Gut Loading Night Crawlers?

[AReaHerps]

I had never thought about it much either until I was feeding last night.

I get earthworms/red wigglers from Wal-Mart, PetSmart, or Petco. You'll find them in the fishing dept at Wal-Mart.

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I didn't know that regular 'ole fishing bait was good enough. I figured it would be full of parasites and mites, etc. I think what I may do is pick up a container or 2 of the worms, and put them in a container with "clean" dirt and wash them before I put them in. I'm not sure that would make a difference but it would be nice to have a colony of worms self producing for me.

[TeeRiddle]

I didn't know that regular 'ole fishing bait was good enough. I figured it would be full of parasites and mites, etc. I think what I may do is pick up a container or 2 of the worms, and put them in a container with "clean" dirt and wash them before I put them in. I'm not sure that would make a difference but it would be nice to have a colony of worms self producing for me.

Most red wigglers are bred for basically two things - fishing bait and composting, so ones you find for sale are generally for one of those two purposes. It doesn't seem like there's a large supply of them just as feeders and the ones you do find as feeders come from bait suppliers/distributors.

For instance, the night crawlers and red wigglers available in my area all come from the same source no matter where it is I go to purchase them (Wal-Mart, Petco, PetSmart, local pet shops, etc) and that source is a bait & tackle supplier.

As long as chemicals and additives have not been used on the worms they should be just fine for your frogs.

As far as starting a colony of red wigglers it's pretty easy. You can search youtube for a bunch of good videos on the subject. Search for "worm composting" and you'll find some good stuff on creating bins and such. This subject is mainly geared towards composting for gardens, but the worm husbandry is pretty much the same. The only difference is a frog owner is interested in keeping the worms, while a gardener is interested in keeping the worm poo lol

[arielgasca420]

I tried to start my own worm farm but it is better to start them off in the winter in your garage. I tried the nightcrawlers and they perished in 75 degree weather within a week.
The mites are not much of a problem for me. If you are making compost than they are amazing to have. They do not harm your pets but can become very prolific in your bins. it is easy to get rid of them. just put a watermelon rind in the bin and they will swarm. then you can just bury the rind and your little workers in your garden.

[BuckeyeHerp]

I use a 12 quart Sterilite filled halfway with Zoo Med Eco Earth(40-60%moisture). I drilled fourteen 1/4" holes on top and ten on sides. You'll want to move the coir around a couple times a week for proper aeration. Temp range for Red Wigglers is 55-77 degrees. Mist once a week moderately. The breeding cycle is 27 days. Population can double in 60 days.