🚀 go-pugleaf

"Helena Engstrm" <hengstrom@mailbox.kdtnet.se> wrote:

>Does anyone know how to take care of leeches as pets? Where should >they 
>be kept? How often do they need to be fed?

Oh, my, Helena!  What on earth do you *feed* leeches?  

Yvette.

Pete Dumbleton wrote:

> : Does anyone know how to take care of leeches as pets? Where should they
> : be kept? How often do they need to be fed?

> Put 'em on your arm and see if they're hungry.  *Don't* let them feed on

Provided we are talking about one of the relatively few species which will suck
mammalian blood. Most species of leech are predators on small invertebrates (snails
are often a favourite food), although the parasitic species are the best known.
The medicinal leech can be distinguished from other large leeches by its iridescent
bands and its taste for blood.

Leeches can survive for very long periods of time without food, anecdotal evidence 
suggests that the medicinal leech can survive over a year without food. This, in turn,
implies that they do not require much feeding, although I'd suspect they'd LIKE to feed 
more often than that, and probably need to if they're to breed. They do not exclusively
feed off humans, but do also attack horses and other mammals coming down to the water.

Keeping them in some kind of watery container sounds fine to me. I guess one could
decorate the tank if one'd like - probably the leech will appreciate having somewhere
dark to hide, anyway.

Based on my admittedly few encounters, water quality does not seem to be a great problem 
for the medicinal leech - I've only seen them in small eutrophic ponds. Real medicinal 
leeches may be hard to find, they're actually rare or even endangered in many parts of 
their range, among other places in Sweden (where I believe the would-be keeper lived).

They're pretty closely related to oligochaetes, earthworms and relatives, from which they 
are distinguished by having two pairs of suckers, one at either end, and two external 
'rings' per segment. If I remember correctly.

Of course, care is much different if we're talking land-living tropical leeches, or
very specialized predatory leeches.

Of late I've noticed that there's actually a few places breeding and selling leeches,
probably as part of nature-medicine revival. Perhaps the original poster can obtain
specimens from such a leech-breeder.

Very much as an aside, I actually have a small specimen (about 5cm) of Horse Leech
in a paludarium beside me. It came in with the plants, and since it despite its name is
not a parasitic species, but eat small invertebrates, I've left it alone. This species is 
much more common than the medicinal leech, is dark grey, and can reach 30cm in length 
(twice that of the medicinal leech). Like many leeches it swims well, and
swallows its prey whole.

-- 
MVH: Mike Noreen             |"Freedom's so hard when we are all bound
                             | by laws etched in the Scheme of
Net: radharc@karkis.canit.se | Natures own hand, unseen by all those
Fido: 2:201/411.14           | who fail in their pursuit of fate."

In article <49dq54$554@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, yferry@aol.com (YFerry) wrote:

> "Helena Engstrm" <hengstrom@mailbox.kdtnet.se> wrote:
> 
> >Does anyone know how to take care of leeches as pets? Where should >they 
> >be kept? How often do they need to be fed?


I have found that leeches are most content to spend the day attached to
the soft skin in my armpit....

-- 
Grady Ormond                                  
mark1618@wilmington.net
_______________________________________________
"These are the signs that will be associated
with believers...
they will pick up snakes with their hands
and be unharmed..."
Mark 16:18 (NJB)
_______________________________________________

On 27 Nov 1995 20:50:56 GMT, sfnz@frog.thpl.lib.fl.us (Pete Dumbleton) wrote:
>(Other bloodsuckers like moquitos and
>vampire bats seem to prefer darkness). 

You don't suppose it's because they use infra-red to find their food?

-- 
#include	<standard.disclaimer>
 _
Kevin D Quitt  USA 91351-4454		96.37% of all statistics are made up

In <49d8bg$5ft@mother.usf.edu> sfnz@frog.thpl.lib.fl.us (Pete
Dumbleton) writes: 
>
>Helena Engstr�m (hengstrom@mailbox.kdtnet.se) wrote:
>: Does anyone know how to take care of leeches as pets? Where should
they 
>: be kept? How often do they need to be fed?
>
>: Thanks
>: Helena
>
>Back when State-of-the-Art Medicine called for occasional 'drawing' of
>blood for good health, barbers in America provided that service.  They
>kept leeches in the barbershops in clear glass containers that
appearred
>to be water, probably fresh, since that's their normal habitat, and
>probably not in direct sunlight (Other bloodsuckers like moquitos and
>vampire bats seem to prefer darkness). 
>
>Put 'em on your arm and see if they're hungry.  *Don't* let them feed
on
>any other humans as there *might* be a possibility of transferring
>blood-borne pathogens, including HIV/AIDS.  Talk about your one-person
>pets!! 
>
>Pete Dumbleton        sfnz@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us
>
>>>>Helena......I emailed you some advice, but beware of the
transmission of HIV and other viruses. They secrete only broad spectrum
antibiotics that will do no good in the case of viruses or resistent
pathogens..............Micro, the only live one.

>
>
>

The very idea of deliberately keeping creatures around that like human 
blood is twisted and disgusting! A pet is supposed to be a friend, not 
aan enemy, and anything that eats you is an enemy, nothing more than a 
lowly parasite!
-- 
Ascii silly question, get a silly ansi.

Regarding the keeping of leaches as pets.

One should not be so quick to be disgusted by the life of the "lower 
organisms".  Without creatures such as these life for us (and all 
other mammalian species) on earth would be impossibe.  Leaches 
currently are very important in the field of medicine because of the 
nature of the anti-coagulants in the saliva.  Most leaches are in 
fact predators that feed on other small organisms, which can include 
larvae of nuisance insects.

It is interesting how the concept of pets developed from a purely 
functional relationship millennia ago to the friends concept of a 
leisure society.  For instance the original dog companion was 
probably very functional, they consumed garbage and feces, sounded 
the alarm for other predators or strangers, and could be used as a 
convenient meal when times were lean.  This realtionship is still in 
effect in some of today's cultures.

If we only take a moment to watch, the behavior of most invertebrates 
can be fascinating.  

Jim Culter                         jculter@marinelab.sarasota.fl.us
Mote Marine Laboratory             voice (813) 388-4441
1600 Thompson Parkway              fax   (813) 388-4312
Sarasota, FL  34236

MML is a private non-profit marine/estuarine research and
education laboratory.  All opinions herein are my own 
(not MML policy) unless noted as otherwise.
Invertebrates rule!
FOR MORE ABOUT MML SEE:
http://www.marinelab.sarasota.fl.us./RESEAR07.HTM   (case sensitive)
On Sat, 2 Dec 1995, Caprina wrote:

> The very idea of deliberately keeping creatures around that like human 
> blood is twisted and disgusting! A pet is supposed to be a friend, not 
> aan enemy, and anything that eats you is an enemy, nothing more than a 
> lowly parasite!
> -- 
> Ascii silly question, get a silly ansi.
> 
>