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How To Care For Your Pet Leech

Warning:  If you are a hemophiliac, take medicine that thins your blood, or are allergic to bee stings, this guide is not for you and neither are pet leeches.  Leech bites can cause anaphylactic shock like bee stings and may even be fatal, and bites are prone to excessive bleeding.  Please be careful if you do try this at home.

Some time ago, while on a nature walk, I stopped to go for a swim in a nearby river.  While sitting on the riverbank afterwards, I was surprised to find a small leech making its way towards my foot in the water.  I used to be absolutely terrified of the things as a kid.  But after bringing it home in a water bottle and doing some research, I learned that almost all my fears were unfounded.  They’re mostly harmless critters and are an interesting part of nature.  I finally let the little guy have the blood meal he wanted so badly, letting it feed on my hand.  Naming it Vlad (as in “the Impaler”), I decided to keep him (or “it” really as leeches are hermaphrodites) around as a pet.  I wrote this guide as a reference for anyone interested in taking care of their own little vampire at home.

1) Finding Your Leech
If you’re looking to find your own leech in the wild, they inhabit almost any constant source of water.  Creeks, rivers, lakes, and swamps are all good places to go hunting, provided they don’t dry up frequently or at all.  Leeches like clean, cool, slow moving waters with places to hide.  They are very sensitive to light, so under rocks and logs, and on plants like reeds are good places to check.  Anything out of direct sunlight.  The absolute easiest way to actually find one without really trying is to just head into the water with your bare feet and legs exposed and just go for a slow stroll.  If you’re lucky, you’ll end up with one (or more) on you without even trying.  And it may sound crazy, but try checking on wild turtles or frogs if you can.  You may find one or two hitching a ride.

If you’re looking to buy leeches, you’ll more than likely be able to buy some at your local bait shops.  Be aware, however, that most bait shops sell ribbon leeches and they don’t feed on blood.  Be sure to ask before you buy.  If you’re unsure, ask to stick your hand in with them and see if any attach themselves.  There also some websites that sell medicinal leeches, usually to hospitals.  They can be very expensive though and you may have to buy in bulk.  You’re probably better to just finding one in the wild or checking bait shops.

2) Caring For Your Leech
Once you bring your new friend home, it’s time to give him a proper place to live.  A small glass fishbowl will do just fine, as will other larger glass containers such as mason jars.  Try to avoid plastic, as there’s no telling what chemicals are in them and how they’ll affect the leech.  To prevent your leech from crawling out of the bowl/jar/whatever, cover the opening with tight cloth.  Leeches won’t be able to crawl through the holes, but will still be able to breathe.  It’s important that air gets in.  Sealing the opening completely is a bad idea and will kill the leech sooner or later.

Water is a very important factor here.  You’ll need to change the water once every other day or so.  If the water is still somewhat clean, maybe even every third day.  Keep the water temperature between 5-27C (40-80F).  If in doubt, room temperature is fine.  Sudden temperature changes aren’t good for leeches, so try to keep the new water the same temperature as the old when you change it.

The absolute best water to use is from where you found the leech.  It’s where it used to live, so you know it’s legit.  If you’re willing to make the trek to fetch water every few day, use it.  Non-chlorinated tap water is also a very good choice.  That’s what I’ve been using for Vlad.  A faucet mounted filter (like Brita) will help clean the water even further and can eliminate traces of chlorine in the water, which can harm your leech.  Another option besides a faucet filter is simply to leave some water out for a day and use that.

DO NOT USE DISTILLED WATER OR SOFT WATER! The extreme purity of distilled water isn’t healthy for a leeches’ metabolic system, and soft water should be avoided for obvious reasons.

As for decorating the leeches’ habitat, I would actually recommend against it.  Sometimes, the simplest way to do something is the best.  If you do wish to add a few things to his home, maybe try sand at the bottom or a plant or two.  A plain jar may be boring, but it works just fine.

