Quote Originally Posted by guidofatherof5 View Post
Walmart near by? They sell Canadian Night Crawlers. Canadian Night Crwalers - Lumbricus terrestris are a very good food source and keep well for a long time.
Eisenia fetida- Red Worms are toxic and can kill garters or make them sick. I did a little reading on Pheretima hawayanus- Alabama Jumpers and couldn't find any info about them being toxic. Before using them I would do a hard search about them first.
Thanks.

My info. source listed Alabama jumber as Amynthus gracilus. Yep, more research needed. I'll try to find the Canadians Lumbricus terrestris at WM or PetSmart. I recall reading that they are hard to cultivate, but can't imagine why. Maybe they just reproduce slowly?

The silk worm eggs arrive today. Thanks to the pet trade, there is much more info on keeping them successfully than I used to be able to find from the few fellow spinners. It is advised to keep them warm high 70F/low 80F while they are still small. Chilly temps may be the reason why my old colony died out the fourth year. I hatched out the eggs as soon as the leaves were out that year. Live and learn. It surprises me how many buggy feeders do better/require warm temps (our adobe house tends to be cold). My mealworm colony has been limping along all winter. It could use a heat mat. I've been contemplating getting a heat tape wired snake rack, and use it just for raising bugs and grubs.

Finally mentioned the garter project to BF (who thinks we have "enough" snakes. Well, he didn't run off screaming....