Larry the Leech
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- Опубліковано 19 вер 2024
- Today the Mad Aquarist brings into the fascinating world of Larry the Leech. a common and mostly maligned creature of freshwater ponds.
Larry is beautiful and fascinating...although very much misunderstood. He just wants to hug you...with his teeth! Hope you enjoy!
Awesome video! True story -I friend of mine cut off his thumb with a table saw. We rushed him to Stanford hospital where they promptly reattached them thumb. All was well except for the blood flow. Blood was going into the thumb but wasn't coming back out of the thumb. They knew he had a blood clot. So, they made a small incision at the base of the thumb and attached a leech. The leech sucked so hard, it sucked out the blood clot and the blood could flow. His thumb was saved!
Yes honestly still in practice today. Albeit not common but nature does have a way of telling us stuff if we only stop to watch and listen.
Leeches are fascinating to keep if only Larry would stay in the water! Lol
Thank you kindly for watching Denise.
I hope you’ll stay for more shenanigans.
Take care
@@themadaquarist -I have a pet leech also. I have no idea where it came from. Maybe on a plant I bought online as an egg? I have no clue. But, I don't think it is the blood sucking kind-it's the scavenger kind. I posted videos on Facebook-and everyone is totally grossed out. I think he is awesome. He dances a lot.
That's awesome
Epic
@@denisesanders3983 mine are wiggly I have a tiny setup with some leeches on my windowsill
I'm getting a tiger leech in a few days and I love your tank set up
Well that very kind but in truthfulness it was set up rather quickly
Back in the day, one of my assignments for a biotech company (BioMatrix) was to freeze dry and process leeches with various reagents to extract hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid.
Wow! Was it supper cool? Tell me more please
this video makes me want to move to Antarctica.
Lol
Larry is really good at escaping, cut it out Larry!
Leeches helped my father get circulation back to his fingers when they had to reattach them (table saws, man, no joke)
Damn...even Biggs hasnt done that yet.
Sorry for the massive delay in replying Callie. Biggs just found this huge list of missed comments
how did leaches help in that exactly?
I became fascinated when I first spotted a hitchhiker swimming like a ribbon in my shrimp tank
I hope find ‘Larry’ again this season. We need to check out how he’s doing
Chris get a lid quick !
lol Larry was a ton of fun! My wife may disagree
I’ve been keeping leeches as pets for over 12 years, they’re absolutely amazing! Very misunderstood critters.
I couldn’t agree more
Heey, may I ask where you bought them and how you feed them? I want to get some leeches, but I'm skeptical because of parasites and bacteria, if I let them latch onto me..
Thanks for the reply
@@lukaurbankitek6019 there’s lots of great leech groups on Facebook that I definitely recommend joining! Just definitely stay away from leech.com as she will 100% rip you off .
@@casperharris3395 wish I saw your comment a couple months ago.... That's where I got mine. Paid extra for "expedited shipping" yet took weeks to even get a tracking number. Another week before I told them I NEED my leeches for medical reasons before they even shipped them. Paid $11 for 1 Hungarian and $29 for 1 "Transylvanian" which was supposed to have a different pattern and wider body. I got a box of 2 Hungarians, but they messed up and I ended up being in favor (price-wise), because they sent two shipments of Hungarians. Now with 4 Hungarian and wondering what happened with the Transylvanian, I asked them... They replied they are all from the Transylvanian region of Hungary. So if they didn't mess up, I would've just paid extra for one than the other.
Do you keep any predatory leeches that eat invertebrates and not blood?
You would think that a video about leeches would have more dislikes, but great job! I have never thought much about keeping them as pets. I have at least four of them in a tiny aquarium (about 0.4 gallons), but I never thought about building an aquarium just for them! I will have the build video for the aquarium on my channel this Saturday if you would like to see what I did.
When one really takes a look at them swimming, the motion, the colour patterns I would hope one could see the beauty and fascination of life.
Thank you for watching and your kind words.
@@themadaquarist They are amazing creatures. I have never thought much of them, but I never hated them. I now realize that they are really just carnivorous aquatic earthworms.
That’s an awesome analogy
@@themadaquarist Thanks! That's what I use when people say my leeches are gross.
Awesome!
We just spotted an at least 2" fast-swimming brownish leech-looking creature, shaped like a ribbon. I swear it only appeared to be about 1" long when I first saw it a couple of days ago.
It was stretching up in the corner of the tank sort of reaching, then swam to the back in up and down waves like an eighties breakdancer...
It's a new tank. I added the Fluorite a few days ago, soaked all plants in potassium permanganate for 10 minutes before adding, the wood was boiling for almost 2 days to waterlog it. Only a few stones and botanicals aside from that, all dry (gumballs, alder cones, cattapa, lotus pods).
The *only* place I can think of: I bought 2 mystery snails about a day after I flooded the tank, less than a week ago. One I realized was dead a few hours after adding it to the tank (it only started smelling the next day). The other one died a couple of days later. Do any leaches/ribbony worms kill mystery snails and/or hide in their shells?
I wonder if I can build a trap. Ugh if it lays eggs... Not the best scenario for starting a new tank, lol.
