Question: Cleaning Earthworms?

[zombieaddict]

So I bought some red wriggler bait worms from Walmart and... To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if they're alive. Shouldn't they be like... wriggly? They just seem pretty limp and lifeless to me(then again they're covered in dirt so it's hard to tell how much moving is going on) and I'm wondering if I didn't get a bad batch. Or did I somehow murder them by leaving them at room(maybe 66F in a cold basement) temperature for about two hours?

Not sure if this is related to being alive or dead but these things are just caked with dirt/whatever they're packed in. I tried swishing them around in water but it doesn't seem to do much good. Tried to feed one to my golden. He bit it, considered it, then spit the mouthful of dirt and worm out. So if this dirt caking isn't because they're dead, how to I go about cleaning them off before I feed them?

 

[SkollSunChaser]

I'd say if you're picking up the worms, giving them little squeezes for signs of life and such, they should be wiggling around in your fingers. Their activity slows down at around 50F, so I don't think that's your problem. Chances are that if you're picking them up, rubbing the dirt off of them in water and such and they aren't responding then they're most likely dead.

The dirt is easy to get off, just pick them up and rub the dirt off with tank water. They're slimey, so dirt sticks to them really well. When you hold them under the sink though, you won't really be able to feel any slime.

 

[sde]

I get my worms from Petsmart. They are always wiggling when I pull the lid off. They are always packed in loose dirt and I have never had a problem with it sticking too much. And like SkollSunChaser said, I don't think its the temp, I have mine in my basement at temps similar and they do fine for like a week or more. I would say just don't feed them, something seems weird about that. I don't know why they would all be dead. If it was only one or two, that would be one thing, but the fact that they are all dead is weird? Have you bought from this place before? It might be worth calling about.It just doesn't seem right for them all to be dead, and it may have to do with the dirt sticking to them. I don't know, it just seems a little weird to me..............

 

[zombieaddict]

Yeah it seems rather weird to me too. I got them from Walmart but this is my first time buying earthworms. I just finished up with my blackworms and was going to switch my guys over. I'll have to call them tomorrow. Poor little lotls will have to get by on freeze dried bloodworms tonight.

 

[SkollSunChaser]

Well, in the odd event that they are all dead, at least it gives you a heads up for next time to poke 'em all first and watch them squirm before you buy them. I'm an easy gal to entertain, give me little tub of worms and I'll just sit there, poke 'em, and call them all Mr. Worm.

Spring is coming, you'll be able to go outside for worms soon. Walmart is an ok place to get them, if you got them out of a fridge quickly then I would say that they're just sluggish from being cold...but since that isn't the case they're probably dead. I would dump them all out on something flat and poke all of them, keeping the ones that squirm.

 

[usafaux2004]

I've had hit and misses with Walmart.

Some worms are not really that big (so not nightcrawlers at all), some are dead/close to dead.

The worst? I had a box, it contained 18 worms. I fed my axies day 1, 2 worms. Day 2, 2 worms, Day 3, 1 worm in the box. Huh? Went to box two, got a second worm. Day 4, box two is EMPTY. I paid $6 for 6 worms in 2 boxes. You bet I wrote to corporate.

Now when I get them I go home and I open the box, and move the worms to a pet carrier (plastic, clear, a lit, but lots of airholes!), and COUNT, EACH AND EVERYONE. So far so good, but you can bet your *** I'll be right over there, day or night when I get jipped on a box of worms again.

 

[Kaysie]

I always check my worms before I even close the cooler at Walmart. I'm not going to pay $6 for 6 worms!

If you're in an area that's not completely frozen over (and your yard and surrounding is free of fertilizer, pesticide, etc.), you can make an easy worm trap. Lay a couple layers of newspaper or cardboard in the corner of the yard, a couple square feet, and water. Leave overnight and lift the newspaper for worms in the morning.

 

[zombieaddict]

I swear I opened a cup and saw wriggly worms before I bought them but I was also there with a schizoaffective client that was galloping up and down the isles about a mile a minute. So I wasn't exactly checking the worms thoroughly.

So I've learned two lessons! Check the worms carefully for life and DON'T go worm shopping with a client that is bouncing off the walls and known for getting into unsuspecting people's faces.

Thank you for the idea Kaysie! I'm going to have to try that. We have a small area of protected land behind our house(would have been more land but the -insert censored expletives here- neighbors blatantly ignored the conservation signs posted behind their homes and mowed down all the brush) with a clearing that's big enough to put cardboard down.

 

[sde]

Kaysies idea is a good one, I will use it too. You can also lift surface objects in general, logs boards rocks etc. Sometimes you can find some ( usually small ones though ) under leaf litter. And on rainy days you can go out on the road looking for them, make sure you wash them thoroughly though, they can have motor oil etc. on them.