hmm can mealworms suffocate in dust?

[bethanboys]

I've been using mealworms successfully for the past 10 months.

Well last night, I was taking the mini mealworms out of the gutloading container (was using apples, carrots, and grape halves - all fresh) and they were active and squirming, all a nice healthy color (no blackish looking ones or sickly looking ones) then I dusted them and put them in the dish.

I woke up this morning to see how many my baby had eaten over night, he's been eating 10-11 a night, and saw there were still like 9 left!?
I looked closer at them and they were ALL dead. All black and stiff and rigid. Just overnight?

Do you think perhaps the sticky juices of the grapes and the dust clogged to suffocate them? I don't know, that was just my crazy theory. I've seen one die overnight before but not all of them - or most of them. Baby leo ate about 3 of them before the rest must have died. Or maybe only three were still good.

 

[Leopardbreeder]

Well, from what I have heard using acidic things isn't good. I don't know HOW acidic they are, but they are too wet for me. Try using Carrots and potatoes. Also, apples are pretty acidic. Maybe Marcia can help up with this one?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Do you think perhaps the sticky juices of the grapes and the dust clogged to suffocate them?

That is most likely the case. Try just using carrots and sweet potatoes and avoid the juicy stuff like apples and grapes.

 

[NickBoudin]

I use just baby carrots, because you dont need to cut them, and when you cut them it releases a lot of the juices found in the vegetable a lot faster into the bedding making it a lot more moist.