How To Keep Earthworms As Pets

I am appending this article cos I found it amusing and interesting and would like to share it with you guys out there. Feel free to read it and leave a comment if you like.

How To Keep Earthworms As Pets

Imagine having a pet that does not bark at all hours of the night, use the toilet on your favorite carpet and make a complete mess of your garden. Well earthworms can be a savior for your garden! Granted, they are not the most cuddly pets, but they certainly are interesting ones.
Keeping earthworms can be a very interesting experience. These amazing creatures will teach you a lot about the decomposition of organic waste. Earthworms are fairly easy creatures to keep, the most important thing you have to remember is to keep their bedding moist, but not soggy, all the time. This is because earthworms breathe through their sides, and their sides need to be moist in order for them to be able to breathe. Never allow the worm bin to dry out as they will suffocate without the moisture they need to breathe! When we talk about a bin, we speak of the container you will keep your worm farm in. Another important thing to remember is to not overfeed the earthworms. Doing this will make the worm bin acidic, which is fatal for the worms. Ensure that everything is moderated, as too much water will make the bin soggy and the worms could drown! You do not want the bin to be soggy, only moist. If you put too much food in the bin, it will turn acidic. If the bin smells acidic, you will need to remove some of the food immediately and place more bedding in the bin to equalize the ratio.
Now you need to know what to feed your pet worms? Anything organic that you can get your hands on! This can be food scraps that are preferably organic, such as fruit and vegetables and even eggshells. Most kinds of manure are acceptable, except human of course! Shredded cardboard and newspaper are excellent for a worm bin. You can also put other leaves and garden trimmings into the worm bin, but remember not to overfeed in your enthusiasm! You must never feed the worms artificial foods, dairy products, meat, bones, sugar, salt or vinegar. These food products are bad for your worms and will kill them.
Keeping earthworms as pets can be an interesting and educational experience, and they are relatively easy to maintain. Your worms will also be of great benefit to your garden if you decide to use them for fertilization purposes. The earthworms will reproduce greatly, so you will have a lot of composted earth to work on your garden with. The earthworm compost can even be used in your home’s pot plants. All in all, fairly granted they are not the cuddliest of pets, but they sure are the most useful.