How long will mealworms live? And how to keep them alive?

[endrien]

I'm looking at buying some mealworms for my leo and I'm wondering how long they can be kept alive so I know how many to order. How can they be kept alive and what can you gutload them with would also be helpful.
I've also heard mealworms can be bad if eaten too much? Is this true?

 

[SDCowboy]

They can last for weeks if you keep them in the fridge. And they are a staple food so they are fine for leo to eat every day.

 

[jerrymb]

I put my mealworms in a plastic container with a lid. A few small holes in the lid. I use oatmeal in the container. A piece of potato or apple. I keep it in the fridge.

 

[artgecko]

They can last many weeks in fridge, but you should bring them out every week or 2 for 24 hrs to warm up and re-gutload. I use Pro Gutload from progeckos.com and mostly carrots for moisture.
I have noticed that there is some die off in the fridge, so just remove the black, dead ones if you need to...

There is no problem with feeding mealworms all the time. I dust them with Repashy's Calcium Plus for added nutritional value, and grow big healthy leos on mealworms.

btw: this thread should go in the Feeding/Feeders section

 

[Chestersmom]

I keep mine in oatmeal and give them carrots for moisture.

 

[endrien]

So keep them in the fridge with oatmeal and something for moisture? I should take them out every week but for how long? Also what do I do before I want to feed them to my gecko?

 

[SDCowboy]

So keep them in the fridge with oatmeal and something for moisture? I should take them out every week but for how long? Also what do I do before I want to feed them to my gecko?

Keep them in the stuff they come in. There should always be a dish of them in the tank but when you want to hand feed or just drop them and and watch them hunt you don't have the leave the worms out to warm. At least for mine, she doesn't care if they're right out of the fridge.

 

[endrien]

Well, she seems to really like the mealworms. I usually had to persuade her to eat crickets and she didn't particularly want to chase them down but when I gave her a mealworm she went right for it and I put 4 more in a dish and after an hour or so they were all gone .

 

[LeoMerlin]

It's so funny, my little guy has been going nuts over the small mealworms. Today we got more, but I think we got the regular size instead of the small sized ones. I hope he eats them. Anywho, I tried giving him some small crickets, but I am not sure if he liked them or not. I think I had three in there originally, and maybe a couple more. Looks like he ate them because when I cleaned the tank out today, there weren't any left. Is it natural for them to not want crickets?

 

[endrien]

It's so funny, my little guy has been going nuts over the small mealworms. Today we got more, but I think we got the regular size instead of the small sized ones. I hope he eats them. Anywho, I tried giving him some small crickets, but I am not sure if he liked them or not. I think I had three in there originally, and maybe a couple more. Looks like he ate them because when I cleaned the tank out today, there weren't any left. Is it natural for them to not want crickets?

Some seem to take preferences and find it hard to switch, though from what I have read they can be "forced" to eat a certain type of insect by not giving them the other and when they become hungry enough they will eat.