How to keep mealworms....?

[outrageous]

I've read a few care sheets and have decided on using meal worms. However some of you keep them in a fridge. Is it just the normal temp in a fridge? I have a beer fridge but will they smell at all? And for one leo how long would 500 last?

 

[Stitch]

I have never had success keeping mealies in a fridge. They wind up dieing on me. I have heard that it depends on the fridge temp, but I'm not sure what is. If your gecko can eat 10 mealies a day then it will last roughly 50 days. Give or take because some may morph into beatles or possibly die. You just have to do the math. I keep mine in milk jugs with the top cut off and at room temp 68-72 degrees. I breed mine though so I never run out .

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I have never had success keeping mealies OUT of the fridge. I always keep mine in the fridge. However, if you just leave them in there, they will die. You need to take them out 1-2 times a week for them to warm up and eat. I take mine out about once a week and give them a couple pieces of an orange to eat, then then put tham back in after about 30 min or so. I have had a 500 count last about 2 months with no morphings and maybe 10-15 dead. I kept a 100 count out of the fridge and they started morphing after I used a little more than half of them. It says to keep them around 45 degrees (I believe) but I do not think it matters. And no, they do not smell.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

It really depends on the fridge temps, mine is at 38-40, food goes bad faster at anything above 42 and mealies need 45 in the fridge to survive for long.

I try to buy mediums so they will morph out slower and keep them in a cool closet where its about 60, they will shed some but not porph out very fast on you.

I haev a mini fridge I was going to make into an incubator but Im thinking about setting it up for mealies and setting it at 48-50 for the mealies.

 

[GeckoMandi]

I have kept mine in the fridge with no problems I take them in and out weekly and haven't had a huge loss on any, I don't know the fridge temp though.

If I leave them out of the fridge is when I start having problems lol.

 

[NaughtyDawg]

I used to just put them in a tupperware container full of bran and a damp paper towel. They would turn to beetles and lay eggs and then more mealies. You can get quite a colony of them going.

 

[Sunshine State Exotics]

Before we sold out of geckos... we going through about 40k a month. We keep them in plastic tubs with about 1/2" of chicken laying mash or fine hog feed.

 

[outrageous]

I only keep "water" in the fridge and I have a temp gun so getting it to a certain temp isn't gonna be hard. And thanks for the help!

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

lol I keep "water" of different styles and flavors in mine

 

[Melody]

My 2 cents ... I have had much better luck keeping them outside the fridge at room temperature (75). It's a little too warm, but at least I see them and remember to feed them that way! I buy them small so they shed a few times and get bigger, but I don't have much in the way of losses or deaths. When I kept them in the fridge, they never seemed to ever get as active (in the feed dish) as the ones kept outside do.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

Ive never had any luck in the fridge either, had 50,000 die on me once and 10,000 twice before I learned my lesson.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Everyone that had them die in the fridge, were you taking them out at least once a week to warm up and eat some sort of food/water source?

And about the ones from the fridge not as active, they should be taken out to warm up before being put in the tank.

 

[GeckoMandi]

I put mine into the fridge and take them out every 2-3 days for warming up and feedings, so far this has worked well for me.

I keep between 2,000 and 3,000 at a time.

 

[Stitch]

I never had them live more them 3-4 days in the fridge. I'd put them in and 3-4 days later when I went to take them out half would be dead. Like I said since I have 8 geckos now I just constantly rotating through my breeders so I don't put any in the fridge any more. Every one finds something that works for them.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I never had them live more them 3-4 days in the fridge. I'd put them in and 3-4 days later when I went to take them out half would be dead. Like I said since I have 8 geckos now I just constantly rotating through my breeders so I don't put any in the fridge any more. Every one finds something that works for them.

Yeah that is just weird. I just finished up mealworms that have been in the fridge just over 2 months now.

 

[Stitch]

I'm going to say it probably has something to do with fridge temps.

 

[ReptileMan27]

I get mealies/superworms in tubs of like 50-100 locally. When I get them they are in the fridge and I keep them in the fridge,never had any probs with it.