worm

Question
I have two 5 month old male rats. Yesterday when cleaning them out I found a worm in their cage. The worm was about an inch/inch and a half long and brown in colour. I was wondering if the worm has come from the rats and if I should take them to a vet. A apart from the worm they seem their usual selves. I regularly clean the cage with disinfectant and have not found any other worms.
As I have no previous experience with pet rats I am unsure if this is something to be worried about, or whether in fact the worm has somehow got into their cage and is unrelated to the rats health.
Thank you for your help.

Answer

Hmmm.... Was it alive?  Where do you keep their cage?

Its not normal for rats to have worms of course....do they have any signs of illness such as loose stools etc?

What type of food do you use?  It may have even come from the food if its that lousy seed mixes they sell at pet stores that rats should not be fed.  It could have even come from the bedding.

To be safe, I would bring in a stool sample to the vet and let them run it through to see if they have any parasites.