keeping mealworms

[Dead Dreamer]

First, is it oats that they are bought in? Also, gut-load while refrigerating or do you take them out? The reason I ask is they get pretty lifeless after 24 hours or so at room temp. I don't have any gut-load formula and am broke for at least another week. I am putting them in a dish in the terrarium with some of the "oats", calcium powder and pieces of carrot. Is that good enough? Thank you for your time.

 

[leogecko88]

Mealworms are packaged in wheat middlings, and they will eat their bedding. They have to be gut-loaded at room temperature because they won't eat in the fridge. You can add cornmeal and oats to the bedding for additional nutrients. The carrots and other veggie or fruit pieces will a good water source.

 

[Dead Dreamer]

Thanx!

 

[MichaelJ]

My advice: Purchase your medium-sized mealworms from an online supplier rather than your local pet store. While saving you money and time, you’ll also receive a higher quality batch of mealworms. 1,000 medium mealworms will last you about two months if you’re feeding 15-20 mealworms every day.

Keep the mealworms in a shallow Tupperware container with several holes in the top for ventilation. The container of mealworms will be kept in the refrigerator.

You can use the gut load as bedding for the worms, add 1” layer to the container.

Once a week, with the Tupperware lid removed, add slices of potato to the top of the mealworms and let them gut load for a day. They don’t need a water source; the potato slices will provide enough moisture for the mealworms. Remove any potato remnants/ skins before you return them to the refrigerator. This will prevent the gut load from getting moist and soggy, as it should stay dry and loose.

When it’s time for feeding, you’ll take the worms out of the fridge, let them warm up for about 10 minutes so they start moving, and place 15-20 mealworms in each feeding dish.

 

[Dead Dreamer]

Awesome! Thanx!