On Protecting Mealworms prior to Feeding Them to Lizard

[ClockwerkBonnet]

So, today, I set out to clean my leopard gecko's cage and feed him. I had put the mealworms in a small bowl with no lid (I don't know where the original lid is anymore; it did have air holes) and left them to eat some lettuce. After cleaning the cage and putting the lizard back inside, I noticed that all the worms were dead. I saw a small fly (or maybe it was a gnat) inside, so my best guess is that a bunch of the bugs attacked and killed the worms.


I know the most conventional way to prevent this is to find a good lid with air holes, but are there any other methods you people know of?

[chairman]

It seems suspicious that healthy mealworms would die like that. If I had to point to a culprit then I'd look to the condition of the worms prior to feeding or the lettuce (more specifically, pesticides on the lettuce). Gnats typically go after dead materials, I wouldn't expect them to kill anything, especially quickly.

As for other methods, I'm not sure what to offer. I raise my own superworms for my leopard gecko. That species is a little different, they eat wood with supplementation from other sources.

[ClockwerkBonnet]

Thanks. My next batch of worms is going to be loaded with dry oatmeal instead of lettuce. If that doesn't work, I'll try to find a lid for the bowl.

[chairman]

I like to load mine with food pellets, like parrot food (not seeds) or tortoise food. Foods designed for omnivores and herbivores tend to have low protein and a nice balance of vitamins and minerals. (I figure protein isn't necessary because the worm is made of that.)

[ClockwerkBonnet]

I like to load mine with food pellets, like parrot food (not seeds) or tortoise food. Foods designed for omnivores and herbivores tend to have low protein and a nice balance of vitamins and minerals. (I figure protein isn't necessary because the worm is made of that.)
Good point. My goal when choosing food for my gecko's worms is to ensure that the lizard is getting enough vitamin A. It's the reason why I did lettuce, and the dry oatmeal I'm using does have some vitamin A in it.