Some time ago, I saw an article on the Internet that some people in foreign countries kept leeches as pets. After reading it, many netizens exclaimed, “Unbelievable!” In fact, not only in foreign countries, but also in China.
Figure丨News screenshot
As someone who has kept over 300 species of animals, I have certainly kept leeches. I love playing with “worms”, but in the eyes of ordinary people, worms are almost synonymous with disgust, and all kinds of fleshy worms are even more frightening. According to my dad’s words: “This is too shocking! Get rid of it quickly!”
So is it feasible to raise leeches at home? From the perspective of breeding technology alone, it is not difficult, but there are things that need to be paid attention to in breeding. And not everyone can accept this guy, at least my parents can’t accept raising this thing at home, and after they found out, they also had a mixed doubles.
I’ve been bitten by a leech
Leeches are also called leeches and horse turtles. In the eyes of most people, they are big fleshy insects that come and go. But to be precise, leeches are not insects, they belong to annelids, and there are currently more than 600 species .
The scary thing about these guys is that they can suck blood, which is why many people keep them away. Some of them use suction cups to attach themselves to humans or animals, cut open the skin and suck the blood of their prey ; some types of leeches can also attach to fish gills to suck the blood of fish; but there are also some types of leeches that do not suck blood. Instead, they feed on other creatures.
I’ve been bitten by leeches. It was a night in mid-August. When I was young, my friends and I came to the pool in the park to fish for small fish and shrimp. When I waved the cheat sheet fascinatedly, I suddenly found a long black object lying on the back of my left hand . The little friends ran over to watch. One child found two of the same small animals lying on his lap, and was so frightened that he sat on the ground and cried. His desperate expression and hoarse crying made me cry too.
Not far away, the adults who were enjoying the shade ran over like a nest exploded, the child’s mother was also startled, and another uncle tried to pull it down, but he couldn’t pull it down. Among the crowd was an uncle from the suburbs who knew this thing and called it a horse turtle. Before he approached, he didn’t pull it directly, but gently patted the bitten child’s leg with his hand, and patted the horse turtle for a while. Really relieved! In my memory, the child’s leg was bleeding profusely, and the leech became a lingering nightmare of my childhood.
As I got older and understood, I changed my mind about leeches. In medicine, some doctors use the blood-sucking habit of leeches to remove blood stasis from wounds, and the effect is remarkable. The researchers found that the saliva of leeches contains a variety of substances with anticoagulant functions, such as hirudin. They are effective anticoagulants that inhibit the activity of thrombin, thereby preventing the formation of congestion.
Case report: Use of leeches in replantation of amputated limbs to prevent thrombosis.丨DOI: 10.5812/ircmj.6897
Originally, leeches use hirudin to prevent blood coagulation when sucking blood. If the drink suddenly clots when you drink, you will definitely choke or feel uncomfortable, right? Therefore, after being bitten by a leech, the blood often bleeds, which also makes the person bitten distressed. But when doctors need to do venous drainage, this skill unexpectedly becomes an advantage : it can prevent thrombosis and avoid blood vessel blockage, and leeches will also suck away partially clotted blood clots when they suck blood, which is equivalent to eating a piece of blood tofu .
It’s okay to raise it, but you don’t need to feed your own blood
In theory, leeches can be farmed. Leeches are not protected animals and can be purchased legally. If you go to catch them by yourself in ponds and other places, you should pay attention to preventing bites. Since wild leeches may contain pesticides and nematode parasites, you must wear rubber gloves and other protective gear when touching them.
If you want to raise leeches at home, the layout of the breeding environment is relatively simple: a slightly larger container, spread river sand or small stones on the bottom, add an appropriate amount of tap water that has been sun-dried, and then put a few larger stones for the leeches to climb on. . During the breeding process, it is necessary to pay attention to the cleanliness of the water in the container, change the water regularly, and use a small circulation pump if possible.
Feed for leeches is also an important issue. There are two common feeding habits of leeches. One type, such as the broad-bodied golden leech, mainly preys on small organisms, and the source of feed is relatively easy to solve; the other type, such as the Japanese medical leech, which sucks blood, is relatively troublesome.
The wide-bodied golden leech mainly preys on small organisms, and the source of feed is easy to solve.丨@天师卡赞
Some people who raise leeches let them lie on their bodies to suck blood. This method is not recommended. After all, this is a traumatic operation, and wounds that coagulate slowly are more at risk of infection, and some people are allergic to leech bites .
Some netizens once said that the used aunt towel can be used to feed leeches. Let alone whether it is operable, this idea sounds disgusting. Even if it is theoretically feasible, no one is willing to collect menstrual blood.
Some people who keep leeches let them lie on their bodies to suck blood. This method is not recommended.丨@lobotomisemee
A relatively reliable way is to buy fish and feed them to leeches . After the leeches are full, you can even cook the fish and eat them.
Edit: “I don’t want to raise or eat the fish left by leeches.”丨Screenshot
In addition, if the blood-feeding leeches you raise accidentally escape, you and your cohabitants are at risk of being bitten. So be sure to cover it to prevent leeches from escaping.
There are not many pets that can really be kept
Leeches are actually a kind of “exotic pet”. Exotic pets do not necessarily refer to any type of animal, nor does it have a particularly specific definition. My understanding is that all pets other than traditional pets can be called exotic pets.
In fact, many animals are not suitable for keeping at home. There are only a few kinds of pets that are really suitable for living with us. Leeches can barely be counted if they are properly raised . At present, there are not many domesticated pets, including goldfish and some dogs. Some people will say cats, but whether we domesticated cats or meow master domesticated the blue star biped is not very good. Although other mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, arthropods, etc. are also being artificially selected and raised as pets, the whole domestication process is not long, and family breeding is also difficult, requiring a certain amount of feeding Level.
Also, some animals are prohibited by law. For example, the coral snake belongs to the national three protected animals and should not be raised privately. However, there are still people who raise them privately at home, and there have even been incidents of coral snakes escaping. Although the Corona Snake is not that aggressive, it is highly venomous. Once someone accidentally steps on it, the consequences may be disastrous. Every year there are many news reports of being bitten and killed by raising venomous snakes.
Do not keep coral snakes at home privately, it is dangerous and illegal.丨Briston / wikimedia
Regarding the breeding of exotic pets and some protected species of artificially bred individuals, many domestic “climbing friends” believe that artificial individuals have no impact on wild populations, so they should be released. First of all, we need to clarify what is an artificially propagated individual. Literally and intuitively, it means “animal individual produced by breeding in an artificial breeding environment”, that is, raising the animal and then laying cubs/eggs. individual. This is also most people’s understanding of artificial reproduction.
But this understanding is wrong. At present, the three generations and above individuals in the artificial breeding environment are generally referred to as “artificial breeding individuals”. If artificially bred individuals can meet the needs of the pet market, it will help reduce poaching of wild populations. However, the current laws of our country have restrictions on the breeding of some special pets at this stage.
In short, to raise a pet correctly, it is necessary to understand all aspects of it , including its origin, living environment, favorite food, potential risks and so on. If all these questions are ok, you have the most basic conditions for raising this animal. As for making it live well, you need to pay more.
Author: Erzhu
Editor: Li Xiaoqiu
Review: Red Queen
Title image source: Danielle de Carle
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