How to Keep Earthworms Alive for Feeding

Many animals eat earthworms, including fish, toads, turtles, birds, lizards and even small snakes. You must buy the earthworms live, so that your pets are able to hunt and consume them as they would in the wild. However, it isn't as simple as that. Because worms are often sold by the pound, you will need to care for the worms and keep them alive until your pets are able to eat them.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic box with lid
  • Knife
  • Potting Soil
  • Grass clippings
  • Bottled water
  • Mist bottle
  • Kitchen scraps
  • Fridge
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Instructions

    • 1

      Poke a few small holes into the top of your plastic container. These will be the air holes for the worms.

    • 2

      Add at least two inches of potting soil to your plastic box. This will be the worm bedding. You can also mix in peat moss, sand, gravel or coconut fibers if you want to.

    • 3

      Add bottled water to the worm bedding. The dirt should always stay moist but never soaking wet. Once the worms are in place, you should mist them with water as needed to prevent them from drying out and dying.

    • 4

      Place the worms in the box and allow them to get situated into their bedding. Place the worms in the fridge when they're not being watered or fed. This prevents dying due to heat.

    • 5

      Feed your worms by dropping kitchen scraps or grass clippings on top of the dirt. Worms will eat just about anything, including grass, leaves, egg shells, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and stale bread crumbs. The worms should be fed as soon as you notice there is no more food on top of their bedding.

    • 6

      Open the worm container every other day to allow your worms to get fresh air. Use this time to mist the worms so that their bedding remains moist.

    • 7

      Flip the soil over every month to prevent toxic gases, known as anoxia, from forming within the worm bedding. If too much anoxia builds up, the worms will die.