Leeches

[Monthud]

So they have large leaches and small live leeches at the bait shop and there chieper then night crawlers any one feeding leeches to there snakes?

[guidofatherof5]

No but I would be concerned about where they came from (water quality) and any parasite issues. I certainly don't know much about them and suggest you gather as much info. as possible before you feed them to your garters.

[thamneil]

Parasites would raise a flag in my head to. Ive seen the water that leeches are harvested from. If you take a cup of it and hold it under the light, you see all kinds of floaties. I cant imagine that they are all good. You can always contact the supplier for more info. They are usually more then happy to tell you where and how the bait was gathered.

[kerensa]

Garter snakes usually love leeches. However I'd be worried about the parasites. specifically digenea, and blood born parasites; Trypanosomes specific to reptiles, and haemongregarines. they can, will, and do transfer these to snakes. If you really wish to feed your snakes leeches, the only way to ensure safty is to cook them well first.

[Spankenstyne]

I've often wondered if folks would have success getting trouble feeders (like recent WC for example) to eat by using leeches. I've never tried though

[-MARWOLAETH-]

A safer option would be medical leeches.[or freeze them]

[kerensa]

my research said that Trypanosomes could be killed by three cycles of freezing and thawing. Digenea is killed by freezing, as are haemonregarines. To kill some other sporocysts that leeches may carry, ( that I do not know if snakes can catch) require freezing to -5 C. There are sporocysts that are in leeches, and snakes could represent the second host. But I do not know for sure, I merely strongly suspect. If it is the case, they would cause the snake great pain as they create cysts in the muscle tissue after the secondary host is ingested. (okay this may be greater detail then anyone wishes.) This also does not guarentee that freezing kills all sporocysts, after all trichinosis is a sporocyst and freezing does not kill all forms of that either...

that all being the same, I'm not sure I would trust a leech after being frozen and thawed three times. the research I did into the subject suggested cooking well as the only safe way to use them as pet food.

Medical leeches are not guaranteed to be free of these parasites, since non are transferable to humans (unless you eat one) they are not considered a danger to humans. My research sources all stated clearly that there is no risk to humans of contracting anything from a leech unless eaten. ( all of the illness is specific to fish, amphibians and reptiles)

[kerensa]

I also have a very short movie that shows Sarcocysts (type of sporocyst) "hatching" out of a cyst in snake tissue if anyone wishes to see it message me and I'll e-mail it to you, unless there is a way to upload it here?

[kibakiba]

You could just upload it to youtube.

[kerensa]

I do not know how to do that. for that matter I don't even have a youtube account. (or face book- or lots of other things)