Leeches generally like to be left alone, especially after they’ve been fed.  Don’t think this is a pet that you can pick up and hold all the time.  They’re like pet fish in that way.  Fun to look at, but they’re not for handling.

As a final note, be sure to keep your leech out of direct light.  Leeches hate that, so you may want to consider wrapping the fishbowl/jar/whatever with something during the day.  A towel or a piece of black construction paper works well.

3) Feeding
This is probably the simplest thing about this pet.  Because blood is so hard to digest, some leeches can go anywhere from a month to a whole year between meals.  If a leech isn’t hungry, or simply doesn’t need to feed, it won’t.  What’s important is that you don’t try to “force” the leech to feed.  That is, don’t grab it and force it upon yourself.  Most likely, they’ll just keep trying to get away from you.  Leeches are hunters by nature and prefer to go at their own pace.  You may want to consider getting a separate bucket or something as a sort of “feeding pen”.  Something that will fit, say, a food or a hand comfortably.  Because even though a leech can go a long time without feeding, they’ll always make the most of it when they do.   A leech will stay attached for as long as they can.  This can be anywhere from 15 minutes, to over 2 hours.  Feeding your leech takes a commitment, because there’s no way to truly tell how long feeding will take.  This is why I suggest a bucket or something for feeding.  This lets you sit comfortably while the little guy feeds.  You can keep your foot in there with the leech while you use your computer, watch TV, play video games or read a book.  Just be sure to keep an eye on it.  Once they’ve had their fill, they’ll simply detach and try to find a nice quiet spot to digest.  This is your best chance to get it back to its home.  Unfortunately, this is also where things get messy.

Leeches don’t exactly “suck” blood.  They bite to create a wound, and use an anticoagulant to prevent the blood flowing out from clotting.  Once they detach, this can be a bit of a pain.  Be prepared with tissues, because the wound is going to bleed for some time afterwards.  Applying pressure to the wound does help.  Once the bleeding does start to slow down or stop entirely, take that chance to wash the wound out thoroughly.  You may notice the wound will heal slower than usual, and may even itch a little.  Try to avoid scratching as much as possible.  If you leave the wound alone, it will heal nicely and scarring will be minimal.  Vlad has left no visible scars on my skin.

Also, be aware that there’s a reason why hospitals don’t use the same leech on different patients.  Namely, it’s a health issue.  It’s better to be safe than sorry.  This isn’t a pet where you can ask someone to come over and feed while you’re gone.

4) Risks
Just because leeches don’t transmit diseases, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any risks in keeping one.  Once a leech does attach itself to you, it’s very important that you do NOT disturb it as it feeds.  If a leech feels it’s in danger, it may regurgitate into the open wound and that can cause serious infection.  There are some “traditional” methods of removing leeches, like pouring salt on it or burning it with a cigarette.  These methods are ill-advised, as they can also cause the leech to regurgitate into the wound.  Simply grabbing the leech and ripping it off your skin is also a bad idea, as this can leave bits of its head and mouth in the wound and can cause infection.

The absolute safest way to remove a leech early is to take something thin like a credit card or a fingernail, and try to slide it between the leeches’ mouth and your skin.  Once you break the seal of the leeches’ mouth sucker, it will try to find its way back to the wound and continue feeding.  This is your chance to grab it and get it off you.  Remember to wash the wound afterwards.

5) Conclusion
Leeches are unique pets.  You can’t take them for walks or cuddle with them, and they certainly don’t feel any real affection towards you.  You’re nothing more than an easy meal to them.  But unlike other pets, they’re truly dependent on you as a source of food, because YOU ARE the food.  Anyone can open a bag or can of food for their pet and give it to them.  But with leeches, you’re doing something that most people would find gross or even disturbing.  Most people would never consider willingly let a leech feed off of them.  But if you’re willing to try it out, you’ll have a neat little companion that could last up to 10 years, depending on the specie.  I hope this was a useful guide that will help you get started on taking care of your own should you ever be interested in doing so.