Worm keeping questions

[ikissedafrog]

Do any of you keep worms? My pixie frog LOVES his worms, but ordering them a cup at a time is beginning to get old. Been thinking about ordering them by the pound instead, but have no idea at all how to house them. Seems all I can find is info about using worms for composting.

What sort of substrate should be used? What sort of container? Do they need to be heated or room temp? Feeding...veggie scraps perhaps?

I'm not interested in trying to breed...if they do, great, if not, who cares, lol. I just want a larger supply on hand that doesn't need constant refilling!

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

[Bombina Bob]

Hi there
theres a HUGE variaty of worms, waxworms,phionex worms, silk worms, meal worms, horned worms, earthworms etc.
i keep earthworms in a large tub filled with garden soil and compost, just cover the lid so critters dont get in there!
I would keep waxworms and mealworms or any of the Zoophobas larvae in a plastic tub filled one sixth with oats with
some occasional egg carton, for waxworms and silkworms, use a small container, steralite tubs and critter keepers work
well. with these worms, egg carton works well as hides for these guys, silkworms will climb up the plastic/glass though
to pupate into moths. most if not all adults of the worms are edible for the frogs. i dont feed the adults of hornworms
because i do not know if they are safe or not and i do not feed wadult silkmoths because theywill only last a week to
reproduce then die.

hope this helps!

[Sandy Bear]

I keep and breed earthworms. I have Red Wrigglers, European Nightcrawlers, and African Nightcrawlers. These are all vermicomposting worms. They are easy to keep and easy to breed, and they will go though a lot of kitchen scraps and cardboard and paper from your recycle bin.

With my worms, I use large rubbermaid tubs. I keep mine indoors as the African Nightcrawlers can't be kept in temperatures below 10C.

I fill the tub with moistened shredded paper and cardboard. I usually sprinkle in some coco-fiber or peat moss. I will put a handful (worms + castings) of worms from an established colony. You add food scraps (fruit, veggies, bread products) to the tub, but be sure to bury it below the paper products, otherwise you can attract fruit flies

Earthworms are all hermaphrodites. When they breed, both worms become "pregnant" and will lay egg capsules in the bin. The egg capsules are visible, they look almost like little amber coloured tear drops/balls.
I've been told that Red Wrigglers can double their population every 90 days.

[fish4all]

It really depends on what kind of worms. Night crawlers need to be kept cool with a more solid type soil. Composters, of which many of them are rather large, need warmer temps.

[ikissedafrog]

Thanks everyone! I'm sorry I wasn't more specific in my original post...I was indeed referring to earthworms! While my frog does enjoy wax worms, mealworms, hornworms and such, those his occasional 'goodies' that are thrown in for variety, nothing I need to really stock up on...although, those tips may help them last a bit longer!

Sandy...that was precisely the info I was looking for, thank you so much! I really think I"m going to give it a try here soon!

[Sandy Bear]

No problem! If you have any questions, don't be shy to message me!