Hi I just started 1 week ago and I've read alot on worm keeping mostly by internet search. I bought 24 red trout worms for $2.50. I have them in a plastic container, with shredded paper of all kinds, plus some old mulch from the garden. I keep it in my basement uncovered. I brought them up to count them and they were all alive and lively. I also have a rubber maid container with about 80 nightcrawlers which are also doing fine. I have a garden which I put alot of food stuff in for organic gardening and the worms just love all the stuff I put in as long as its not meat and grease. I don't have a problem with wild life in it except for the birds and I live back to back to the woods. I use rabbit and horse manure as well as grass clippings, straw, and leftover food from our kitchen. All this organic stuff helps keep the soil moist longer and produced lots of worms for the finding even in the day time. Plus the plants seem to grow faster and healtier. I just started keeping worms inside for the kids as a project. I hope the red trout worms are the same as red worms, just babies. I read somewhere you can keep them in a all paper bed. they do seem to prefer the paper so far. I also read that worms carry both female and male reproductive organs. I'm currently feeding rice bran left over from my horses. I only sprinkle a little a week since they will also eat the paper. I read that red worms will only reproduce if they have the space and food to do so, thus not overwelming someone who don't want alot of bins.

i am sorry to hear that your dog has ARVC. it sounds like you and i are both going through the same things right now. as i type this in tears my dog bentley sits in the cardiac ICU in columbus, oh. just as leon passes out bentley has also done this 10-15 times in the last two weeks. unfortunately for dogs with ARVC...it is progressive and will ultimately lead to congestive heart failure and death if the animals doesnt die from sudden death first. i have been told that if good control of the arrhythmias is achieved, many dogs can lead relatively normal lives...although significantly shortened lives. they have special diets for dogs with heart disease (royal canin early cardiac EC 22 dog food). these foods are lower in sodium and have several "heart healthy" nutrients and minerals. they also have healthy low sodium treats available. lower sodium helps prevent fluid buildup in the lungs from congestive heart failure which will occur at some point. as far as exercising....it is true that a higher heart rate as with exercising will increase the chance of sudden death due to arrhythmias. however...what kind of life is it if your pet cannot play and enjoy himself....needless to say i would avoid the 5 mile jogs but in my soul searching lately i have decided that if my dog dies suddenly...i want him to die doing something he loves. i know how difficult this is as you and i are living the same nightmare. i cannot control the tears i feel for myself and my dog while typing this..as he is my best friend and i cannot imagine life without him. unfortunately, like you, i am now forced to think of life without him becaue i may not have much time left with him. i hope this message helps you if even a little bit. please reply to me asap if you have any tips that may have helped leons heart function and health as my heart is breaking in west virginia.

I think that I'd check with the vet to find whether the other lady were a reasonably responsible owner, and that I'd found such a dog at a similar time, and become substantially attached to it. The vet might have some idea as to whether it would be well to contact the other person, and could give the other person, possible original owner, the info that a dog similar to hers had been found at about the time of her loss and that the dog now had a good home with a loving family. Quite possibly such a message from the vet would put the loser's mind substantially at rest, and if she were desirous of obtaining the animal's return, there could be some negotiations, but unless she appeared to have been substantially attached to it, it's doubtful as to whether she should get it, and doubtful even if she should want it quite strongly. It could well be that she would be happy to know that her former pet had found a new loving home and would leave it at that, especially since she has replaced it. In any case, should she be inclined to go the legal route, I can't see where she'd have a leg to stand on. ole joyful

Quite a few people I gave worms to were going to do the same as you. They thought, if there are worms in the soil/earth/garden, why can't I release worms that I have to join them and make the soil/earth/garden more fertile more quickly. We have to remember that these are different species than those. So, different habits/way of life/necessities, so to speak. You are free to do as you wish of course and we are here discussing the pros on cons of any idea and might come up with the perfect idea at the end. Please do not take offense to any suggestion/comment made here. If we had enough input/participants, we will be combining our collective experience and you can draw the winner. My worms are my precious charges. I protect them because they do for me what they do best, eating, mating, pooping. I rat-proof my bins once I found out something has been rummaging in the bins.I found that just by feeding them and making sure they don't dry out, they're happy. So why put them at risk by releasing them in the garden? It really doesn't save you any work since you'd still have your worm bin. And the amount of pooping in the wild? Who knows how much that is. A cup? I rather have them in the bin which will be much easier to find a mate than in the garden, and produce lots and lots of babies, and to that effect, more and more VC. If you do want them in your garden, you might want to follow mattman2 suggestions. Or the worm tower.. At least there will be some protection for the worms. Remember RATS.