A reader found a red worm in her bathtub. She did some independent research online, but wants to confirm a few points with us. She wants to know if the worm did indeed come from the bathtub, or if it came from one of her pets or children. In addition, she wants to confirm that the creature isn’t harmful to her pets or children. She is considering bringing her family to the doctor to be tested for parasites, for some additional peace of mind. Here is a photo of the creature, with a lighter for scale:

We are happy to inform our reader that we believe she has found an earthworm. Earthworms are reddish-grey, segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida. They live in moist soil, and can survive submerged in water as long as the water is oxygen-rich. They are not known to be harmful to humans or pets.

We are confident that this worm didn’t come from her children or pets in a parasitic sense, but it could have been transported to the bathtub by a child or cat or dog. The worm might have been unsuspectedly attached to fur or a shoe and ended up in the tub by accident. It is also very possible that the worm came from the bathtub drain, as our reader initially suspected. This is actually a pretty common occurrence that we hear about at All About Worms. As long as she doesn’t continue to find creatures in her bathtub she shouldn’t stress about the situation. If finding specimens in the tub becomes a regular thing, she might want to have the plumbing system examined by a professional.

In conclusion, one of our readers found an earthworm in her bathtub. We don’t think it is necessary for her to take her children to the doctor to be tested for parasites since earthworms aren’t harmful to humans or pets.