Worm Digest - Re:Stranger in the midst - is this common?

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Brenda
User

A Juvenile Earthworm

Posts: 36

Stranger in the midst - is this common? - 2009/01/15 06:26 I was digging through my bins, picking out cocoons for setting up a little hatchery when a Canadian Nightcrawler slithered out of the bedding. Scared the...uhh,

'castings' out of me!
I bought my red worms from a bait shop. I'm sure that there were only red worms in the cups. I had to touch each one as it went into the bin.

My only guess would be a rogue C.N.C. cocoon mixed in with the Reds.
Has anyone else had a stranger in the bin?
I would release it, but there is no place in our area wher the poor thing would survive. Our neighborhood is a new development without a tree in sight. So, no layer of damp leaves, and our ground is hard-packed clay.

Should I leave it in there? Will he complement the bin, be detrimental, or indifferent? I get some leaves from a friend across town, but not enough to set up an outdoor compost bin...maybe enough to keep the CNC "happy", but that's about it.
Thanks!
Ang

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timnbama
User

A Protected Species Earthworm

Posts: 167

Re:Stranger in the midst - is this common? - 2009/01/15 21:15 Are you sure that it's not a gray wiggler instead of a canadian? Depending on the depth of the bedding and the temp a CNC probaly wouldn't have made it this far. If it is a wiggler it won't hurt a thing as they prefer to work deeper than reds and will tolerate slighlty more moisture. I have some beds of African nightcrawlers with some wigglers mixed in. They get along just fine and there is no problem telling them apart when they're dug up.

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Brenda
User

A Juvenile Earthworm

Posts: 36

Re:Stranger in the midst - is this common? - 2009/01/16 07:02 I'm pretty sure it's a Canadian. My brother is an avid fisherman and I'm somewhat familiar with the appearance. This guy was probably at least 10"-12" long (when on the run)

I went to Wal-mart and took a look at their bait worms. They only carry Canadian and what they sell look like miniature versions of this guy.
His tail became sort of a flattened "arrow-shape" when he was distressed tail when which flattens out to some degree. I asked the bait shop guy (I didn't take the worm in, just described it). He told me that his "bait" supplier only supplies reds and wigglers and that, based on description, he's pretty sure it is a Canadian.
I live in a warm area, and have a layer of damp leaves on top of my bins at the moment.
I certainly can't be certain, but from what I've learned from talking to people who should know, I would think he's a Canadian.
I had brought my plants in a couple of days ago due to the hard freeze we've had past few days. I dug him out and tossed him into my largest flower pot (it has a fairly large ficus tree in it: the pot is probably 2'-3'across and about the same depth. I had left the ficus outside during a light freeze (which the weather guy "forgot" to metion) , and the surface of the planer is now covered with not only ficus leaves but other leaves which have taken up residence there. If he would be beneficial to the reds, I didn't have the heart to throw him out into our hard-packed clay "lawn" (ahem).
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Bren

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Brenda
User

A Juvenile Earthworm

Posts: 36

Re:Stranger in the midst - is this common? - 2009/01/16 08:27 p.s.
forgive the horrible spelling and grammer in that reply. I was typing in my sleep. Lol!
I should have said that the bait guy's supplier only sells Canadian night crawlers and assorted red worms: When I bought the worms, I didn't know that there were any other types of "red worms"...I had only heard of red w(r)igglers, so I have a "mixed herd" bin.

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