Leeches are bred specifically for home medical use at leech farms around our homes. They are sanitized before attachment to the patient is used only once.
After they have fed and cropped off the patient, they are anesthetized and disposed of as medical waste.
- How to breed Leeches at home?
- Leeches are escaped artistically thru any little hole.
- Which places that Leeches are likely inhabited?
- Leeches are only survived in the water and dried land?
How to Breed Leeches at Home and Start a Leech Farm?
How to set up a leech habitat for pregnant leeches and to be able to breed leeches at home on a small scale.
If you’ve been having a dream about having a leech farm and being able to multiply breed keep leeches and do various things with leeches in as much natural environment for them as possible, then this tutorial is for you.
And let's get started. I have a box; it's just a plastic see-through box that you will need to set up your leech habitat.
Now the reason that I’ve used clear plastic is that anything that has to do with leeches has to be clear and see-through. Trust me you don’t want to take anything opaque or solid and keep leeches in.
The reason is that you always going to have to keep an eye on your leeches and they must be very clearly visible.
Don’t buy any supplies for leeches that are not see-through. Leech.com has the best supplies and it has the best leeches as well so you can’t go wrong visiting and getting all your supplies from there.
You can also find the same supplies probably in your local market or grocery store or whatever supplies home supplies store.
I’ve put almost three-quarters of cold water from the tap from the sink into this create (into this container).
How to Prevent Leeches Thru Any Little Hole from Its Escape Artistically?
And when I close the lid it sort of snaps close although it could some leeches could escape because they are escape artists and they can get through any little hole.
You can also set up a piece of fabric on top, like a scarf or just peace of cotton or gauze. Well, gauze is not good because it is too porous it's got big holes.
So, when you have something like this you can then tie it with an elastic, and this will prevent the leeches from escaping.
What you need is just an elastic band to go around You need the elastic to go all the way around, to make it very tight.
And you can also use the fabric and the lid at the same time.
This way it will prevent a lot of the leeches from escaping hopefully all of them.
The idea is to keep all the leeches in and not let any of them out.
So, let's continue with the tutorial on how to set up you're bedding. Now what you’ll need is leech moss.
You will find it on our website.
Leech moss will be available here year-round. So back to my collection of leeches.
I am using a leech bucket for them, and this bucket of leeches is not set up for pregnant leeches or breeding purposes.
My leeches are very lively.
Which One of the Areas and Places Leeches Are Likely Inhabited?
My leeches are from the open running water streams - they are all over the place although I haven’t changed their water in a couple of days, they are starting to come out already and you will see that there are holes in the lid.
One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty-one holes...!
Twenty-one holes and I keep made holes on my buckets because I don’t want leeches escaping, and I don’t want to put fabric on top of my bucket and so I am not using fabric on top of my bucket where I keep my collection of leeches.
I am using a lid, solid lid. I find that the lid is far more effective because it keeps them in and doesn’t let them escape.
The leech forceps the leech handling tool which you will also find online on leech.
This is what you’ll need to do: I have purchased leech moss and a lot of them will escape while I do this but that's just the nature of leeches.
They will run. So, the leech moss that I purchased is probably about one two three four five six, or seven portions of it. When you buy one portion you will go to get about a hand full.
You will probably be able to keep about thirty leeches in it.
So about thirty leeches.... and with all the moss I have, you will be able to keep hundreds and hundreds of leeches.
Each portion is about two hundred grams.
All right so, my leeches are so robust and lively that they are just unbelievable.
And they are very clean and very beautiful, and I love them. Some of my leeches are big.
I have one huge leach.... and I am sure I have pregnant leeches already because they mate at a very warm temperature.
Are the Leeches Only Surviving in the Water or Even on Dried Land?
So, back to our setup, what we’ll need is because we have pregnant leeches as I said I take out all my moss and I will make sure that the moss is placed in the water in a propped-up fashion.
So that the moss stays halfway wet halfway underwater and halfway above that’s the idea.
Now I also have a little bit of wild moss which is available here in Iran and as you can see it’s almost identical to the purchased moss and I’ll just put all the moss that I have in my habitat.
And of course, my leeches are all over the place again...!
Now I’ll be very busy collecting them afterward, but the leeches are everywhere.
So what's going to happen is I am going to keep the boxes submerged. I’ve gone outside, and I found some weighing devices - I’ve got two bricks.
My bricks are going to keep my Styrofoam well underwater and this is just the perfect habitat for the leeches.
This is giving them enough moss and it's also affording them to be wet in swimming in water. So, in both sizes, I have plenty of room for swimming.
And I think this cover just about everything as you can see all the leeches that I put in here they either starting to swim or leeches are hiding because leeches love the dark.
Right now this is too bright for leeches. And leeches already starting to find dig holes and find their way into the moss. As I said heaven for leeches is perfect.