Is it possible worms or bugs (pretty big ones) are living ON my budgie?

I just took my budgie out of the cage and placed him on this little playground I have for him. The playground is on a surface covered with newspaper. About 10 seconds later, I noticed this strange light orange/brown small bug crawling on the newspaper right next to him. It had a thin long body and kind of looked like a tiny centipede. It was maybe a few centimeters long. I’m grissed out now and don’t want my bird flying around my room; is it possible this bug came off of him? Or is that too big to have been living on him? I’ve seen these bugs occasionally, usually near a bird item. How do I check him for bugs, and what do I do if this nasty bug *was* from him?

I doubt the bug was from him. Birds preen (clean their feathers) multiple times a day and would most likely find a bug big enough for you to easily see with your naked eye. A few centimeters is about an inch long, and that’s pretty big to be living on your bird. If you’re really worried take him to the vet to be checked out, but I doubt the bugs are coming from your bird. They’re probably already in your house and just living in the moisture near your bird’s cage.

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