new owner

[Rake]

having searched for night crawlers the term i found for them over here is lob worm they have the same name of Lumbricus terrestris, is it just a different term for them this side of the pond ?

[Mix]

Duh! I only just noticed you're in Birmingham, which I am just outside of.

Yep, lob worms are the kind you want. From personal searching experience, I was told by my local bait shop owner that most fishing bait stores tend to stock dendrobaena, which is the wrong kind of worm. Some might though, if they are geared toward coarse fishing.

He did give me a phone number for a guy who breeds bait worms, which was the only person he knew of who did, and thought he would charge around £11 for (I think) 100. I'm not sure exactly where he is based, but I have a feeling it was the Rubery area... Could be remembering wrong, though! If you want the number, PM me.

I found a couple of online stores you can mailorder from:
This one seems to have the lowest base porices, not including postage -
Lob Worms
But if you wanted 100 minimum, this one includes free postage so may work out cheaper -
worms for fishing - lobs - leansmount worms

Otherwise, my personal plan was to try and find a couple out in the garden, or order a small number of them online and start a little colony.

[Rake]

looks like ill be ordering some cheers for that will have to get kids digging in bk garden for a few, when they say feed the pieces of salmon, silverside and the like do you mean the kind we buy in a supermarket ? think i know which one your on about in rubery i grew up round there lol

i apologise if this appears twice internet playing up

[Mix]

Glad to help. I lived in Rubery for a little while, too.

Fish fillet is pretty much limited to trout, salmon or maybe atlantic mackerel, but I have recently suffered some losses and I think it was very possibly down to the fish. I always got it fresh from the fish counter at the supermarket, but I think it still must have had something wrong. I know a lot of people use supermarket fish, but it's the only thing linking my deaths together.

As far as whole fish goes, we can't get the silversides over here - I spent a lot of time looking! All the small whole fish available for humans are not safe for the snakes. Greg suggested that if you could find a trout farm somewhere that might sell you some trout fry / babies, that could work? But that's about the only option, I think.

If you can get into town, it may be worth getting fish fillet from the indoor market? I'm guessing their fish would be very fresh, and I'm thinking of that myself.
Personally, in future, I'm going to feed pinkies, with lob worms and an occasional bit of fish. I think the problem may be additives for human consumption or mercury etc from the waters the fish grow in. A few people on here have recommended that a fish-fillet-only diet is not ideal, even with supplements.

Luckily for me, the snakes I'm getting tomorrow are already on pinkies

[Mix]

Just read this post in another topic, which might be of interest:

Re: Fish fillets staple diet? Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonya610
I have always heard snakes cannot digest cooked meat.

That's incorrect. It's actually easier for them to digest cooked meat. Keep in mind I am talking about simply placing fillet in a pan, cover it in water and simmer on very low heat for few minutes. What this does is allow some of the mercury and PCB's (or other contaminants) to leach out of the meat. Of course, this also destroys any worm eggs or larvae that might be present.
__________________

I may just try that with any fish I use in future.

[Rake]

looks like cooking it is the better option, all my others eat pinkies have a freezer draw full lol am going to try it wen mine arrives. good idea on the market im always in there to get my fresh meat kill 2 birds wit one stone, what pinkie eaters you getting ?

[Mix]

Checkereds. I haven't had any before, so I'm excited! They were on my wishlist, so I'm glad some have come up. I'll be posting pics tomorrw, hopefully. I have heard that they are pretty open-minded where food is concerned!

[Rake]

open minded is very handy it food lol mine are pinkie only eaters keeps things simple

[guidofatherof5]

I'm fortunate that my radixes are such garbage guts.
If I offer it, they'll eat it.

[Mix]

That's what I'm hoping for! I've only had picky eaters so far. *crosses fingers for garbage guts*!