Maintenance for Clinical Leeches

As specialists in leech biology we have prepared the following to help those of you directly involved in caring for the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis. The two most important things to avoid are heat and chlorinated tap water. Leeches can live for months on a blood meal so feeding is unnecessary. Temperature The leeches will survive quite happily in a refrigerator or in a cool place, provided the temperature does not exceed 15°C. Special care and attention should be taken if the leeches are to be used in a heated hospital ward. Keep them as cool as possible until they are needed. Never put leeches into direct sunlight. Water Distilled water plus HIRUDOSALT™ is recommended. HIRUDOSALT™ is a specially formulated recipe for making up water ideally suited for maintenance of the medical leech Hirudo medicinalis. Distilled water with HIRUDOSALT™ added is far superior to dechlorinated tap water which contains unwelcome additives and varies through the year. Do not use distilled water alone as it will deplete the animals "ions". Simply stir 0.5g of HIRUDOSALT™ into each litre of distilled water. The water is now ready for use. Aeration is unnecessary. Container A lid is essential. Leeches are amphibious and like to crawl about. Perforations are advised but they must be very small indeed, as the leech body is elastic and capable of going through remarkably small openings. A cloth cover secured tightly with string, rubber band or tape is useful. Do not overcrowd. The greater the amount of water, the less it needs changing. No more than 50 leeches should go into a 2.5 litre container.