Leeches and my other pets

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
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89
Hirudo nipponia this species sucks blood.

Whitmania pigra eats snails, and prefers ones without operculums

Whitmania edentula eats same stuff as W. Pigra

Erpobdella probably, they scavenge dead animals and eat other invertebrates

Orobdella sp. Eats earthworms

Pomacea canaliculata, channeled apple snail

Hydrophilus acuminatus eating sweet potato
 

RTTB

Arachnoprince
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Dec 4, 2016
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1,771
A leech collection. That's really cool. What kind of enclosures do you use for them?
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
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Aug 1, 2016
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89
A leech collection. That's really cool. What kind of enclosures do you use for them?
Thank you, I keep the Hirudo nipponia and Whitmania pigra in plastic animal cages with a few inches of water with container of moss for them to lay their cocoons in. The other aquatics just live in deli cups with some water, I put pantyhose over all the aquatic containers so there is ventilation and so they can't escape. The Orobdella have a layer of soil, a piece of wood to hide under and some moss on top.
 

Umbra

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 1, 2013
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48
Nice leeches! I've kept a few species myself, most have been predators on small aquatic oligochaetes and scavengers.
 

Salmonsaladsandwich

Arachnolord
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Jul 28, 2016
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633
Neat collection.

I've tried to keep Macrobdella decora (a beautiful species that I believe to be a mimic of toxic newts) but they don't seem to readily feed on human blood in captivity and I can't stomach feeding them their preferred prey, living amphibians.
 

Umbra

Arachnopeon
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Dec 1, 2013
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48
Neat collection.

I've tried to keep Macrobdella decora (a beautiful species that I believe to be a mimic of toxic newts) but they don't seem to readily feed on human blood in captivity and I can't stomach feeding them their preferred prey, living amphibians.
I've kept this species as well and they've taken feeder fish, live or freshly killed.
 

basin79

ArachnoGod
Active Member
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Sep 14, 2013
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5,893
Video of how Orobdella eats.
Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Are there are leeches that prey on insects? I'm guessing not as they'd not be the easiest thing for them to catch but it'd be phenomenal if there is.
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
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Aug 1, 2016
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Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Are there are leeches that prey on insects? I'm guessing not as they'd not be the easiest thing for them to catch but it'd be phenomenal if there is.
I don't think there are any leeches that eat insects, but there are terrestrial nemerteans that do.
 

Belegnole

Tarantula Guy
Old Timer
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Nov 30, 2005
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Interesting, I don't believe that I have ever considered keeping leaches as pets. Unfortunately I have spent a lot of time having to remove them and considering them as pests. I can definitely see the draw of keeping them as they are interesting and unique.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
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Feb 22, 2013
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I have to ask. For the one that sucks blood... do you let it feed on you? o_O If not, then how to you feed it?
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
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Aug 1, 2016
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Sometimes I let them feed on me I also fill up a sausage casing with warm pig blood and give that to them, they don't always eat off of that though.
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
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Hydrophilus acuminatus, or water scavenger beetles made an eggcase last night. The tube is so the eggs get air.
 

lovebugfarm

Arachnopeon
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Oct 7, 2015
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Ok way cool so do the leeches breed for you in captivity? Are they communal? Is there one that reproduces faster then the others? Which would be the best for handling? I might have leeches in my collection soon....
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
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Ok way cool so do the leeches breed for you in captivity? Are they communal? Is there one that reproduces faster then the others? Which would be the best for handling? I might have leeches in my collection soon....
I've bred a Glossiphonia sp, thats about it, but some of my others have a light band around behind their heads which means they could create cocoons soon. Most aren't that communal, they ignore eachother, but some will group together. I'm not sure about reproductive rates, leeches usually create plenty of cocoons though. Leeches usually don't enjoy being handled but larger ones probably would mind less.
 

Spidermolt

Arachnoknight
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May 29, 2015
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Sometimes I let them feed on me I also fill up a sausage casing with warm pig blood and give that to them, they don't always eat off of that though.
Where do you get the leeches and pig blood from?
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
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I got leeches from a lotus pond and a nearby park, the pig blood I just got from the grocery store in the frozen meat section, like where the turkey is.
 

lovebugfarm

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
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Do Erpobdella hunt living inverts or do you give them fresh killed insects? Where did you get the orobdella? Those only eat earthworms right and get fairly large they wouldn't bite a person would they?...Would they bite out of defensiveness even if they don't drink blood? If there isn't someone to buy them from what is the best way to make a leech trap?
 
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