Strange tiny worm in crickets, could it be a Parasite?!?

[Warrix642]

I noticed a tiny worm in with my adult crickets today and I'm worried it's a parasite of some kind... It was hard to take a pic of it it because it's only aprox 1/32" long X 1/100" wide I hope it is just the offspring of a small black beetle that comes with the crickets every once in a while. The beetles are only 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch fully grown. The crickets all seem healthy and aren't dying off.

I hope it is all ok but I need some expert advice with this one. If anyone has any idea or suggestions please let me know. I have stopped feeding these crix for now and I'm gonna get a fecal done on a few of my chams this week.

Thanks,
Dustin

 

[billbuckner]

i have seen those once before in my crickets. i threw them all in the yard and whent buy a new ones, i didnt want to risk anything

 

[justjumpit621]

We get those in too with the small cricket orders. They are harmless and they can be fed off if you chose to.

 

[Warrix642]

i have seen those once before in my crickets. i threw them all in the yard and whent buy a new ones, i didnt want to risk anything

We get those in too with the small cricket orders. They are harmless and they can be fed off if you chose to.

Have either of you had fecals done after feeding these "worms"?

 

[billbuckner]

i have not, and my cham is actually on a feeding strike right now
poor fella

 

[justjumpit621]

Have either of you had fecals done after feeding these "worms"?

I volunteer at a reptile store, I don't know if they have done fecals. But all of the reptiles look healthy. All I know is that the owner who knows a lot about reptiles says they are fine to feed off. I don't think he would do it if they are parasites, and I do believe they may be beetle larva.

 

[Elizadolots]

I suspect those are babies of the "cricket poop eaters" that get tossed into shipments. I'd been trying to set them free, thinking they'd just accidentally gotten into this shipment of death....but it turns out they are put there by the cricket farmers to clean up the poop.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I wondered what they did to keep up with all that excrement. Theres no way you could keep cricket bins clean with the numbers they are producing without some help. Do you know what these worms are called?

 

[tkilgour]

They are fine! I do not know the name of them, but they keep everything clean by eating cricket poo and scrap. They do the same as pill bugs or rolliepollies. Keep a few in the cricket bins and they will keep it clean and reproduce. Eventually, you will have tons of them if you don't toss some.

 

[Chameleon Loco]

Wow a feeder that eats other feeders poop do they sell them anywhere

 

[Miss Lily]

They are the larvae of the Dermestid beetle.

 

[Lizardlover]

Yep. Tiff is right, they are dermestid worms.