Leeches Breeder Experience

Make A Close Look....It is normal

It is raining and through my important experience today I like to share as part of my contribution to all small scale leeches breeder.

Breed leeches at an open area like I did, is more likely to a normal leeches habitat.

When heavy rain started to pour, a few moment later I can see that the water is coming out from the overflow pipe. It function well to become the water level controller for the tank.

Overflow Pipe

We understand that even though the water level is consistent but the water temperature is change, much colder indeed. The leeches are not staying calm. It will climb to escape or at least look for other place inside the tank.

Climbing the tank

Hiding under the sponge

Almost escape-up to the cover of the tank

Feeding and Diet
by: Leeches - Australia Museum

Most leeches are sanguivorous, that is they feed as blood sucking parasites on preferred hosts. If the preferred food is not available most leeches will feed on other classes of host.

Some feed on the blood of humans and other mammals, while others parasitise fish, frogs, turtles or birds. Some leeches will even take a meal from other sanguivorous leeches which may die after the attack.

Sanguivorous leeches can ingest several times their own weight in blood at one meal. After feeding the leech retires to a dark spot to digest its meal.

Digestion is slow and this enables the leech to survive during very long fasting periods (up to several months).

Leeches are grouped according to the different ways they feed.

One group (the jawed leeches or Gnatbobdellida) have jaws armed with teeth with which they bite the host. The blood is prevented from clotting by production of a non-enzymatic secretion called hirudin. The land leech commonly encountered by bushwalkers is included in this group.

A second group (the jawless leeches or Rhyncobdellida) insert a needle-like protrusion called a proboscis into the body of the host and secrete an enzyme, hemetin which dissolves clots once they have formed. Leeches which live on body fluids of worms and small freshwater snails possess such an apparatus.

A third group, (the worm leeches or Pharyngobdellida) have no jaws or teeth and swallow the prey whole. Its food consists of small invertebrates.

Leeches Breeder - List of Item

Become a leeches breeder.

To become a successful leeches breeder, we should enhance our self with related knowledge. Attend an organise leeches breeding course is the first step to succeed. We can learn, experience theoretically, openly involve in Q & A. Further, we are part of the family, monitored, advisable and automatically marketing leeches is not a problem at all. Please do check in local newspaper where and when the next course is. It only take a day or two, full of knowledge, fun and new friend too. Check the background company through friend or widespread news we can hear from the person who have started the project.

We can start the leeches farm whatever size we want depend on our budget, place to start and the support we can get from the organizer.

Here are the item I prefer and suggest for the beginners;

1.Poly Tank
2.Sponge
3.Glue
4.Mosquito Netting
5.PH Test Strip
6.Bricks & Pottery
7.Pipe (over flow)
8.Sand
9.Bucket with clay soil/booster)
10.Water Lettuce/Water hyacinth (pond plant)
11.Banana Stump
11.Baby leeches

Leeches – Some Famous Question & Answer

What is a leech?

A leech is a worm like creature that sucks blood. Leeches have been used for a long time and in different ways for medical purposes in Europe. There are many different kinds of leeches but just one is used for medical care.

What temperature is ideal for leeches?

Any temperature in range 40-80 F (5-27 C)

Do we need to feed leeches?

Leeches can live up to a year without food so no need to feed them often.

What is leeches lifespan?

Up to 10 years

Why are leeches being used treatment?

Leeches can relieve blood pooling around a muscle or skin flap better than drugs or other treatments. They are used to keep blood flow in muscle, skin and fat tissue that has been surgically moved from one part of your body to another. These tissues are also called flaps.

Leeches are also used in limbs or other body parts reattached after being amputated by accident. These reattachment are called implants. Flaps or implants can have blood pools around them so the skin becomes cool, hard and bluish in color and the blood flow this area becomes poor. If this happens, the tissue or skin flap can fail or be ruined.

How long are leeches used in the affected area?

It depends on how well each leech works. It can range 10 minutes to 2 hours. When it is full, it will fall off.

How much blood can a leech suck?

Each leech can suck from 1-2 teaspoons of blood.

Does the leech sucking hurt?

No, the leech saliva is filled with a chemical that contains a painkiller, which stops you from feeling the bite. The saliva also has a chemical, which keeps the blood from clotting.

What happens when the leech is full?

It falls off on its own. The therapist will remove it.

How fast does a leech become hungry and ready to suck again?

Between 50-70 days.

Can a leech be used twice in treatment?