Yes leeches can be transported in with livestock. Most are parasitic by nature so they use a host as food. Removing as seen may very well solve your problem.
I agree not the ideal scenario at setup
@@themadaquarist I just made a leech trap with a cube of blood worms in a submerged bottle and airline tubing sticking out. I hope there's only one... I have a feeling I may need to treat with something before I stock though... Any idea if the usual Planaria treatments work on leeches? If I manage to trap it I'll keep it in its own little home, but if a population starts then I'll have to put out the heavy weapons...
@@Mattypantaloons Depends on the leech I had a couple of small light brown reddish leeches living in my substrate never killed fry or baby snails but seemed to die off once I got of Detrius Worms
I know it's an old video but incase it's of use to you or others.
I got a leech (Flubber) in a 120liter (31 US Gallon) aquarium that's open topped and it's been in there for 4yr now no problems.
What I found worked is making an over hang with duct tape. It's only attached to the tank by a sliver with the rest over hanging.
It's stretched to the full length of the tank so it's tight all along and I did the front and back first then the sides so the bits of tape on the sides on each end fully over lapped/stuck together (made sure there's no gap between the two sheets if tape) and again made it tight so the result was a stiff two inch over hang around the whole tank, sticky side of the tape is the bottom of the over hang.
Found they don't like the glue, they climb up the sides and because the underside of the over hang is the sticky part of the tape they poke it and don't like it. But because the leech is wet and slimy it don't get stuck to the tape/hurt itself.
For me at least it's worked no problem.
Though if you give that a go I wouldn't have a lid over it as it will collect condensation/moisture and loose the stickyness so then it would probably happily climb over so really needs to be open topped so it stays airy.
Hope this helps anyone in the future.
That’s an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.
Doesn’t the glue slowly lose its sticky due to the constant exposure to humidity?
Very cool
Thanks again
@@themadaquarist I haven't found this to be the case, but why I'd say it needs to be kept open top tank and not have another lid on top to prevent moisture building up. Like testing it just now it's still sticky (not as sticky as fresh tape but still sticky) and it's been the same tape for 4yr.
Think the passive higher humidity in the air has prevent it from fully drying out but because there's enough air flow moisture doesn't build up on the tape.
Had the idea from Octopus keepers, not the "cool" UA-camrs but hardcore hobbyists and public aquariums line the top with the stuff fake grass that's similar to AstroTurf but has the stiffer raised bits of plastic to replicate grass more as they don't like the texture (some say it's because they can tell it's dry land but they'll happily walk across land, dry rocks in the wild and me plus others I know would argue it's more if a unpleasant texture thing that they can't get a good grip on. Either way it works).
And figured I'd test out how it would react to the sticky side (tapped 4 pieces together to make a square, flipped it upside down and chucked the leech in the middle of the square and it refused to cross the tape).
@@themadaquarist but yeah easy to keep as long as you stop them from getting out and you keep them cold enough, they don't like it much above 12c
ua-cam.com/video/SXohDxuUjvc/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/JMydOfEf57k/v-deo.html
Hopefully UA-cam allows the comment above with the links to be posted.
Incase you or anyone in the future is reading and wants to have some ideas on tank lay out I posted two links to 2 videos of my guy.
The first one is a short video of the leech swimming about showing the full tank at the time, has grown in a lot more now, and the second is a higher quality close up one being harassed for disturbing a stickleback fish nest (for context the fish is about 2inches so it's a pretty big Turkish leech).
Not trying to promote my channel (I use it as a dumping ground to save space on my phone plus easier to search up to show people I'm talking too in person/moments like this).
This is so cool! Where does one get a leech (US)? And what kind of set up do they need?
Larry is a native leech in hat was found in our dugout by my daughter. He was just kept temporarily and released in the marsh near our house.
I’m sure I’m the US to here’s people breeding them as they are often used for bait.
As for keeping them long term it would depend which species and where it natural occurs. Larry being a native leech to the canadian prairies would need that winter rest so long term success would be challenging.
Know which species, research their temperature requirements and have a tight fitting lid!!!
so so so cute
I couldn’t agree more
Where did you get such an awesomely shaped tank? I keep my Hungarian leeches in large glass jars (like clear cookie jars). The lid is secure enough to keep them in, but loose enough to allow them air.
This was a hand blown glass bowl sold
In North America through Cobalt Aquatics. Zero lid hence the issues of confinement.
Everything happened spur of the moment so we scrambled a bit
Nice new Cobalt decoria for the big guy
these hand blown glass bowls are stunning, sadly North American consumers didn't support them and now they are discontinued
If you still have Larry you should do a live feeding!
Larry was released in same spot before freeze up but there was a second video update where I did that
ua-cam.com/video/_KZl2_w72Co/v-deo.html
@@themadaquarist😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.
Larry, can survive freezing.
That was cool !
or just strange
I have a medical leech and I’m trying to come up with a better environment for it even though it’s perfectly happy in a mason jar
Lol, they are amazing escape artists
Did my other comment get deleted? It's gone. I was trying to help by recommending what I use (and works).
