Worms Found in Litter Box

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This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 7 months ago by olie22.

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- 09/21/2016 at 10:59 PM
  olie22
  Participant
  2 posts
  I hope this is the right place to post this and I’m very sorry if it’s not. I only just made this account.
  
  Long story short, as I was cleaning my bunny’s litter box this evening I noticed something squirming around slightly, and taking a closer look I saw that this was what appeared to be some kind of worm or larvae. To be honest I have a very intense phobia of worms and I wish I could have taken a closer look to have a better description, but at the moment this just launched me into a panic attack After finally being able to collect myself I just threw everything, litter box included, into the dumpster.
  
  The best description I can give is that they were a couple centimeters wide and maybe a quarter inch long from what I could tell. Grey in color exactly like the paper litter. There did not seem to be very many of them (I only saw two) and they were towards the bottom of the dirty litter. There are absolutely no flies in my entire apartment whatsoever. Not even gnats or anything of the sort. Which honestly makes this all the more confusing to me.
  
  Obviously my huge concern is that this could mean something bad for my bunny. His poops look completely normal, he is eating and drinking water, no abnormal behavior whatsoever. He is very active and hopping all around my apartment as usual. The only problem is that as active as he is, I am not able to get him to be still for any period of time to check his bum or any other areas for signs of health problems. I am so concerned and I just don’t know what to do. I have attempted to wrap him up in a bunrito so many times and he just breaks free.
  
  I guess I am just trying to ask anyone who might know about these things, how concerned should I be? What can I do outside of taking him to an emergency clinic? Any advice would be very much appreciated.
  
  One other quick thing to add: As I’ve said, there are no flies in my apartment whatsoever, and there have not been any in any recent memory to me. However, I did just switch to a new bag of paper litter, and I’m wondering if this could somehow be related? Is it possible this bag was contaminated with something that caused this to happen? I have never, ever noticed this or anything like it in the past.
  
  I’m so sorry for the long rambling post. To be honest I’m just so upset at the moment I can’t quite collect my thoughts Thank you to anyone who reads this.
- 09/21/2016 at 11:54 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17244 posts
  If he is otherwise acting normally, then worms are not an emergency. You can wait for a regular vet appointment. You will want to treat him though because worms can potentially build up and cause discomfort. If your bunny has worms, they can be treated fairly inexpensively with Panacur (fenbendazole). It’s technically sold over the counter, but it’s a good idea to have a vet confirm the problem first.
- 09/21/2016 at 11:57 PM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  How long had it been since you last changed the litter box? If it had been more than a day, it’s possible something may have laid it’s eggs in there, whether it be a fly or a moth, or some other insect. The other possibility is that your bunny itself has intestinal parasites and the worms came out with some of the poops. In any case, I definitely recommend checking your rabbit’s bottom as soon as possible for signs of any more on the chance it may be fly blown, in which case vet treatment is required ASAP.
  
  I would also treat with an intestinal dewormer, just in case, although intestinal worms that come out in poop are usually quite small and fine, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I think ivermection is the correct wormer to use, though I’m not sure on the dosage.
- 09/22/2016 at 12:12 AM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17244 posts
  Depends on the worms Azerane. There are reports saying that Ivermectin is ineffective on some.
- 09/22/2016 at 12:21 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  Ahh ok, good to know, thanks
- 09/22/2016 at 12:29 AM
  olie22
  Participant
  2 posts
  Thank you so much for your responses.
  
  If he is otherwise acting normally, then worms are not an emergency. You can wait for a regular vet appointment. You will want to treat him though because worms can potentially build up and cause discomfort. If your bunny has worms, they can be treated fairly inexpensively with Panacur (fenbendazole). It’s technically sold over the counter, but it’s a good idea to have a vet confirm the problem first.
  
  I am really glad to hear that you think so. I would be scared to give him any medication without a vet confirm that it is okay to do so, but he does have a vet appointment coming up soon, so if his behavior stays normal maybe I can hold out until then? Money is extremely tight for me at the moment and I’m not sure I can afford what an emergency vet would charge me
  
  How long had it been since you last changed the litter box? If it had been more than a day, it’s possible something may have laid it’s eggs in there, whether it be a fly or a moth, or some other insect. The other possibility is that your bunny itself has intestinal parasites and the worms came out with some of the poops. In any case, I definitely recommend checking your rabbit’s bottom as soon as possible for signs of any more on the chance it may be fly blown, in which case vet treatment is required ASAP.
  
  I would also treat with an intestinal dewormer, just in case, although intestinal worms that come out in poop are usually quite small and fine, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I think ivermection is the correct wormer to use, though I’m not sure on the dosage.
  
  Normally I changed his litter box every few days (of course that will now be changing…) so that does seem like the most likely scenario to me. Especially since from what I have read and like you confirmed, intestinal worms would most likely be thinner than what I saw. The thing that I don’t understand is what could have laid its eggs inside my bunny’s litter as there are truly no flies or insects in my apartment. I just can’t imagine what could have gotten in there. I feel so awful about it. I keep trying to check his bum for anything out of the ordinary but he absolutely will not let me. He won’t hold still long enough for me to lift up his tail a bit, let alone get a good look.
  
  Again, thank you both so much for your responses and insight.
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