Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It's about time to get everything set up for the spring, and I was wondering what is the best type of worm to feed boxies? I have adult Floridas and three-toeds. Should I get them Canadian nightcrawlers, European nightcrawlers, or red worms? Redworms seem a little small, and Canadian nightcrawlers need to be refridgerated. Plus the seem to almost melt and get all slimy in the heat. Has anybody tried using European nightcrawlers?

Thanks,
Steve

I haven't tried European but... if it were me buying, I'd buy all 3.
I can buy Canadian nightcrawlers & most of my boxies will eat them but sometimes they won't.
I can dig up red wigglers under my porch when conditions are right & sometime they'll eat those after they refused a nightcrawler.. I think each type of worm may have a little different taste (probably because of the different environment the worms are coming from)& boxies can get bored with foods.
Really I'd try more than one type.
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PHRatz

Hi Steve,

I buy Canadian nightcrawlers at Walmart. I like it that I can keep them in the refrigerator for a week or two and use them when I need them.

They don't last long once I put them in front of a hungry box turtle! I know the Florida I got from you loves them!

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Patrick

She looks healthy and alert. How are the sores and her shell doing?

After some antibiotic ointment, the sores healed. The shell looks good, I filed down some of the rough edges that were cutting into her front leg.

I don't see her much, as she like to hide in moist moss I have in her enclosure.
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Patrick

I use Canadian nightcrawlers and have fed my adults regular garden earthworms. Maybe I was imagining it... but it seems like the redworms have a particular smell, it's horribe when you cut them up. If you have an untreated yard or garden area where you can collect grub worms, those are especially loved by boxies.

The European variety, commonly referred to as "redworms" or "red wigglers" not only have a strange smell as Wings mentioned, but they also release a sticky yellow fluid. I've noticed that a few of my turtles will turn them down. Most, though, eat them just as heartily.

I pinch worms between my thumb and forefinger for smaller hatchlings. When doing this with Euro worms, the yellow fluid was very sticky and nearly impossible to wash completely off(like slug slime). One of the substantial benefits of Euro worms, though, is that they're very easy to breed. They are more tolerant of room temperature, and you can breed them by the bucket load in a garage or temp. controlled shed. They're marvelous composters. They'll turn kitchen veggie scraps into "garden gold" in no time.

I stick mainly to nightcrawlers and garden worms collected from sidewalks/roads on rainy nights.

>>The European variety, commonly referred to as "redworms" or "red wigglers" not only have a strange smell as Wings mentioned, but they also release a sticky yellow fluid. I've noticed that a few of my turtles will turn them down. Most, though, eat them just as heartily.
>>

Ok I guess I don't know the diff between a red wiggler or any other earthworm. LOL
I called the ones under my porch red wigglers because they are actually red & they wiggle. lol
They aren't very large but the turtles really like to eat them.
Come to think of it I bought a box of "red wigglers" at a store once & they looked black to me. None of my turtles wanted those but they love the ones that come from our own dirt under the porch.
hmmmmm
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PHRatz

I'll probably end up getting all three, maybe not all at once, but rotate them throughout the year. I was just wondering who was using what and what your opinions were on the different kinds.

Steve

>>I'll probably end up getting all three, maybe not all at once, but rotate them throughout the year. I was just wondering who was using what and what your opinions were on the different kinds.
>>
>>Steve

With my group well they all differ in their tastes.
What some will eat others won't so basically if it moves & they'll eat it, I'll get it for them.
We have some sort of black beetles on our fence often. My Janie loves them, none of the others will eat them. I sometimes find "silkworms" around the mulberry trees, Chip & Shell E love them, the others not so much. Some of them like grubs others don't... ya just never know what they're going to want from day to day.
That's why I like to try a lot of things often.
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PHRatz

The toads and turtles here go crazy over june bugs and their larva, grub worms. May to June the things are very thick, occasionally I'll leave the backdoor light on and watch all the toads collect around the light to eat them. Cicadas are a crunchy favorite too.