Living poo!!!

[Lena]

So I discovered the most bizarre thing today. I've been noticing that it doesn't look like my little one is really digesting the phoenix worms I've been feeding her, as they are visibly in her poo, but today just blew my mind..

I found a very small piece of white (urate, I think it's called?) and attached to it, a motionless phoenix worm. I went to break it off the side of the bowl and it seemed to reanimate and wiggle and crawl around the bowl.

Should I be concerned? Does this mean she's not digesting the phoenix worms and that I should seek another food source for her?

 

[Halley]

Phoenix worms turn black right before the pupate. Lucky for you and you leo, this is not food that he didn’t digest after he ate it. He just simple didn’t eat the phoenix worm at all. I have noticed in a huge number of the phoenix worms that I order, that they turn black and the black seems to grow, I’m 100% what you found is a phoenix worm that hadn’t gone through the whole browning process yet. And I can assure you your leo is perfectly fine, if this is the only problem that you noticed.

I hope that takes a load of your mind!

 

[david13]

arem you sure it just wasnt eating th urate or whatever?

 

[Lena]

Perhaps it was just eating the poo.

The thing is, this little guy wasn't brown/black, nor were the other ones I observed in her poo.

 

[Halley]

it might help if you got some pics for us. Next time you see it, or even this time.

 

[Lena]

I just returned the little worm back to the cup and cleaned the bowl so.. If it happens again, I'll let you guys know.

 

[Krabill]

My leos do not digest phoenix worms either. My three girls loved them, but had runny poos with phoenix worms in them after eating them. Once I discontinued using the phoenix worms, their poos went back to normal.

Krabill

 

[Halley]

I do find it extremely hard to believe that the phoenix worms can live through all the digestive juices in the leopard gecko’s stomach, as well as the other processes the digestive system would put them through. I have feed phoenix worms to quite a few of my leos and have never seen or heard anything like this. I would be very interested in seeing a pic of this.

It eating the poop seems to be the most likely cause to me, although I still find that a little odd…

 

[Lena]

I've seen this happen a few more times and they are definately passing all the way through her digestive system.

I've checked her temperatures and am increasing the heat in the warm spots from 83-85 to 90 degrees fahrenheit. I'm also switching to crickets tomorrow.

She also seems to have lost some weight, so obviously something isn't right. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully this was just an issue of temperatures.

I fed her a few small silkworms (I ordered them and they came too small) in the hopes that they'll help her digest a bit overnight. Going to pick up some crickets in the morning.

 

[Amber7399]

Ringo definatly does not like her phoenix worms anymore... i too found that they passed through her not very digested... so now i am using cricketss grrrrr... well good luck with her lena.. hope it is nothing serious ")

 

[Lena]

Well, it's good to hear that she's not the only one that's had little wriggling worms come back out her back-end.

Poor little girls!
(Can't help but laugh, though.)

I'm pretty confident it won't be anything serious.