Just like other animals, grasscutters get infested by parasites such as parasitic worms. Worms that live inside the animals cannot be seen, but they cause the animals to hardly gain weight or even lose weight. If a grasscutter is infected by worms, it will not mingle with other animals. It will not be active.

It has a bloated stomach and will pass worms with its stool. When grasscutters continue to have diarrhoea, they may even die.

Parasitic worms mainly spread through unhealthy conditions, contaminated water and infected feed. Worms also easily spread from sick to healthy grasscutters when both are kept in the same place.

This is why it is important to deworm grasscutters occasionally by administering effective anthelminthic drugs or dewormers. But how do you deworm grasscutters or cane rats? Below are some natural dewormers for grasscutters.

Pawpaw and Pumpkin

You can feed your grasscutter with both pawpaw and pumpkin (especially the seeds) regularly as they contain anthelminthic compounds. Pawpaw contains carpaine while pumpkin contains cucurbitin. They both remove intestinal worms effectively and without any side effects on your animals.

How to Prepare and Use

They should be consumed raw to maintain all their properties. Cut the pawpaw or pumpkin into smaller sets and feed them to your grasscutters without removing any part. If you can get only the seeds, you can serve the seeds to your animals and it will work in deworming them.

Warning: Pregnant grasscutters should not be feed with pawpaw or pawpaw seeds.

Garlic

For years, garlic has been used for its different health purpose which includes deworming. When you crush garlic, there is an enzymatic reaction inside it that gives rise to an enzyme called allicin. It is this allicin that is responsible for its anthelminthic (deworming) power.

Garlic releases the substance (allicin) that kills tapeworms, ascaris and giardia. Additionally, garlic has been proven to boost immunity or resistance to diseases.

How to Prepare and Use

Take 1 clove of fresh garlic, chop and crush it. You can soak it inside 4 litres of freshwater for 24 hours and serve the grasscutter after.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has several benefits to humans and animals such as skin care, improved digestion and absorption of nutrients. It also helps with joint and gastrointestinal problems.

The lauric acid present in coconut oil is converted to monolaurin inside the body, which can destroy viruses, bacteria and parasites, or intestinal worms.

You can also mix coconut oil with other essential oils and use a repellant against fleas and lice.

Safe Dosage: 1 teaspoon per 5kg

How to Prepare and Use

Get the coconut oil in the market. Mix it with mash and serve the animals.

If you prefer inorganic deworming drugs, then you can buy drugs like:

• Piperazine
• Levamisole
• Ivermectin
• Benzimidazoles
• Nitazoxanide

It is not advised to give a dewormer to pregnant animals.