Couple questions and my short term results

[fish_4_all]

I have had my little collection going for about 2 weeks now and things are looking good. All of the worms, 2 different species, (I believe anyway), are doing just fine in my little boot box. It is clear but I have it in a box to provide darkness for them to feed. The one species that does not have the distinct bands is doing really well for sure. They are fat and active and seem in good health. The ones I think are actual composting red worms are doing well also with at least 4 of them bveing 2x larger than anything I have put in the box.

First question: the inside of the box is warm, not hot but with my thermometer I got between 75-80F regularly with the ambient temperature being 71-73F Is this normal for it to be warmer?

Next Q: does anyone have a resource for identifying what species I might have?

Here is my setup:
Boot box, clear plastic, top one has holes drilled in the bottom for drainage and placed inside another one. The lid has 3 large holes drilled in it to allow ample airflow. I do not have any side holes drilled in this box, yet. The bedding is shredded newspaper and cardboard with one corner holding a large clump of sawdust. The wormns, even though they were collected under firewood do not go in the saw dust as far as I can tell. Time will tell if the worms will use it at all when it starts to break down over time.
I feed them a blended mix of carrots, lettece and broccoli. It takes about 3 days for them to consume about 1 tablespoon of this mix, they have eaten 3 clumps of it since I started. They have also eaten a teaspoon of coffee grounds, well most of it anyway. It was the first thing given to them and since I started giving them the veggie mash they have not touched it.

I added some crushed egg shells a couple days ago just to help make sure my pH doesn't crash.

Also, I have one worm, I am not certain it is a nightcrawler because it does not have a ring yet but it is VERY large. I put it in there and it was about 3 inches long and smaller than a pencil. Now it is 4 inches long and larger than a pencil. Could I actually have a larger species of composting worm or is it more likely a nightcrawler that has simply decided to live and eat in my little worm home?

Sorry for the big edit, I didn't realize my original post was that bad.

[azslabber]

Does'nt seem like there is enough decaying matter to make it warmer,well that much warmer,but maybe.Look on the internet under earthworms for kinds of worms,I don't remember the site but it was under "Earthworms" and they showed pictures of about 10 differant worm species.Good luck,Get them things big,lol.

[azslabber]

Hey,this economy is bad,that nightcrawler found a cheap spot for a while and is treated like a king,lol.He aint going anywhere.

[The Worm Expert]

The heat could be generated from humidity within the box, however it usually cools if piling up on the top and condensing again.

The shredded paper will begin to break down slowly. If anything is packed such as the sawdust this could produce additional heat.

As for identifying, I was looking for a link but unable to locate it but have this one handy which might help you out to identify worms.

Bruce