Visible worms?

Question
I'm taking my rats to the vet as soon as I can get an appointment, but I'm just wondering...

I have three female rats under 1 year old.  Tonight, one of them left a dot of what I thought was urine on my hand; it seemed a little gelatinous and clear/pale yellow, so I thought maybe it was mucous(y).  Before I could wipe it off, it began to bubble around, and I got it under a light-- there were probably seven little transparent wormy things squiggling around.  They were visible to the naked eye, and I don't know how to find out what they are-- basic "parasite" articles all mention intestinal/urinary parasites that aren't visible without microscopes.  So I'm confused, and I'm grossed out, and I'm distressed for my poor ratties.  Have you seen this problem before, or read about it?

I just want to know more, so I can feel less ick, and so I can read up on what the vet is going to tell me.

Answer
Trichosomoides crassicauda, the rat bladder worm, may be what you are talking about, but seeing it with the naked eye, doubtful. Eggs of this type of worm are excreted in the urine, but I am not sure if the worm itself would be.

Ewww....  :-0

I am wondering if somehow she doesnt have ectoparasites and when she left that little bit of discharge/mucus on your hand, you could have had the tiny lice or mites on your hand from holding her. I have had rats with lice (not the kind humans get with wings etc..) and would feel something crawling on me and would take a magnyfing glass and lo and behold, tiny tiny slivers of squiggly lice moving around. They almost seemed like tiny worms.  

Either way, as you already know, she needs checked out. Please let me know the outcome.  I am curious myself now.  It would be pretty weird but you CAN see some types of worms in feces so why not the rat bladder worm?   

I feel all creepy itchy now!  LOL!   Just be sure to wash your hands really well, although there are very few endo or ecto parasites that have both rats and humans as hosts...but better to be safe than sorry.