# Tiny Red Worm



## artistshrugged

Hey everyone!

Reggie has been doing so well since we moved that I haven't been posting. However, today I went to do a load of his laundry and I found a tiny red worm in one of his hedgie bags. I had found two similar worms in his old hedgie room in my last apartment, but since they weren't near the cage or his things I didn't worry.
I still have not seen any worms in his cage, but I am beginning to wonder what these are and where they are coming from. The temperature of his room is normal, 78-79 degrees. No changes in stool.

I found an old thread with a good description of the worm, and I tried to take some pictures of the (now dead) worm on a paper towel.

Old thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10177&p=88325&hilit=red+worm#p88325

Copy of description from thread: The worm is smaller than a centimeter, it is reddish-brown in color, similar type body as a mealworm, except it has tiny hairs coming out of its back end. The body is segmented. The worm was not in his poop. It almost looks like a teeny tiny mealworm with atleast 4 long hairs coming out of its tail end, it even has its legs close to the head end like a meal worm??


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## abbys

Wanna know a great way to curb your appetite? Google different types of worms...barf.

The closest things I found are cloth moth larvae and carpet beetle larvae. Do either of those look possible? Unfortunately, that's as far as I got before getting super nauseous. :?


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## nikki

Is this it?


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## velooyuotn

I am unsure if you can see that pic but if it is then it is a carpet beetle larvae. Just wash all the clothes and check your room, easy to get rid of.


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## artistshrugged

It does appear to be a carpet beetle larva! We've vacuumed the room very carefully, but as I have seen only one worm in the several months we have lived here, I am not too worried. Reggie's cage is elevated on a table, so he isn't near the little bugs anyhow. 

Thanks for all of your research, everyone!


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