical Solution for dogs and cats. It utilizes moxidectin for control and prevention of roundworms, hookworms, heartworms, and whipworms.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Mississippians were plagued by hookworms. They did not have indoor plumbing or proper sanitation facilities. As a result, hookworms, spread by fecal contamination of the environment, were very prevalent (as well as other diseases caused by lack of sanitation).

[MarkS]

Hookworms are an intestinal parasite that sucks blood from the walls of the intestines. They can be acquired either through ingestion of or skin penetration by infective larvae, I know that people can pick up hookworms by walking around barefoot on infected ground. I'm not sure how that would work with a snake that has scales but I would imagine that it's possible for them to pick up the parasite by slithering through infected feces if the larvae can worm they're way up to the skin between the scales

Mark

[tigerlily]

The vet probably found the hookworm eggs in the fecal sample of the snake. Fortunately, it's very simple to treat. First and foremost, I'd recommend doing a VERY thorough decontamination of all cages, water bowls, and any other items within the enclosure. You don't want to go through all the deworming, only to be reinfected later.

I have heard some people claim that the eggs can be transmitted from a rodent to a snake, but I do not believe this to be the case. Most parasites are host specific and cannot survive outside of those hosts for any length of time. Most likely your snake was infected by contamination from the fecal matter of another snake.

[stormbourne]

As far as I know, Hookworms lay their eggs on the surface of the anus, which means that if a snake ingests a rat that has hookworms that have recently laid eggs the snake should have a chance to contract the parasite by ingesting the larvae. I am not sure if the larvae can withstand the intestinal juices of a snake but if they can, I am sure they can get hookworms. I remember when I was a little kid, and going into an old house with my mother she told me to be careful because there were tiny worms, I was afraid to breathe!

[SatanicIntention]

As far as I know, Hookworms lay their eggs on the surface of the anus, which means that if a snake ingests a rat that has hookworms that have recently laid eggs the snake should have a chance to contract the parasite by ingesting the larvae. I am not sure if the larvae can withstand the intestinal juices of a snake but if they can, I am sure they can get hookworms. I remember when I was a little kid, and going into an old house with my mother she told me to be careful because there were tiny worms, I was afraid to breathe!

Sorry, that is not correct, those are pinworms you are thinking about and they present no harm to their host.

[stormbourne]

I guess you're right about the hookworms. The itching and irritation of roundworms could lead to infection. That's not a direct harm but it's still possible.