Mealworms- Questions

mathaldo · 10-16-04, 03:39 PM

I've been feeding mealworms to my geckos for the past few months now. In the last 2 times I've been there and bought mealworms, they've all been dead, except for a few. The thing is that these mealworms they don't look dead. They aren't black, and the aren't hard. They actually are very soft, and look alive, but aren't- from what I can tell. They don't move, and when I pick them up they don't move either.

Now I complained about how they've been dying and that told me that they should be kept in the fridge until I feed them, and that when kept out in room temperature they go into a dormant stage.

So my questions are... should they be refridgerated, or kept out at room temperature, and why are they dying? I was also wondering if they're in the fridge, and they're body is slowing down, how are they supposed to eat?

Thanks,
Mat

AtlanticReptile · 10-16-04, 04:45 PM

I breed my own mealworms and superworms, they are always kept at room tempeture and they do fine. I have never heard of putting them in the fridge, but that dosen't mean its wrong. As for them not moving the only ones i find that don't move are the ones that are getting ready to shed out of their skin. Also giving them some dry oatmeal and slicing a potato in half and putting it wetside down in the oatmeal gives them food and water, hope this helps.

Nick
Atlantic Reptiles

concept3 · 10-16-04, 04:47 PM

dont know if its relavent but i keep my butterworms and waxworms in the fridge?

capsicum · 10-16-04, 05:09 PM

From what I have experienced, mealies go into a dormant stage when put into the fridge, but they should only be there for so long (there was a link somewhere in this forum about breeding them, and it explained this better).

TK

annieb_mice · 10-17-04, 03:33 AM

Mealworms are really easy to breed! I keep mine on a multigrain mixture, but most people just keep them on bran flakes and oatmeal and they do just fine. A sliced potato or carrot or apple for moisture is great. If kept at room temperature, they will eventually pupate and then turn into beetles, which will lay eggs... and so on.

It sounds like your mealworms are being stored in the fridge for too long. Try either cutting down the amount of mealworms you buy at one time... or perhaps try breeding them yourself, so you'll always have them on hand when you need them.

Good luck...
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

herpslave · 10-17-04, 05:24 AM

Check out a list I made of how to keep and breed mealies.

http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/...ead.php?t=7621

For some reason my thread on this site was deleted. Any ways, have any questions, please ask.

damzookeeper · 10-17-04, 08:03 AM

Here's my mealworm care sheet if you are interested.
Meal worm care.

mathaldo · 10-17-04, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by annieb_mice
It sounds like your mealworms are being stored in the fridge for too long. Try either cutting down the amount of mealworms you buy at one time... or perhaps try breeding them yourself, so you'll always have them on hand when you need them.
Good luck...
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

I don't redfridgerate them, the place where I buy them do. I've always kept them at room temperature.

Also I'm not allowed to breed mealworms, my parents wouldn't like it... too many bugs that all have a chance of escaping.

The over refridgerating them is what I though was happening. A few have since come "back to life", but the majority are still dead.

Cruciform · 10-28-04, 07:43 PM

They can't climb worth a darn. If you put them in a 4 inch tall tupperware dish with an inch of substrate you'd never have an escape.

I found they smell kind of odd though.

reptiguy420 · 11-03-04, 02:46 PM

Thats funny, when i buy my mealworms they are pulled out of a fridge at the pet shop and i bring them home and throw them right back in.This way i dont have to feed them to keep them alive, and they do go into a dormant stage while in the fridge(from what i was told from V.I.PETS).Good luck, hope this helps

Linds · 11-03-04, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reptiguy420
This way i dont have to feed them to keep them alive, and they do go into a dormant stage while in the fridge(from what i was told from V.I.PETS).Good luck, hope this helps

Why wouldn't you want to feed them??? I have yet to see a store that sold gutloaded mealworms. They are kept on bran and that's pretty much all they get (except sometimes carrots or potato... again no big nutritional value there). Insectivores especially, it is important to feed the healthiest bugs you can... otherwise they are just empty.

reptiguy420 · 11-03-04, 05:08 PM

I do not gutload the mealworms because i use them as treats for my bearded dragons, they are dusted thats about it.As i said i get them from the pet store and i throw them in the fridge.This keeps the mealworms from progressing into beetles and also keeps them from dying, in my experience mealworms that i get are fresh(as fresh as bugs can be i guess) they are all alive when they are fed to my dragon.Although there may be 2 or 3 black dead worms in the container when i recieve them.

jjaj02 · 11-03-04, 05:31 PM

Ok, I know this is an odd question, but, I am getting my first leopard gecko in 2 weeks. Someone told me to cut the heads off the mealworms before I feed them to the gecko so that they don't bite? Is this true or is someone pulling my leg?

ydnic · 11-03-04, 05:42 PM

HEY! - there goes some one with your leg.......