Was it because I provided the link? Just look up "Anchor Hocking Glass Heritage Hill Jar with Lid" and it should come up. I use the half gallon when separating already fed ones from the rest and use a gallon size to hold them all (when they're all fed). I have 4 Hungarian leeches (hirudo verbana). You just have to regularly change the water and give them something to rub on (like a rock or simple décor) since they regularly shed their skins and need to rub.
@@JustMe-hc8mp wow thank you so much it’s been surprisingly hard to find info on keeping them. I have mine in a jar with pebbles and cheesecloth on top currently. Will definitely check out the jar you recommend. Do you know if keeping a light above the jar to support some moss and low light plants would be okay? I’m thinking about making a cave for my leech to have a completely dark comfy spot to go to while the moss and plants grow and blocks out more of the light. I know leeches like the dark but I’m just wondering if having a light on for several hours each day to support some plant growth would be a good idea.. if it would distress my leech then I won’t do it but I’d love to create as close to a lake environment as possible
@@jackalspades2522 ARG! I added a reply that was quite lengthy and now it's gone. Is UA-cam messing with me or is someone deleting them?
When I was 7 yrs old we went to a cottage in New Hampshire on a beatiful lake and I would catch leeches and put them in a glass jug (usually the one for coolaid) this was in the mid 70s..but my mother didn't think it was a good idea for me to let them latch on to me & I used to pinch my arm where it was latched on to so it couldn't let go & after about 10 min they would explode like a balloon ,blood everywhere !!! LMAO 🤣 hey ,7 days as a 7 yr old in a cabin with no toys,tv,etc..We improvised
Lol Thanks so much for sharing your story with me JP. Yes Im just as guilty when i was a kid
6:13 Brother that's not a Haementeria ghilianii but a Hirudinaria manillensis. They are also giants from South East Asia. Some may argue that H. ghilianii is bigger, just because they're the OGs of giant leeches, hitting 45.72 cm, which is 18 inches max, while some may even argue that the H. manillensis are even bigger, hitting over 50 cm! That's almost 20 inches long, and there are a lot of them in captivity, including this huge specimen whose owner I believe is from Japan. H. ghilianii on the other hand are darker leeches that can either be grayish brown to dark with dorsal stripes/spotted patterns mimicking rocks and they're very rare. In fact, they are so rare that they're nonexistent in captivity, maybe a handful of them in Europe.
I would never have thought of keeping a politician, in a fish tank. You'd wake up one morning and everything you worked hard for would be gone.
lol they are the same the world over
Would they breed in this aquarium or do they need a higher level of soil or moss to keep their legs?
Sadly that I do not know. We never had intentions of keeping larry long term. Leeches are a creature that most people look at in disgust when they find one attached to their leg swimming. I wanted to show another side of them. To observe them I find them fascinating and beautiful.
They need a land area of damp moss to lay their cocoons 😊
Interesting indeed, but super creepy!!
Larry keep your proboscis to yourself!
Larry’s always willing to share it
this is me being speechless :)
Apparently I was supposed to share the Larry feeding video but didnt
intersting
He's kinda cute
They really are fascinating to observe
This is very cool information
Thank you kindly
I want a leech, but I don't want to feed it my blood, so I'm trying to get my hands on a horse leech. (They eat worms) I'm struggling to find a seller though, and I don't live anywhere near them
I’m in Canada so access to almost anything is somewhat challenging.
Here’s a link to the follow up video of Larry should it be if interest.
ua-cam.com/video/_KZl2_w72Co/v-deo.html
Thank you kindly for watching
I thought there were alternative options to feeding them your blood in some cases (like blood on a raw steak) but I don't have any pets and just heard this second hand.
I know it's old but just incase. Cow Liver works well on mine which I've had for 4yr now. Fed it twice on myself then switched to liver once it recovered, it was found in a old uni student how after they moved out and left it and two others for 9months without ever feeding them after getting them (the student bought them a yr before moving out then got scared so didn't feed them). The other two were dead and the one I got was close to death (went just under 2yr without being fed) so wanted to make sure it had a couple of good feeds before switching to liver).
But found mine will only feed on cow liver not lamb, pork or chicken 😅
Where is the video of you “feeding” Larry?
pretty sure nobody wants to see such things. Its like breast feeding in public...totally ok but most will look away
Nope. Can't do it. I'd even prefer birdwatching :-)
Blasphemy lol
Hopefully, your friend won't crawl under your bedroom door, to visit you at night ...
(😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂)
Too bad, for your beautifull aquarium. Leeches lay eggs, and are preety indestructibile.
Lol
We always released back into our pond long before freeze up. Just kept him for while because they are fascinating
I think leaches are cool
I would wholeheartedly agree with you.
Here’s part two about Larry
ua-cam.com/video/_KZl2_w72Co/v-deo.html
What type of leech is Larry?
I meant to say why did Larry Get out
It was only a glass ‘bowl’ wide open on top
Why did Larry get up
😎
Shakujo
What’s the word on Larry?
He’s still here. Did an update video just a week or so ago.
Gonna have to say goodbye to him prior to winter so he can get set for winter
Nope nope NOPE
Lol