No, leeches are single use. Once they have been used, they are thrown away so they won't spread other diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS. Both diseases are carried in blood.

Why is leech therapy used instead of other medical treatment?

In some cases, leeches do a better job by removing pooled blood than any other medical therapy.

What are the benefits of leech treatment?

The benefits of treatment are not only the amount of blood that the leech removes but the anti blood clotting enzymes in their saliva that allow blood flow from the area where they have been.

Mini Leeches Farm

How To Start Mini Leeches Farm at Home – Beginners Guide




Introduction

Attend a course conduct by individual or company will lead us to overcome the benefit as follow:

a) Exposure
b) Knowledge
c) Networking
d) Marketing
e) Guidance and advice

It will help us a lot on how to take care of this leeches farming activities start from beginning until end of the contract that mentioned in our agreement. Having a good back up by establish or reliable company will ensure that we are doing this project in a proper adviser and marketing manners.

Steps to Start

I choose the way to start and manage this mini leeches farm depend on affordable budget, support by the information from the course I attend to and of course knowledge from reading and the senior participant experiences.

Step 1.

For beginners, can start with medium scale size Polyethylene Tanks (poly tank),
It is easier to modified and to match it natural environment compare to concrete tank.

Step 2.

To pre-condition the tank, use highly acidic food like pineapple, lime and vinegar (acid acetic). Fill some tap water up to half of the concrete tank. Cut and put in the pineapples and limes, follows pouring a bottle of 350ml vinegar. The other alternative is to put the banana stump inside the tank. It will take at least 24 hours or more. More than a day is better as the objective is to neutralize the tank make it slight alkaline.



Step 3.

When the time comes, remove all water and wash it with tap water.

Step 4.

Refill sand river and about half or an inch cover the bottom side of the poly tank. Put a bucket with hole full of clay soil (grayish colored) mix with booster. 3 kgs for 300 leeches, 3 months term. This will act as breeding ground and hiding for the leeches. Another function is during harvest; we can easily move the bucket and collect the leeches. Construct a two small stand using red brick at any side of the tank, two brick for each side where we can put a pottery on the top of it. This is to provide breeding ground for the leeches.






Step 5.

Refill the tank with tap water for about 7 to 8 inches. Leeches are sensitive to salt therefore sea sand not be suitable for them. Rain water or underground water will ideal to leeches breeding. Make sure, we use clean rain water. There is no other living thing such as insect together in the tank. Pour some anti chlorine to neutralize the tap water. The PH and Chlorine tester kit is use to ensure the correct and suitable water conditions.

Step 6.

Put some clean water lettuce or water hyacinth (pond plant) to cover not more than one third of the water surface. Natural habitat for the leeches. This is where the leeches breeding and hide.

Cautions

Existence of mosquito is unlikely post a tread to the leeches. The reason preventing mosquito breeding is more of cleanliness and healthier environment.







Step 7.

The poly tank cover should have at least 1 foot square and covered with mosquito netting to prevent insect or animal from going in. Around the mouth of the tank may add 4 inches wide synthetic sponge using silicone adhesives to prevent leeches from climbing out especially during raining.

The tank should have an overflow hole, seal with mosquito netting to ensure that no escape leeches during raining and also part of the technique to control the water level inside the tank.

Step 8.

Order the leeches when the tank is ready. Now the leeches tank ready. Pour the primary leeches into the tank. The leeches have their new home.

It takes about 5 to 6 months for these leeches to reproduce.

A single mature leech will able to produce 200-300 eggs/babies. A single tank of 20 gallons will store roughly 500 leeches. Ideally 500 mature leeches will produce 150,000 babies’ leeches. (500×300)

Assuming the surviving rate will be less than 50%. That grosses about 75,000 leeches. After 6 months we can harvest the leeches.

1 kilogram of mature will be roughly 100 leeches = RM180/Kg (depend on current market price)
The cost for leeches feeding roughly RM150 x 6 months = RM900.
You may sell them back to the company where the agreement signs with. Fully refer the term of agreement we made to ensure that we have market attractive prices or to available buyers of our choice when the contract end.
Remark:

Throughout my experience this is the guidance that I use to follow with some improvement for the success of the project. The course provider or the leech’s breeders have their own style of breeding leeches. Maybe different, but the bottom line is we are still looking for the better to achieve competitive outcome. To be profitable, leech breeders should have more knowledge to make leech breeding leeches a lucrative business for the purpose of alternative medicine and treatment.

My special thanks to Mr M Rosley A Kallon and the team by the inspiration and support they have given to me.