Nightcrawlers as Feeders

by Ryan Huether Nightcrawlers are a nutritious snack for your pet reptiles or amphibians. A wide range of exotics love nightcrawlers, especially aquatic turtles, box turtles, newts, salamanders, and pacman frogs.

How do I store nightcrawlers?

Nightcrawlers are best kept in the door of your fridge as the shelves may be a bit too chilly for them. Keep them with the cup and bedding they come with and they'll last for several weeks. There's no need to feed nightcrawlers if they're being kept in the fridge. If kept at room temperature, they’ll only last a week or so.

How do I feed nightcrawlers to my pets?

Nightcrawlers love to dig so you’ll want to bowl or tong feed the worms to your pets. Hold the worm in front of your pet with some tongs. If the critter is not interested, gently shake the worm to encourage it to move around.

Why don't I see many nightcrawlers?

Nightcrawlers love to burrow and they hate light. They tend to be found at the bottom of the cup or away from the sides in the dirt. That's not just dirt! What's in the cup with the worms? That's Josh's Frogs Earthworm Bedding! It's made from organic soil and recycled paper and is perfect for raising or storing nightcrawlers.

How do I breed my own nightcrawlers?

The house of worms

Drill holes along the sides of the upper portion of an opaque bin. Place a layer of rocks in the bottom of this bin. Lay atop this a layer of Josh's Frogs Earthworm Bedding. Finally, fill the rest of the container with your choice of moisture retaining substrate: potting soil, compost, peat moss, etc. This substrate should be moistened thoroughly, just short of the point to which it would drip water if squeezed. The other two layers beneath are to help regulate the moisture content of substrate and reduce the likelihood that it will become either too moist or too dry. You are now ready to welcome your worms to their new home! Make sure that your worm bin substrate is kept at a PH of 7 by adding lime (the mineral, not the fruit) when the PH dips below this and also be vigilant to keep the substrate moist by sprinkling it with water if you ever notice the moisture begin to decline. It is recommended also to clean your colony once every few months.

The Diet of Worms

Unlike the other Diet of Worms, choosing what to feed your nightcrawlers will not be a subject of much controversy. You may use discarded plant material (grass clippings, vegetable peelings, etc.), chicken feed, coffee grounds, crushed oatmeal, or specialized worm food. Whatever you chose to feed them, try to space feeding out such that you do not have a build up of food items on the surface. The previous food you gave your worms should be mostly or completely gone before adding more.

The Harvest of Worms

Given several weeks, your worms will begin reproducing and, before you know it, you may have more worms than you know what to do with. Simply rummage through your colony and take out as many nightcrawlers as you have need of - be it for fish, a pet, or creating portals for interdimensional travel.

Josh's Frogs