Worms?! In an old girl!

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Cinderwolf

Cinderwolf

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2010
Messages
1,503
Location
Richmond B.C.
Okay so I picked up roxy tonight and after putting her back in the cage I noticed a weird spongy glob on my hand so I wiped it off and took a look at her anus and vagina.. I thought it was a mucous of some sort .. upon inspection I find another weird clump... This time I took a really close look.. AND IT WAS MOVING! It was a clump of worms, moving around fast. It was a whitish colour and tiny little worms! I wiped it off my finger and proceeded to freak out!

What should I do, I will try to get a vet appointment for Saturday morning but I cant know for sure til tomorrow... since it is the middle of the night.. should I separate her? Is there anything I can do for her now? does this mean the boys have worms too? I took a look at the poops around the cage.. most are normal, but some are smaller and darker? do you think those are hers? Should I separate her to monitor her bowels? I dont want to stress her by putting her in the little cage..

Everything I have read says it is mostly in young males.. she is 29 months and a girl.. what could have caused this? Do I treat it with ivermectin? Should I treat everyone?

She is so old and there is just so much going wrong with her, first cataracts, then I find a mammary tumor that might be growing.. now these worms! I don't know how much she can take and I am starting to feel like its leading up to the end :(
 
Poor thing. Bring those worms to a vet so they can check them out and know exactly what they are dealing with. I think ivermectin works.
 
Okay so shoudl I separate her? I ahve an appointment on saturday morning. Can these infect humans? my dad is very concerned.. Can they infect the cat? This couldnt have come at a worse time. Finals week.

So sanitizing.. bleach solution on all the toys? shodul I take down the dcn and scrub it all out as well? that mgiht need to wait a week or 2...
 
If you look through the thread I linked, there are a several links to journal articles with more info.

Worms are species specific but they can sometimes spread between rats and mice or hamsters. There's NO point in separating her since the worms eggs are airborne. You should print some of those abstracts out to have as reference at the vet, it's not common for rats to have worms so they may not have seen them for a while.
 
victoria said:
If you look through the thread I linked, there are a several links to journal articles with more info.

Worms are species specific but they can sometimes spread between rats and mice or hamsters. There's NO point in separating her since the worms eggs are airborne. You should print some of those abstracts out to have as reference at the vet, it's not common for rats to have worms so they may not have seen them for a while.
Click to expand...

Okay that is a relief. and I wont seperate her then. I will print soem fo the articles out for sure. Thanks Of all th rat problems I didnt think I woudl deal with this one.
 
A visit to the Vet is wise. In the meantime, check her over thoroughly for any sort of wound - if so, there may be a chance what you saw were not worms but tiny little maggots. Bring whatever you find to the Vet for a thorough analysis.

Best wishes!
 
Kwewu7 said:
A visit to the Vet is wise. In the meantime, check her over thoroughly for any sort of wound - if so, there may be a chance what you saw were not worms but tiny little maggots. Bring whatever you find to the Vet for a thorough analysis.

Best wishes!
Click to expand...

She has no wounds.. and they definitely came from her rear end and her anus ... Vet is tomorrow ( they canceled my appointment yesterday)
 
mamarat said:
Fingers crossed for your girl.
Click to expand...

Thank you, they are all acting normal, and Ihavent seen any more worms but I am seeing soem soft stools and some that are very small. Giving lots of foods and checking constantly for dehydration. I have ensure ready if anyone gets dehydrated..
 
I am surprised your old lady has worms, but I wouldn't get too worried about it. Worms are common in dogs, cats, horses, humans, etc. They are not great to have, but they are an "inconvenience" that needs to be treated. If taken care of, I think it would be unusual for her to have any long-term effects. Good luck at the vet's!
 

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