Idea for small wormery?

[Elliriyanna]

Ok i have looked at a ton of tutorials for worm farm and i kind of combined them into my own idea ( if it will work)

i was thinking of taking a 5 gallon bucket and drilling a bunch of holes in the bottom then cutting craft mesh to fit ... putting gravel in for drainage followed by newpaper and organic potting soil

it will sit in a container to catch the drainage and the lid will also be drilled

would this be ok?

how well do earthworms breed? i am only feeding one axolotl and two ADF ... how many worms should i get to start? and other than baitshops where should i get worms?

 

[Kaysie]

That's an excellent setup.

Nightcrawlers won't breed in a setup like that though, as they require a LOT of space. If you're only feeding 3 animals, you could buy a pound of worms and just maintain the culture, instead of worrying about breeding them. A pound of red wigglers is usually about 500 worms.

 

[Elliriyanna]

i thought earthworms were recommended... and i dont even know where to get red wrigglers or how nutritious they are

 

[Infamous82]

Red worms are fine and plenty nutritious. I've used them for years to feed smaller herps, and have had no problems. You can get them at baitshops or wal-mart labeled as red worms or wigglers. The only problem you might have is if you get the occasional manure worm mixed in. They will have yellow rings and when you grab one it will exude a yellow liquid which is bitter and many herps won't eat them, though I've had sirens, axolotls, and amphiumas eat them no problem.

 

[CJ1981]

Red wrigglers are earthworms, from what I can glean from the internet an earthworm doesn't exist per se but is a generic term for several species.

Try Walmart.

 

[Elliriyanna]

Any idea on cost? I would like to start the wormery sooner rather than later

 

[Kaysie]

$2.99 for 20 at the local MalWart. Buy organic online and get 500 for $20, shipped.

Most people are referring to nightcrawlers when using the term 'earthworm', but like CJ said, 'earthworm' is just a generic term.

 

[Elliriyanna]

where do you order? also dont they need more variety than just worms?

 

[Zhinigami]

well what I've learned from my newts is that variation is (almost) always appreciated and can easily be accomplished with a small breeding of another bug, wild caught insects or/and that annoying fly which always seems to get in to your kitchen but never out and spends the rest of its life trying to push its head trough the glass but ending up as a dead fly...
or just grab some isopoda and stuff from under a rock in the forest/garden.

 

[Elliriyanna]

Can i go any smaller? wouldnt a colony of like 60 be enough to feed 3 animals? ADF's dont eat much and i will also have frozen brine shrimp and frozen mosquito larva for them

i think this will have to fit in my room so the smallest i could go would be best

 

[Zhinigami]

well if you want small you could get some mealworms... they are not very good as food thought, but only takes up a lunch box and can easily get breeded so you get more of them.

 

[Infamous82]

Yes, Wal-mart and bait stores sell red/wigglers in 30-40 count containers for around $3. As far as a worm farm and production I'm not sure how many how often you will be able to produce. On a side note, do not refrigerate red worms as you would nightcrawlers, they don't do very well.

 

[CJ1981]

well if you want small you could get some mealworms... they are not very good as food thought, but only takes up a lunch box and can easily get breeded so you get more of them.

I would not rely on mealworms as Axolotl food. As a very, very occasional treat they are ok but they have a tough outer layer that can clog up your Axolotl's innards.

Do an internet search for Organic Earthworms and it throws up several suppliers. You can do a price compare and pick which one suits you best. Most of them sell wormery starter pack too.

 

[Elliriyanna]

it's a good thing i am looking into all this early so far the worms are proving to be expensive or difficult... i am mostly finding 2lbs of worms for 40 and 1 lb isnt much cheaper

 

[Kaysie]

2lb of worms is a LOT of worms. I currently have 8 adult salamanders eating worms, and in a month, I haven't come close to go through a 1lb shipment of worms.

 

[Elliriyanna]

i know thats why i'm worried ... maybe just buying them from walmart and putting them in a bigger container would be better?

 

[CJ1981]

That sounds like your best bet unless you have a bait shop near you that might let you buy worms a few at a time? My local shop let me buy 10 worms at a time when my two were tiny.

 

[Elliriyanna]

unfortunately i dont stupid city and its lack of anything fun

i will just see if our walmart has red wigglers ... if not normal nightcrawlers are ok right? i know they have those and they sell them by the dozen

 

[CJ1981]

unfortunately i dont stupid city and its lack of anything fun

i will just see if our walmart has red wigglers ... if not normal nightcrawlers are ok right? i know they have those and they sell them by the dozen

They will be fine, you may have to chop them to size though so be prepared for that, I know of people who scald them with boiling water to kill them before they chop up if that is any help? Just make sure you rinse them well in aquarium water before you feed them to your Lotl's to remove any traces of the untreated tap water etc.

 

[Elliriyanna]

if i quickly boiled them couldnt i just treat the water in the pot before putting them in it?