Lethargic Mealworms?

[ketz]

I've been noticing that my mealworms are very lethargic lately. Sometimes they're very squirmy when I pick them up to feed to my gecko but sometimes they just don't move at all. They're being raised with an inch of oatmeal as the substrate and carrots and apples rotated in and out for moisture. They still seem to be healthy and alive but they just don't move hardly at all. Anybody know why?

 

[JordanAng420]

That's normal mealworm behavior. If you shake them up, they'll start moving, and sometimes if you give them a piece of potato, they go insane. They love starch.

 

[Tony C]

They may also be close to pupating, I've noticed that they slow down considerably in the week or two before they become pupae.