Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Man Lets His Pet Leeches Suck His Blood, Claiming It Makes Him Healthier

Man Lets His Pet Leeches Suck His Blood, Claiming It Makes Him Healthier
PA Real Life

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Therapist Ariane believes the vampire-style feeds could even extend his lifespan.

A therapist who bonds with his three giant pet leeches by letting them suck his blood once a month, claims the vampire-style feeding sessions have improved his health and could even extend his lifespan.


Placing the three predatory worms he calls his "children" on his left arm, Ariane Khomjani, 22, watches them grow up to 15 inches long, as they gorge on his blood – knowing they are capable of drinking 10 times their own body weight.

Letting them out of their aquarium, to roam freely around his bedroom at his family home in Walnut Creek, California, USA, when he is home, Ariane regularly strokes the pets, which he adores, saying: "People are only scared of what they don't understand."


Warning graphic image: Ariane bonds with his pet leeches by letting them suck his blood

(Collect/PA Real Life)

He continued:

"In fact, there are so many medicinal uses to leech feeding that we in the West are now only starting to realize."
"Having leeches suck your blood can help with circulation, arthritis, complexion and even extend your lifespan."
"I play a lot of tennis and if ever I have any soreness in my arms, I put a leech on and the pain goes away – it's incredible."

Calling his Asian buffalo leeches – native to the swamps of southern India – Laera, Liidra and Lykra, they are the latest proud addition to Ariane's exotic pet collection, which includes four eight-foot anaconda snakes and a carnivorous Galapagos centipede called Cax.

His taste for slithery companions also brought him human love, after his student girlfriend Mackenzie Lynn, 18, spotted his snake and leech-themed Instagram page and got in touch.

Speaking fondly of Mackenzie, who shares his fascination for tropical creatures, he continued:

"It's really cool to meet a girl who is as into reptiles as I am – you really don't meet many girls who are like that."


Ariane and one of his pet snakes (Collect/PA Real Life)

Keen to dispel negative perceptions of slippery animals, Ariane insists his peculiar pets regard him as a parent.

He continued:

"People often say to me that keeping these sorts of pets is dangerous, that I should watch out because one day the snakes might start sizing me up, or the leeches might bleed me dry."
"But, once they become comfortable with you, they're not dangerous at all. I've raised them all since they were small enough to wrap around my little finger and they mean a lot to me, like they are my kids."


Leeches on Ariane's face (Collect/PA Real Life)

Keeping various smaller reptiles and insects, like snakes, scorpions and lizards at his parents' house throughout his teens, they were delighted that he took such an avid interest in zoology.

As a youngster, Ariane even went to educational sideshows around his home state, where collectors would show off their pets.

He said:

"One time, at one of these shows, I met a guy who had an anaconda. It was the first time I had seen one and I thought it was amazing, so I started researching them and from then on dreamed about having one of my own."


Ariane bonds with his pet leeches by letting them suck his blood

(Collect/PA Real Life)

Gaining experience with smaller bull snakes, Ariane's dreams were realized when, aged 17, he bought his first yellow anaconda, Annie, for $300 later acquiring three more, Allie, Amy and Ana.

But the collector's thirst for the exotic creatures was not entirely quenched until he bought his giant leeches.

After seeing a YouTube video of a giant buffalo leech sucking a man's blood, it became his mission to own some.


Ariane also has eight-foot anaconda snakes (Collect/PA Real Life)

"I saw this thing and thought, 'Can that be real? And if it is, I want one!'" he said.

Buying three baby leeches from a dealer in Holland for $60 dollars each, Ariane soon began feeding them with his own blood, to make them grow as fast as possible.

"I've tried all sorts of places on my legs and arms," said Ariane, who feeds his snakes with frozen rats, which he buys in bulk.


One of Ariane's anaconda snakes (Collect/PA Real Life)

He added:

"Now I usually just do my left arm, because they've got used to feeding there."

"The initial bite, when they are attaching themselves to you, can hurt. It feels a bit like thousands of tiny needles pricking your skin. But once they're on, it feels fine and there's a very relieving sensation to it."

Ariane typically allows his leeches to suck up a pint of his blood – roughly a tenth of the amount held within an average person's body – at each mealtime.


Ariane with his snakes at home (Collect/PA Real Life)

As they feed, he watched them inflate like water balloons, growing by up to 15 inches, when they are full.

Singing their virtues as the "perfect pets," he said:

"Having a snake or a leech is not like having a dog or a cat because they don't actively seek your affection."

He added:

"But I'm at a stage with them now where they feel completely happy with me being around them and don't feel threatened by me. That's the highest form of respect you can have from them."
"Some people might think it's weird keeping these sorts of pets, because they think of them as scary or creepy."
"But I always say to them, 'Before you get scared by animals, find out what they're really about – and you never know, you might like them.'"

A version of this article originally appeared on Press Association.

More from

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less