Care & Feeding.

All that vegetable stuff you run through the disposal makes a meal for Red. He's a strict Vegan though. His Cardiologist said that anything with fat in it is pretty much out. (It also attracts flys & smelly bacteria.) He's also not too fond of Onions or Citrus, but can handle a bit in moderation. He is a big fan of Starbucks, however. Coffee grounds and tea bags (the paper kind) are favorites. Some say that eggshells are good, too. His mouthparts is a might small, so everything goes down better if it's chopped to bits.

Rustlers and other Dangers. Stock & Branding

Red Wiggler. Eisenia Fetida. Hey, that's a girl's name, you say, but that's OK 'cause his kind's got both boy & girl parts... hermaphroditic, that is.

Fetida means, "kinda stinky," but that's only if you mess with 'em too much. And, like most Americans, he's an immigrant. He hails from Europe, but his family now lives all around the globe. Buy your worms or get them from a friend. The common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) is designed to live in earth, not in compost. (It is also, by the way, a non-native species.) One pound of wigglers should last forever unless you experience a catastrophic die-off during a hot spell or trip to Maui. And if you keep them hidden in a box, you will avoid predators like birds and sorority-sisters.