What is this worm in my toilet, and how did it get there?

Factual Questions
1

So, I look into my toilet and there is a worm in it. I’d like to know how it got there since I’m about 75% sure it didn’t come from me. My husband is freaking me out that it did, but I doubt it.

I’ve never seen a worm like this. It was about 3-4 inches in length and orange in body color with a brownish banding throughout the entire body. It looked like an earthworm and had that wider band around part of it.

Do these things crawl back up from the septic tank? I have 3 toilets and this one is on the second floor. The thing that will now plague my dreams was still alive and was quite content to stay there. I flushed it, but now I think it’s going to grow and come back and eat me. I live outside Seattle and have never seen anything like this in my yard or anything.

Now I’m starting to freak out a little.

HELP!!!

2

If it came from you it probably looked like this.

I have no idea if worms crawl up pipes, but rats and snakes can so I don’t see why not.

Do you have a cat? The worm may have been dropped into the toilet.

3

The band sounds like a clitellum, in which case you were probably looking at a specimine of one of the 7 known species in the genus Lumbricus, one of which is the common earthworm, *Lumbricus terrestris *.

4

If you’ve got a septic tank, I strongly suggest you get it checked out - sounds like you have a backup that’s bringing nature a little too close to the house. It’s not a parasite (you don’t have worms). If you have indoor/outdoor pets it may be something they drug in, but if not - call the septic guys - quick.

5

There’s a worm in your septic tank all right!