Releasing Red Wrigglers

[jewett]

I have a tub of red wrigglers I purchased for my caudates months ago, but surprise surprise, all my animals hate them. I am tired of the worms taking up space in my fridge and would like to just let them go in my flower bed, but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be running the risk of introducing some nasty pathogen into my garden that could harm any beneficial bugs that already inhabit the area. I have never fed the wrigglers, they have just been hanging out in a plastic tub with dirt for the past 8 months or so. I don't think there would be any risk, but thought I had better consult the experts first.
Thanks all,
Heather

 

[Jennewt]

I have two thoughts on the subject. Unfortunately, they are contradictory.

First off, red wigglers have caused serious forest damage in places where they were non-native but have invaded in recent years. (They alter the ecosystem by quickly degrading all available leaf litter.) Second, almost everywhere in the US already has red wigglers around, so you're unlikely to be introducing anything that isn't already there.

I recently faced the same dilemma. I admit, I threw them in the garden because I didn't have anything else to do with them, other than toss them in the garbage and let them die a slow death that way. Around here, there isn't much leaf litter, there are no forests nearby, and I think they' were most likely to just be eaten by wildlife.

 

[jewett]

Hmm, I guess I will hold on tho them, I don't want to introduce something that could damage my neighborhood environment. Thanks for the reply, Jen.

 

[fishkeeper]

What do you normally feed? I've been able to get most everything I have to eat red wigglers. But then, I've never tried nightcrawlers for any picky newts.

 

[jewett]

Hi Joseph, I feed primarily black worms and chunks of Canadian night crawlers, and frozen blood worms and white worms sometimes.
I bought the red wrigglers once before and my Tiger sal would almost always eat them, and occasionally I could coax a Cp into eating one. But with this second tub I don't think I have been able to get one of my animals to eat any of them. I have even tried soaking the wrigglers in water overnight to try and get rid of their foul smell/taste, but that makes no difference to the caudates - they just seem to hate them!
Heather

 

[Otterwoman]

I wonder if someone with a koi pond would take them, I have no experience with that, but I have a goldfish that seems to like worms. And she's not picky about them.