Bloodworms

S

sari

Guest
Has anyone tried feeding live (as opposed to frozen) bloodworms to their newts? My paramesotriton has been eating frozen ones, but I just got some live ones from a local pet shop. I was told to keep them in the fridge in some water, that they don't need any food, and that they should live for about a month. Anyone have any opinions or experience with this?
 
Live bloodworms are just fine. Just be sure that he eats them all, because they will turn into a mosquito-like creature. Chances are that they are actually live blackworms, in which case they are still a good food.

~Aaron
 
Be careful of blackworm infestations. A few got away and into the gravel in the tank. Before I knew it, I had a whole colony in there!
 
Live bloodworm are imported from Holland into the UK.
They are packaged in just damp newspaper, and actually keep fresher in the fridge, if left out of water.
Dont worry too much about the mossies, they are not the biting kind!
 
How can I tell if they are bloodworms or blackworms? I really woudln't be surprised if this pet shop got it wrong... Do you need to feed them anything, like the same way you would gutload a cricket?
 
Oh, and are there any nutritional benefits to live vs frozen? My newt seems to eat them pretty readily either way.
 
True bloodworms are red and look like the frozen ones, sort of like giant mosquito larvae. Live blackworms are like very skinny earthworms, and they tangle themselves together in a ball. Just to confuse people, some pet shops call their live blackworms "bloodworms". I think both are good nutritionally. It would be good to use both.
 
I get through ten bags of bloodworm a week.(£3)
I keep them in a fridge,they last about a week . I get fresh weekly, i rinse them in a net under the tap for a few minutes, the water they come in gets i bit smelly after 3 or 4 days.
All of my newts eat live bloodworm weekly as well as waxworm ,crickets and the top newt fodder earthworms.
They are excellent for rearing larvae and juvs.
 
I should point out that the folks talking about true live bloodworms are all in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. Here in the US (and probably Canada) the only live bloodworms are the mis-labeled blackworms.
 
Martin, where do you get your bloodworms from? All the tackle shops around here (UK) only seem to sell maggots
violent.gif
 
Mike- like Martin, I get through about ten bags a week at the moment- I get mine from an aquarium shop. Most of the shops round here (NE England) that sell tropical fish sell live bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp.

I'd be interested if anyone knows if you can buy them without the bags- it's wasteful and annoying cutting them out of the bags.
 
I doubt that you will find bloodworms "loose" in an aquarium shop Caleb.
They are packed for display, and are more profitable if sold that way!
 
i have a great dealer of loose blood worm and it works out a lot cheaper than the little bags you get from pet stores problem is im in the southeast and i no caleb lives far away from me
 
Hi Mike,
I get my bloodworm from local aquarian shop,fishing tackle shops will get you bloodworm bulk wrapped in newspaper and loam. Match anglers use bloodworm for bait. The match anglers also call bloodworm jokers.
 
So I guess the bloodworms that I thought I had are actually blackworms. I sprinkled some fish food into their water, and they all bunched up in a knot right where I put it... I guess they were eating it. I hope its good for them. And the newt that will eat them.
 
hi chris he,s in enfield justin
 
There are no Petcos in England, huh? That's where I get mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Back
    Top