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Forum DIET & CARE Found a worm in Mr Binks hay!

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    • BinkyMom14
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        I was giving Mr Binks his morning hay and a little worm fell out in front of me, totally freaked me out and I grabbed him out of his cage and took him to his play pen so I could check his cage for any more. It seems this was the only one (although I have not gone through the hay yet, I’m returning it). It was a little worm about an inch long and tan in color. Obviously I’m not going to feed him anymore from this bale of hay but I was wondering if he is in danger?! And also what kind of hay do you guys feed your buns that is the best? I live in the city and there are not really any feed stores (there is one but they seem to sell the same brands as the pet stores) so I want to make sure I give him the best kind possible and I hope I don’t run into this issue again! Any suggestions would be appreciated! Binky on!


      • hportland
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          Oh no! Well let’s see, while I have no experience in worms, I can tell you that a LOT of people on here (myself included) highly recommend Oxbow timothy hay. You can buy different sized bags of it online, so I would just get it off of Amazon. And then just re-order it when you notice it getting low.

          I’m sorry I can’t help with the worms Have you tried Googling this? Good job not giving him any more of that hay though! That’s so crazy that it was in there. I assume the manufacturer was responsible. If I were you, I would actually send them an e-mail informing them of the situation. That might persuade them to be more careful.


        • BinkyMom14
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            Can you buy oxbow in the store? If not maybe I’ll get one for right now and order some online


          • Sarita
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              Sounds like an earth worm to me which is probably a good thing for growing the hay but not having it in your home. I’ve found many things in hay and that’s not abnormal. It’s not pretty but it’s not abnormal.


            • LBJ10
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                The only “worms” that actually feed on hay (that I know of) are armyworms, which are actually little caterpillars. What you’re describing sounds like an earthworm, as Sarita suggested. Did it have a thickened part about a 3rd of the way down it’s body? That actually contains their ovaries. Anyway, you can usually tell pretty easily if it’s an earthworm. And if there was on in the hay, I don’t think you need to worry. There’s no need to throw the hay out. It simply means the hay was growing in healthy soil. They are completely harmless to bunnies.


              • Beka27
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                  Yes, i agree… There is likely nothing wrong with the hay… It’s just kind of icky to think about.

                  If you want to use the rest of the hay, you could put a handful in a cardboard box and give it a good shake before feeding to your bun. Any ickiness should fall to the bottom. But it was probably just an isolated “intruder”.


                • BinkyMom14
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                    Thanks guys I was worried about the hay being contaminated and not safe for him to eat. I think I definitely will start ordering the oxbow online


                  • BinkyMom14
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                      I looked up earthworms and it definitely want that it was all one size, very small and tan colored with stripes


                    • LBJ10
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                        Was is slimy? You said it was tan colored. Earthworms can range from tan to reddish-brown. Small ones may not have a well developed clitellum (that swollen part containing the ovaries). They can sometimes have striping. Were the stripes going horizontally? Like one in each segment? Or were the vertical, running the length of the body?


                      • BinkyMom14
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                          The stripes were horizontal like segments I wonder if maybe it was a young earthworm


                        • LBJ10
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                            It still sounds like a “baby” earthworm to me. They start out pretty tiny.


                          • Roberta
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                              Was it here on BB that someone recently found an entire mummified bird talon in their hay ? I remember that was pretty gruesome, someone else found half a mouse. If it was small and brown it could well be a moth caterpillar in its larval stage.


                            • BinkyMom14
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                                Oh gosh, I found a dead cricket like thing one time and that grossed me out enough but this being alive was too much lol. Ill be returning it just in case there are more and I am ordering some oxbow now : )
                                Thanks everyone!


                              • LBJ10
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                                  Roberta, actually the mouse isn’t too surprising considering tall grass makes an excellent mouse habitat. I could tell you a horror story involving a dead mouse in a retail situation. Not that was surprising!


                                • Eepster
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                                    Live bugs mean little or no pesticide residue, so not necessarily a bad thing. My only concern about a live earth worm would be they tend to need to stay moist, but hay should be dry. If it was actually a caterpillar or millipede or some such I wouldn’t worry at all.

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                                Forum DIET & CARE Found a worm in Mr Binks hay!