Nutrition of Different Worms?

[LarissaLurid]

Could red worm or earthworms be bred in the same area without problems?

[Richard.C]

if they require similar conditions i dont see why not

[LarissaLurid]

if they require similar conditions i dont see why not

Is one healthier than the other?

[LarissaLurid]

Also I heard some people squeeze the dirt out of them? I wouldn't really want to do that..is it necessary?

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

No squeezing dirt out of them
Animals tend to not like redworms. Earthworms tend to be better.

[Bird_Brain]

No squeezing dirt out of them
Animals tend to not like redworms. Earthworms tend to be better.

All the Bluegill I have caught says differently.

[Fatal_S]

When Lucifer_Spades taught me how to catch and clean worms we did squeeze the dirt/poop out and wash them before feeding them off to the skinks.

[Richard.C]

squeezing the dirt out of them will render them not healthy anymore,lol

im not sure on if any are better nutritionally than the others,shouldnt need to squeeze dirt out of them i wouldnt imagine though,wouldnt that also lose what if any of the goodness in them to

[Fatal_S]

Pretty sure the dirt isn't the healthy part of the worm...

[Richard.C]

but how do u squeeze it out,doesnt more than dirt come out of them,sorry never heard of squeezing dirt out of them,just sounds odd to me

i thought what animals eat is what makes them a good dietry animal for other animals,you are what you eat,i guess worms would taste like dirt though,lol,is the squeezing of dirt out so the lizard doesnt consume said dirt?

[Fatal_S]

I'm not really sure why she cleaned them out, personal preference I suppose. It just takes out the dirt they've been eating (human-powered gut-flush). You are what you eat more because of the nutrients you absorb from it as opposed to because it's sitting in your intestines at the moment.

I don't personally do it when I feed worms, but I was shown how.

[Richard.C]

k,fair enough,maybe fear of gut impaction from the dirt was my thinking,just hadnt heard of anyone doing that before

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

No squeezing dirt out of them
Animals tend to not like redworms. Earthworms tend to be better.

All the Bluegill I have caught says differently.

Woops
Well... Bluegill are weird...
I meant to say most lizards prefer Earthworms. Redworms seem to have an unappealing taste to them.

[LarissaLurid]

No squeezing dirt out of them
Animals tend to not like redworms. Earthworms tend to be better.

yea i read about that right after posting lol. i'm definitely going with earthworms.

[LarissaLurid]

but how do u squeeze it out,doesnt more than dirt come out of them,sorry never heard of squeezing dirt out of them,just sounds odd to me

i thought what animals eat is what makes them a good dietry animal for other animals,you are what you eat,i guess worms would taste like dirt though,lol,is the squeezing of dirt out so the lizard doesnt consume said dirt?

I have no idea, I have never heard it until i was looking at some forum last night. that's why I asked to see if anyone else has even heard of that. I wouldn't want to be squeezing worms though... I know it's weird, but I respect the worms and insects too, I just want them to hopefully die as instantly as possible when eaten, not me hurting them by squeezing everything out.

Is this necessary or not? The washing I'm fine with.

[Katrina]

I've heard dew worms / nightcrawlers are healthier for reptiles than red wrigglers. I feed them, I don't squeeze dirt out of them but the way I buy them they some in dirt so I rinse the dirt off the outside of them first.

[LarissaLurid]

I've heard dew worms / nightcrawlers are healthier for reptiles than red wrigglers. I feed them, I don't squeeze dirt out of them but the way I buy them they some in dirt so I rinse the dirt off the outside of them first.

yea i heard there's a diff between red wrigglers and red worms apparently, where some like red worms but i guess red wrigglers taste really bad from what ive heard.

since nothing seem significantly more healthful than earthworms and they are easy to get I'll just go with those.
squeezing them out isn't necessary then? is it really that much dirt inside anyway?

[critterguy]

Redworms(Eisenia foetida) indeed are distasteful to many herps-crush one and then smell it. Some gartersnake folk claim they kill gartersnakes but I haven't looked to deeply into it. Suppose if y'all are using them they must not be a problem.

If you really want to gut load earthworms you could put them in a mix of about 50/50 crushed limestome(calcium powder, whatever), and topsoil for a few days. Then when they are fed they will have a very good Ca:P ratio.

[LarissaLurid]

Redworms(Eisenia foetida) indeed are distasteful to many herps-crush one and then smell it. Some gartersnake folk claim they kill gartersnakes but I haven't looked to deeply into it. Suppose if y'all are using them they must not be a problem.

If you really want to gut load earthworms you could put them in a mix of about 50/50 crushed limestome(calcium powder, whatever), and topsoil for a few days. Then when they are fed they will have a very good Ca:P ratio.

yea im not going to even try red worms, just to be safe. plus earth worms are easier to come across. i want to breed them in the future, but how much limestone would i add then? (not just for gut loading, but them to live in)