One of our readers just found a thin red worm swimming in his upstairs toilet. He said it is 3-4 inches long. He also mentioned that he lives in a rural setting and has a septic tank, both of which could be useful clues as to what this worm could be!

Despite the photo evidence our reader provided, we aren’t completely set on any one species this might be. Rather, we have two suggestions that are both possibilities.

One thought is that this is an earthworm. Earthworms sometimes find their way into a toilet through a pipe or septic tank with a minor leak, or they get dragged in on a shoe and seek out the toilet because of the excess water and moisture. Readers find these worms in their toilets and other locations in their bathrooms more often than you may think!  Since he has only found one of these worms, he should merely remove it from the toilet and place it outside. If he continues to discover earthworms in his toilet, he might want to contact a plumber to look at his septic tank and plumbing system.

Another notion is that this might be a bloodworm, also known as midge fly larva. Like earthworms, readers sometimes find these creatures in their toilets or bathrooms. Unlike earthworms, these larvae usually end up in the toilet because a midge fly has laid eggs in the pipes and the larvae are now feeding on the organic matter that resides there. If he thinks this is a bloodworm, then he should clean his toilet properly using a pipe cleaning gel that is designed to destroy organic material.

Overall, a reader sent us a photo of a red worm he discovered in his toilet. We think this is either a bloodworm or an earthworm.

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