Earthworm culture??help me

[Murray of the Deep]

i got earthworms in our garden treated with osmocote fertilizer if i feed my african dwarf frogs some of those earthworm will they die?if not can you guys tell me how to breed those earthworms?

[4mb3rNich0l3]

I wouldnt reccomend feeding any worm that has been in fertilizer...

-Amber

[Amphibious]

Just take a lot of worms, and some soil. The soil must be fertilizer free. I would suggest buying the worm farm they have with the bait at Wal-Mart. They some worms in, along with vegetables, grass clippings, coffee grounds + filter. Do not use any acidic foods (oranges, lemons, tomatoes), meats, or dairy. They will breed. They do take a little while to multiply, or nightcrawlers take a while at least.

[arielgasca420]

i wouldnt ever suggest feeding an outside bug to a captive animal' fertilizer free or not. They carry bacteria, microbes, and parasites that are foreign to a captive bred animal. when looking for worms at shops make sure they are not scented. I've been trying to find nutritional benefits between using european night crawlers and red wigglers but have not been able to find any info. I would only assume that night crawlers are better because they are fat, but the down side is that they compost and reproduce slower than red wigglers. it really depends on the size of what you are feeding. i think my horticulture professor mentioned that a cup of red wigglers can decompose a pound of kitchen scraps per week. pretty cool stuff. I assume that gut loading them with potatoes and carrots would be most nutritional for your froggy friend

[arielgasca420]

on a side note, you can start your vermiculture with a little bit of soil mixed with egg crates and shredded newspaper. make sure its newspaper with a soy ink and not glossy magazine. after a few weeks it will start to look like humus. stay away from feeding the worms fatty and acidic foods. they cant digest lipids and acid will kill them so dont over load them with coffee grounds either.

[Deac77]

we had one in school (basically just a compost pile) and btw amber your profile pic is SOOO awesome

[arielgasca420]

i just started a vermiculture today and got what i needed from walmart. Buy one of those plastic stackable dresser drawers for $14. Then drill small holes in the bottom of each pullout bin (make them small to drip water but not big enough for the worms to crawl through) at the bottom drawer i left it empty to collect worm tea water. I got the 3 drawer plastic dresser and have super worms in the top drawer and nightcrawlers in the second. With both I added coco fiber and veggies. In the nightcrawler bin I added some egg crates as well for fiber. Make sure you moisten the soil a few times a week like you would a frogs cage. make sure the water can drain or your worms will drown. you can use the water you drain from the bins on your garden. its full of microbes. Dont keep them out side in the heat. I keep them in my room because there is no smell. Dont worry about breeding because they do it themselves. Start with a few containers and in a few months you can have a sustainable supply. and last but not least, have fun!