phoenix worms

[robin]

alright so stephanie got some phoenix worms for her leopard gecko. he likes them quite a bit but how do you keep them? fridge? no fridge? bedding? what do they eat? etc? i have never fed them so i dont know how to keep them

 

[roger]

alright so stephanie got some phoenix worms for her leopard gecko. he likes them quite a bit but how do you keep them? fridge? no fridge? bedding? what do they eat? etc? i have never fed them so i dont know how to keep them

no u dont refridgerate.keep at room temps.they thrive in regular sawdust as bedding

 

[James Lamantia]

Everything I have read and been told about them is that they are kept at room temperature in the bedding they where shipped in. From what I have been told you can’t even gut load them. That is where I’m confused about them. You have a creature that eats poop, you can’t gut load and is still better for my reptiles then meals, super worms that eat better then I do. I feed them all sorts of veggies with all sorts of vitamins on them and still this solder betel grub is better. I do use them every once in a while but use the meals and supers as my stable.

 

[ChickenChump]

Everything I have read and been told about them is that they are kept at room temperature in the bedding they where shipped in. From what I have been told you can’t even gut load them. That is where I’m confused about them. You have a creature that eats poop, you can’t gut load and is still better for my reptiles then meals, super worms that eat better then I do. I feed them all sorts of veggies with all sorts of vitamins on them and still this solder betel grub is better. I do use them every once in a while but use the meals and supers as my stable.

You're a little wrong there. The phoenix worms sold in the tubs are in their pre-pupal stage. They are the larvae of a FLY, that mimics a wasp. They feed on decaying matter and I culture them for my chickens, using anything from leftover fish, veggies, leftover chicken food, and dairy products. The maggots shed to their pre-pupal stage once full size, at this time they are done feeding and use their nutritious fat stores as energy. Their mouth parts then turn into hooks which are used for climbing, unabling them to feed. Commercial phoenix worm raisers don't use waste, but mostly a cheap grain mix.

 

[tlbowling]

I've bought them before and it does say not to do anything except keep them in the container at room temp. with the stuff that they were shipped with, no food nothing. It just says the "saw dust" type stuff that they are shipped in needs to stay mildly moistened, like you might need to add 1 or 2 drops of water, thats it? They dont recommend food, gutloading.... nothing.


I bought a small container of them to try when my beardie was young, he gobbled them up. During the winter, it was much easier to get phoenix worms than crickets, so I decided to bite the bullet, and get 1000 of them for like $50! shipped to me. They all made it, and were very wiggly...and I was like...oh he's gonna LOVE this That little bugger wouldnt touch a single one! (didnt have leos at the time, so they went to waste ) I dont know how people keep them in bulk like that though:main_huh:, because I tried to offer them to him everyday, and after awhile they started to get this ammonia type smell (kinda like cat urine?) and they were starting to die? So I dont know how to store them in bulk for "long term", but they were OK getting the smaller container. Im sure if I ordered the bulk again though...the leos would eat em up:main_yes:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Phenix_Worms

http://www.livefishfoodshop.com/care_sheets/phoenixworms.html

 

[robin]

OK! thanks guys! now one more question. how long will these guys last before dying or morphing?

 

[fuzzylogix]

when they start turning black, they are about to morph

 

[robin]

sweet, thanks shawn!

 

[fuzzylogix]

no prob, just don't do what bryan did and forget a cup of them somewhere. i think he opened that cup a couple of weeks later and told me he was chasing the soldier flys around his house with a vacuum cleaner, lol

 

[robin]

no prob, just don't do what bryan did and forget a cup of them somewhere. i think he opened that cup a couple of weeks later and told me he was chasing the soldier flys around his house with a vacuum cleaner, lol

LOL!

 

[fuzzylogix]

haha, can't you just picture that? him running around cussing like crazy, swinging the vacuum hose around, lmao. the mental image is priceless...

 

[prettyinpink]

haha, can't you just picture that? him running around cussing like crazy, swinging the vacuum hose around, lmao. the mental image is priceless...

Poor Bryan :main_no: :main_laugh: