Question: Farming worms

[tinasvfx]

So I started farming a small ammount of earthworms since I've been having trouble getting them from petsmart the last few weeks.

I was wondering, is there any particular compost to avoid that might change the taste of the worms to an axolotl? She absolutely wasn't interested in the red wigglers and i ended up having to donate them to a friend that works at a bird rescue.

 

[iguanagrrl13]

Not sure about the compost itself... but axolotls can be selective on types of worms they will eat. Were the worms from PetSmart red wigglers or nightcrawlers? If your axie was used to red wigglers before but won't eat the ones from your worm farm, it could be something with the compost. But it is more likely that the ones at PetSmart were something different. There are several closely related species and I doubt the store would be able to tell you exactly which species they had. If they were sold as bait worms, though, they were likely nightcrawlers.

Red wigglers do well in worm bins, but nightcrawlers are more challenging. Check out this gardening website to learn the difference between nightcrawlers and red wigglers: http://www.pintsizefarm.com/red-wigglers-vs-earthworms-in-composting/


Check out this thread about axies eating red wigglers:
https://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=107311

 

[tinasvfx]

Not sure about the compost itself... but axolotls can be selective on types of worms they will eat. Were the worms from PetSmart red wigglers or nightcrawlers? If your axie was used to red wigglers before but won't eat the ones from your worm farm, it could be something with the compost. But it is more likely that the ones at PetSmart were something different. There are several closely related species and I doubt the store would be able to tell you exactly which species they had. If they were sold as bait worms, though, they were likely nightcrawlers.

Red wigglers do well in worm bins, but nightcrawlers are more challenging. Check out this gardening website to learn the difference between nightcrawlers and red wigglers: http://www.pintsizefarm.com/red-wigglers-vs-earthworms-in-composting/


Check out this thread about axies eating red wigglers:
https://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=107311

They were red wigglers because at the time they didnt have any nightcrawlers.. I was able to give those worms away though, so at least someone got use out of them. She seems to like the earthworms, sinking pellets and dried krill.

On another note, noticed the worm farm is starting to show progress. something has started to sprout in it, lol, and spotted a few eggs. ^^

 

[iguanagrrl13]

All good news! Glad you are getting it sorted out!

How do you have the worm farm set up for earthworms? I’ve never tried farming them bc I’ve read they can be more challenging and breed very slowly... and I have a huge demand from hungry axolotl mouths!

 

[Biev]

Earthworms eat soil, whereas red wigglers eat the bacterial slop off of rotting food and decomposing fiber. They will taste totally different, regardless of the compost.

 

[tinasvfx]

I'm using an old planter box. It already had drainage holes so i didn't have to make anything or buy anything. Large rocks for extra drainage, and just a mix of paper, soil, and compost. I heard they can take a while too, but honestly, I'm not in a huge rush. I figure it's a good backup plan to have though. She didnt like the wigglers, so farming them probably wouldn't have helped me out much. lol.

 

[iguanagrrl13]

Gotcha! Well that sounds like a decent set-up. I have red wigglers for my gardens, but I might have to try to set up a worm farm for the nightcrawlers as an experiment.We shall see! Thanks for sharing.

 

[tinasvfx]

Yeah, I'd farm the wigglers, but she didn't seem to like them. I have a limited space on my balcony for farming, so the planter box was a perfect size.

now its just a matter of waiting to see if they mature.