Moss for Keeping and Breeding Leeches. 1 Pack contains about 200 grams of Leech Moss, enough to maintain about 20 leeches. Leech moss is not necessarily a mandatory prerequisite product for leech maintenance and care, but rather, its an optional extra. If you happen to be an avid leech lover, leech collector, a leech pet keeper or an aspiring leech breeder, you might want to use leech moss for your lovable animals. Although Hirudo Medicinalis and Hirudo Verbana medical leeches can live perfectly well in plain tap water, if you add leech moss as bedding and add other aquatic flora and fauna to their aquarium you are stabilizing their environment, making it as close to their original habitat in the wild as possible, mimicking their leech lakes or pond surroundings. Hirudo Leeches feel happier with leech moss and they tend to snuggle and hide inside it, stretching their bodies out and enjoying the moist dampness and sponginess that it can offer. Perhaps the aroma is quite calming for them as well. This natural moss provides a comfortable bed for pregnant and mating leech mothers to lay in, as well as for Hirudos who are being bred and multiplying, in the process of laying eggs and when the pregnant leeches' cocoons are hatching and baby leeches (hatchlings) are being born and crawling out of their spongy eggs.
UPON ARRIVAL: Immediately transfer your leeches out of the container with special gel and into a jar of cold water!
HOW TO GET THEM OUT: Pour out the gel with the leeches from the container. If the leeches are still inside, you may add a bit of cold water and swoosh everything around vigorously. If they are still stuck to the walls, you may try to use your fingers. Regular tweezers may harm the body of the leech, so they are not recommended for use - its best to purchase the recommended leech forceps used for easy removal and handling of the leech. In the absence of forceps, be sure to handle your leeches quickly, so they don’t start sucking blood from your fingers.
BEST CONTAINER TO USE: Keep your leeches in a large glass (or plastic) jar with a tight lid. The container needs to be filled about 1/3 full of ice-cold water. The lid needs to be closed and you may puncture needle-size holes in it. Alternatively, instead of a lid, you may cover your jar with cloth tied with an elastic band.
CARE: Change the leech-water at least once a week. Dump out old water by shaking it around vigorously first, with the lid on, until the leeches’ skins come off (they shed their skins about once a week). Skins appear as slimy whitish-clear particles, floating in the water. Carefully pour-out the old water with skins, taking care not to pour out any of the leeches, then, refill the jar again, close and shake. Repeat this process as many times as needed, until all the skins are completely gone and the water is perfectly clear. Fill the jar again with 1/3 cold water (its ok to use tap) and close the lid tightly.
Keep your jar with leeches in a cold, partly dark place, away from direct sunlight. During winter, they can be kept outdoors, partly-covering the jars with a towel, to protect from full sun-exposure. We do not advise you to feed your leeches during winter. Leech species can keep for 1 year without feeding. Keep your fed leeches apart from the hungry ones, as they will prey on each other. Be sure to purchase separate jars, to separate your fed and hungry leeches properly.
