Maintenance for Clinical Leeches
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 medicinal leech. 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.
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 medicinal leech. 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.
Our Products
We at Biopharm are continually researching new methods of storing and transporting leeches and are confident that our range of leech containers will suit all our customers' needs. Whether you prefer to maintain the leeches in Water* or Hirudo/Mix gel, store them in the refrigerator or at room temperature, one of our containers will meet your requirements.
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Container 5020We now despatch most of our UK small orders in new plastic containers with Hirudo Mix™. This will allow for short-term (up to 2 days) storage in a refrigerator when they arrive at the pharmacy. This container is ideally suited for use with our Hirudo Mix/Gel products for transport (i.e. to the hospital
ward) and for longer term storage of small numbers of leeches. Additional containers are available at a small cost. Specification Capacity: 250mls Hirudo Mix/Gel / 10 Leeches (Max) @ 5°C to 10°C (refrigerator) Maintenance Regime: Check leeches upon arrival. For long-term storage check leeches regularly, rinse or replace Hirudo Mix/Gel when required. |
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Container 6021 & 6031 (Biopharm EasyClean Container)The container has been designed for the easy and hygienic storage of leeches
in water*. Container 6031 consists of two parts - an inner container, which has small perforations on the base to allow water and particles of leech cuticle (leech skin) to be drained away easily but not letting the leeches escape, and an outer container that retains the water. The outer container (6021) is also available seperately and is better suited with our hirudogel product when used on its own. The containers are made from clear plastic which allows good visibility of your leeches, a snap on lid (escape proof!) and a handle for transport. Specification Capacity - Container 6021: 650mls Gel or Water / 35 leeches (Max) @ 5°C Capacity - Container 6031: 650mls Water / 35 leeches (Max) @ 5°C Maintenance Regime: Check leeches regularly, replace water* weekly or when required. NB. Water* sterile or distilled water which has had 0.5g per litre of Hirudosalt™ added. |
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HirudoSalt™(Product code 044)
HirudoSalt™ is a specially formulated recipe for making up water ideally suited for maintenance of medicinal leeches. Distilled water with HirudoSalt added is far superior to dechlorinated tap water, which contains unwelcome additives. HirudoMix™(Product code 046)
HirudoMix dispenses with the need for frequent water changes by keeping the leeches in a clean well oxygenated but moist matrix. HirudoMix saves time by eliminating the need to pre treat the water with HirudoSalt before use. |
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HirudoGel™(Product code 045)
HirudoGel™ is a revolutionary material for keeping leeches healthy in hospital pharmacies. HirudoGel dispenses with the need for frequent water changes by keeping the leeches in a clean well oxygenated but moist matrix. It is advisable to store your leeches in a refrigerator or a cool place. |
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Leech Nosda™Leech Nosda™ is our new complete kit for the humane disposal of clinical leeches. Each kit comes with two bottles of solution, Part A and Part B, four small
labelled disposal pots and one pair of leech friendly forceps. The solutions are ready and easy to use, so no more time consuming mixing or diluting is necessary either on the ward or in the pharmacy. Our new kit ensures that the most humane way to dispose of our leeches is also the most simple. |