got my worms today.

Well today my worms finally arrived. I got 3lbs but ist sure didn't seem like it. They were pretty small. Well after i gave them a drink(shipped in dry peat) i put them on top of the shredded newspaper in the bin. I never seen anything like it they completly dissappeared in 5 minutes. I put a light on and closed the lid. My son who said that he didn't want anything to do with them when they arrived kept opening the lid to see them dart back under the newspaper. I think he is hooked also. I have one question. Will they still feed with the light on? i'm going to keep the lid on(orders from my wife). I have some lettuce and eggshells (ground up in the blender) in the freezer. The lettuce started to turn brown. I guess it will still be ok to feed it to them won't it? I would really like to thank you Ice-worm for all your guidance and helpfull advice. Hope you don't mind if i keep bugging you in the future. Keep those tips a comming.

I guess I'm like your son - it is fun to open the lid & see them all start wiggling down under the newspaper. I almost always keep my lid on. The only time it's off is when things look a little too damp. Then it will be off until it dries out some. My worms love brown lettuce. Like you, I tend to freeze all my worm food, then defrost it & let it sit for a few days before feeding them. They really go for the disgusting (to me) smelly stuff.

I don't leave a light on for mine. They are in the kitchen & there's no light on at night. About once or twice a week, I'll find 1 or 2 dead, dried up escapees on the floor. I'm trying to figure out where they escaping from. But now since the weather is starting to warm up, they'll be outside, probably until it gets too t for them
Jo-Ann

Congratulations, Russell! Before you know it, your whole family will be hooked!

Worms avoid light. That's why they dart back under the bedding when the lid is opened. They eat more, and reproduce more, when they are left alone. It's best to pretty much leave them alone--but I know that is impossible at first.

I feed the same way Jomoncon does--the freeze and thaw method. :)

About once or twice a week, I'll find 1 or 2 dead, dried up escapees on the floor....

Jomoncon...I don't think you'll ever stop the escapees. (Lots of times they are on the lid, and drop off when you take the lid off). The best you can do is prolong their little lives until you see them on the floor and save them. The way I ended up doing that was setting my COW on a large Rubbermaid lid. It didn't stop the occasional wanderer, but it did slow them down and restrict their movement enough that I can (usually) find them and put them back in the bin before they dry up.

I keep my COW in the garage, with the tap open, and a catch bucket under the tap for both the leachant and the worms that sometimes escape via the tap. I am in and out of the garage several times a day, and I automatically check the for escapees. :)

Russell I hope you like you worms! I have much fewer than you but they do a lot of good for not much work by me. They're pretty automatic.