Earthworms

Earthworms

Earthworms can make a very nutritional addition to your exotic pets diet. In particular frogs and salamanders will readily gulp them down without a second thought. Earthworms also make excellent feeders for larger lizards and exotic fish too. Earthworms are easy to feed, care for and maintain over long periods of time so you never have to worry about running out of live food for your pet.

To house earthworms you will need a suitable sized container, substrate material, food source and water supply. All of these can be obtained easily and cheaply. Earthworms absorb oxygen through their bodies and as oxygen is only present close to the surface, they require a larger surface area than depth of substrate. Approximately one sqaure foot of surface area can sustain between 1,000 - 2,000 earthworms. Earthworms also prefer darkness and shy away from light, so you will need a container which is not clear or translucent to keep them in dark conditions. A suggested container could be a 5 gallon bucket with lid. You will need to drill small holes (approx. 1/16 inch in diameter) around the sides, just below the top edge to allow for ventilation.

Peat moss makes an ideal substrate for keeping your earthworms and can be obtained easily from any gardening supply center. Other alternatives to this can be eco-earth, or coir worm bedding which is made of coconut fibres. You will need to ensure that the substrate is thoroughly soaked before introducing your earthworms as they require a 60% moisture content for the substrate. It is recommened you soak substrate over night to ensure the water is fully absorbed. A quick check for this will be to grab a handfull of soil and squeeze it, if only a few drops of water come out, then you will have the approximate levels.

When adding your substrate to the container, you will need to make sure there are no large clumps as this will impede your earthworms movement and feeding. Simply crumble the substrate between your fingers and slowly build up the layers in the container. You will need to provide between 6-7 inches of substrate for them to live in. Once you add earthworms to your substrate they should begin burrowing almost instantly as they try to get away from the light.

Feeding your earthworms couldn't be simpler. Naturally earthworms eat old vegetation and dead leaves which can be found in your garden or surrounding areas. As with all things collected from nature you must be careful to not introduce pesticides and toxins. A natural source of dead vegeation you could use is dead sycamore or oak leaves. This can however be quite a chore going out collecting dead leaves and vegetation. One of the more convenient sources of earthworm food is bran and chicken mash. You can buy either the chick starter or laying mash, altho the laying mach generally has a higher protein content. Avoid buying the type known as "crumbles" as you require the finest ground mash available.

To feed your eathworms, sprinkle the mash or leaves over the top of the substrate and lightly spray with water. This will allow your earthworms to more easily consume their food. You will need to learn how much to feed your earthworms over a 24 hour period and remember it is better to underfeed than overfeed! If you overfeed your earthworms the excess will begin rotting in the substrate and produce a condition known as "protein poisoning." This is caused by a build up of acid in substrate and can result in the death of your earthworms. If you notice this occuring, please remove all earthworms from the substrate and start again with fresh material. Please note, you should never mix food into the substrate! Always leave it directly on the surface. Always harvest the earthworms you intend to feed to your exotic pet prior to feeding your eathworms.

General Maintenance

Do not keep your earthworms in direct sunlight as this can cause the container and your earthworms to overheat. You should lightly toss the substrate every couple of weeks allowing the bottom and top layers to mix. This process allows oxygen to be redistriburted throughout the substrate and will help your earthworms to breathe more freely when burrowing. You will also need to monitor the moisture content of the substrate. If it seems to be getting dryer then you should lighty spray the surface with a fine mist.