Worm or Parasite?

FrankiesMom

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Joined
Apr 1, 2019
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54
Location (City and/or State)
Tampa, FL
Hello everyone!
I made Frankie (3 year old leopard tortoise) an outdoor enclosure at our new home. I had him soaking in a small tub outside in the enclosure 2 days ago. He did not go to the bathroom during this time. I pulled him out and put him inside for and left the water in the tub. I was just walking thru his enclosure to make sure everything looked ok because i was going to put him back outside as it's been chilly and cloudy/raining the last couple of days but beautiful now. I looked in his tub and there was a dead grasshopper but also this thing that looked like a weed or something but then i saw it move. I scooped it up in an old pitcher to see if i was seeing things, but sure enough after the water settled, i still saw it move. Could it be some type of parasite that escaped from Frankie even though he didnt poop? Or maybe it dropped from the sky or a bird? It moves really slow so maybe its dying without a host? I'm posting a couple photos...I hope they come thru. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide. 20210621_150123.jpg20210621_151147.jpg
 

Sarah2020

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Looking online looks like a horsehair worm parasite. Reading about them is giving me the creeps!
 

FrankiesMom

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Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Messages
54
Location (City and/or State)
Tampa, FL
was probably in the grasshopper as these things (if I am right) usually escape upon the death of their host. lot of nightmare videos of these worms emerging from dead bug bodies
Thank you. I hope that's what it was. It was at least 10x the size of that grasshopper!
 

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