Mealworms dying in food bowl?

[Dama682]

I actually came across a couple problems with putting mealworms in the food bowl and putting some calcium dust on them.

1) They stop moving after a while. I'm trying to get my gecko to eat out of the bowl so that I didn't have to stain the reptile carpet with calcium powder anymore (I have to drop the worm in from of him to feed him). When he does glance into the bowl, however, the worms aren't moving. I know they're alive, but they're just inactive, so my gecko just passes on by. Is there some sort of solution to this?

2) This actually refers to the thread title: after a couple hours into the next day, the mealworms are dead. I know they're dead because they stop reacting to everything (including my hand and a slight spritz of water), and they turn dark brown/black-ish.

How do you guys keep the mealworms alive and squirming for a couple days in the food bowl?

Also, after a couple of days, I know that you have to replace the mealworms. Do I just take the calcium covered mealworms and place them back into the mealworm breeding bin I have, or do I have to get the calcium powder off first?

 

[T-ReXx]

A few tips:

Make sure you keep the bowl away from the heat source, high temps will kill mealworms.

Put a small piece of potatoe/apple/orange in the bowl with the worms. This will help them remain hydrated, and will cause feeding activity, increasing movement and attracting the geckos attention.

You can just put the worms back in the bin, you don't have to clean them first.

 

[Dama682]

A few tips:

Make sure you keep the bowl away from the heat source, high temps will kill mealworms.

Put a small piece of potatoe/apple/orange in the bowl with the worms. This will help them remain hydrated, and will cause feeding activity, increasing movement and attracting the geckos attention.

You can just put the worms back in the bin, you don't have to clean them first.

Alright, then, thanks for the help!