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How to Start a Leech Farm

Leeches are worm-like invertebrates whose diet of blood made them popular tools in the 19th-century practice of bloodletting. They are usually black or brown in color and have a sucker at the front of their body. Today it is more common to farm leeches for fishing bait rather than for medical purposes. You can follow a few easy steps to create your own flourishing leech farm.

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a large aquarium or small outdoor pond with pond water or dechlorinated tap water. Creating a natural habitat for your leeches will ensure that they prosper and thrive.
- 2
  Obtain leeches by gathering them from a nearby pond or lake. Look in shallow, shady water. Leeches are most active in the spring and summer and are easiest to catch during these seasons. Use a net or pry them from whatever object they are attached to using forceps. Leeches are also available to order for medicinal purposes.
- 3
  Feed your leeches as soon as they arrive. Animal blood like that of a live frog is a suitable diet for a leech. This diet should be sufficient throughout the breeding process.
- 4
  Breed your leeches. Allow sufficient time for breeding to occur with as little change in air pressure as possible. Leeches are known hermaphrodites. To reproduce, a leech makes a small cocoon which another leech will fertilize.
- 5
  Ensure that the baby leeches have a readily available food source. Leave live snails or frogs in the tank for the babies to eat.
- 6
  Clean the pond or tank on a consistent basis. If your pond or tank does not have a filter, change the water frequently to keep the environment clean.

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