Anyone keep worms to feed their turtles?

Moozillion · Aug 15, 2018

I'm thinking very seriously about starting a vermicomposting bin to keep a year-round supply of worms to feed my mud turtle. Although there's no shortage of worms from my garden during the warm months, during the winter I can't find any at all.
That's why I'm thinking of keeping my own.

I've been watching lot of Youtube videos on vermicomposting, but wondered if anyone here had kept worms for their turtles?
Thanks!

Yvonne G · Aug 15, 2018

I cut a big plastic barrel in half (not quite a 50 gallon), drilled drain holes in the bottom, filled it with decomposed horse manure, leaves and garden trash (3/4 full) and placed it in the shade. I put my kitchen garbage in there about once a week, but not meat type garbage, including paper towels, and then lay a newspaper on the top. I keep it covered with a piece of plywood. When I started the bin, I had an active horse manure pile, so I dug up a bunch of worms from there and used them to seed my new worm bin.

You have to figure out a way to cover the drain holes in order to keep the worms in, and yet still allow the excess water to drain. About twice a year I add a bunch of leaves to help keep the composting going.

Moozillion · Aug 16, 2018

Yvonne G said:
I cut a big plastic barrel in half (not quite a 50 gallon), drilled drain holes in the bottom, filled it with decomposed horse manure, leaves and garden trash (3/4 full) and placed it in the shade. I put my kitchen garbage in there about once a week, but not meat type garbage, including paper towels, and then lay a newspaper on the top. I keep it covered with a piece of plywood. When I started the bin, I had an active horse manure pile, so I dug up a bunch of worms from there and used them to seed my new worm bin.

You have to figure out a way to cover the drain holes in order to keep the worms in, and yet still allow the excess water to drain. About twice a year I add a bunch of leaves to help keep the composting going.

Thanks, Yvonne![emoji2][emoji173]️

Len B · Aug 16, 2018

What I did when raising worms inside was take a tupperware type container and drilled holes in the bottom and then set that container in another container of the same size. There is a space between the bottoms which the excess moisture can drain, and if a worm does get out of the top bin he is stuck in between the two containers.

Pastel Tortie · Aug 16, 2018

This probably would not work for Jacques, unless you give her a part-time enclosure so she can dig and pretend to be a land turtle... but I thought I'd mention this anyway...

There's a self-sustaining population of red wigglers in my young box turtle's indoor enclosure. I remove the large plant saucer that serves as turtle pool, daily, to clean it out and refresh the water. I know when I lift out the pool that there will plenty of red wigglers, so I'm prepared with a set of long curved tongs to harvest a few for the turtle. I drop them into a fine mesh strainer to wash them off before I give them to her.

I don't feel bad if it isn't a feeding day. My boxie doesn't beg, but she's pretty well set. Between the earthworms and earwigs, she has plenty to catch in her enclosure when she's hungry.

Maybe you can convince Jacques that red wigglers taste like salmon...?

Pastel Tortie · Aug 16, 2018

Oh, and I often put food down for the earthworms while the turtle pool is removed. I don't put down the variety that usually goes into a compost pile, per se. I try to make sure that whatever "raw" ingredients I add to our ad hoc compost-under-the-turtle-pool area is safe for the turtle and the earwigs.

My boxie seems to think the earwigs make a good snack, appetizer or side dish to the "main course" of earthworms.

Moozillion · Aug 16, 2018

Pastel Tortie said:
This probably would not work for Jacques, unless you give her a part-time enclosure so she can dig and pretend to be a land turtle... but I thought I'd mention this anyway...

There's a self-sustaining population of red wigglers in my young box turtle's indoor enclosure. I remove the large plant saucer that serves as turtle pool, daily, to clean it out and refresh the water. I know when I lift out the pool that there will plenty of red wigglers, so I'm prepared with a set of long curved tongs to harvest a few for the turtle. I drop them into a fine mesh strainer to wash them off before I give them to her.

I don't feel bad if it isn't a feeding day. My boxie doesn't beg, but she's pretty well set. Between the earthworms and earwigs, she has plenty to catch in her enclosure when she's hungry.

Maybe you can convince Jacques that red wigglers taste like salmon...?

HAHAHA!!!! It’s worth a try!!! [emoji38][emoji38][emoji38]

Anyone keep worms to feed their turtles?

Moozillion

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Yvonne G

Old Timer

Moozillion

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Len B

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Pastel Tortie

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Pastel Tortie

Well-Known Member

Moozillion

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