Worms eat all kinds of things. Worms generally prefer and are better suited to eating manure, i.e. animal dung. Manure has been used in worm composting for a very long time.
When left for long enough, to further decay, creating a range of different and wonderful nutrients for vegetation, manure is a perfect organic compost, and worms do love it!
Yes, worms do eat poop. This includes various animal manures. A good rule of thumb is to know that worms love to eat various fungi, dead and decaying things.
Certain kinds of waste can be full of nutrients and, if left long enough, is already in a decomposing state which is ripe for the worms’ culinary pleasure!
However, it is not good for worms to eat all kinds of poop.
Do worms eat dog poop?
Yes, worms will eat your dog poop. If your dog goes to the toilet a lot in your garden, you have worm food right there for their serving.
You might even notice that your dogs poop has earthworms in it if you leave it long enough. You don’t have to worry about this if you’re a dog owner.
If the worms are larger in size, then they are earthworms and not nematodes which have come from inside your dog (which are parasitic and potentially harmful to your dog).
The reason for earthworms climbing into your dog’s poo for a rummage around, is that it makes for great worm composting.
If you have a dog and are wondering about how you can deal with its poop in an eco-friendly way, then having your own worm composting farm could be one solution.
Even if you don’t have a garden, you will most likely feel a bit guilty every time you have to pick up your dog’s poo in a plastic bag and take it to throw in the bin.
But what are we to do? Well, that is where a dog poo worm farm comes in!
Setting Up a Dog Poop Worm Farm
You can set up a dog poop earthworm farm in a similar way to your normal worm farm with just some differences to be aware of.
Earthworms preference for Fruits and veg
When it comes to worms eating dog waste, you need to be mindful. Dog waste is not something that you can put into just any worm bin!
If you want to put these feces into a worm bin, then it has to be a worm bin that has been specifically made for dog feces.
The reason for this is that, given the choice between fruit and vegetable nutrients and waste nutrients, the worms will systematically choose the fruit and veg, leaving the dog waste to be ignored.
Can you blame them? I know what I’d choose…
Use compost from dog poop on non-edible plants
There is also the fact that, since dogs are carnivores, dog waste can contain certain bacteria from meat that should not be used on plants that we eat.
Using that kind of compost on edible plants could mean that the plant will grow with the bacteria inside, which may then be transmitted to your food.
A good way to avoid this is by just using your normal worm bin compost on your fruit trees and vegetable garden, and to only use the dog waste compost on plants that will not be consumed.
Use paper towels to put the dog poop into your worm bin
Remember that worm farms also need carbon. This is actually a perfect scenario for us to kill two birds with one stone.
We mentioned not using plastic bags to pick up your dog poop and this doesn’t work for worm farms either because plastic doesn’t decompose.
Instead pick up your dog poo using toilet paper or kitchen paper towels or newspaper and throw it in the worm bin along with the poo.
Paper contains the carbon that worms need to thrive, so you’ve just solved two problems in one go!
If Your Dog is on Worming Medication…IMPORTANT
Be careful if your dog is on any worming medication or any other medicine that could be harmful for worms.
Many medications remain in the dog poop still for days, even months.
It’s not a good idea to start an animal poop farm if they are on any meds which effect worms or if the animal is known for having pathogens in their poop.
Do worms eat human poop?
Yes, worms can eat human poop.
More and more people are now using composting toilets as a way of reducing the issues caused by normal toilets.
But just as with dog poop, it is essential to not provide just any worm composting bin with human waste! For more on this, check out our article on human manure and worms.
Do worms eat manure?
Yes, worms eat manure. They absolutely love it! Add it to your composting bin and worms will be more than happy to help get rid of it for you.
The manure from omnivores such as horses and cows is full of nutrients that worms simply love!
As it is already well along the process of decomposition, it makes it easier and quicker for the worms to digest.
Using animal manure on its own as a natural compost for your plants is more than recommended. However, have you ever considered adding it to a worm composting bin?
Indeed, mixed with the nutrients from the decomposed fruits, vegetables and other organic foods, and the multitude of nutrients left by the worms in the form of their castings, the manure will provide a healthy and rich compost for all of your vegetation needs.
Summary
There’s no harm in putting waste and poop to good use by feeding a worm or two.
However, do always make sure to separate human waste or dog poop into their own specific bins for their own specific uses.
If you would like to know more about worm composting and their diets, put our other articles to good use. Giving your worms access to more than just simple poo is really going to be best for their systems and for your vermicomposting results.
