separating gutload from mealie eggs?

[boutiquegecko]

Ok, I've read over variouse threads on this but am lost on the whole sifting out the gutload from the eggs after removing the beetles. Do they look different? How to tell. I've got a ton of beetles now, so can I just move them to a diff container and watch for mealies in the one they were just in?

 

[acpart]

There's no way to separate the gutload from the eggs because the eggs are too small. Even the mealies in the early stages are too small. The best thing to do is to move all the beetles into a new batch of gutload about once every 4-6 weeks. Then you put aside the gutload they were in before and wait for the mealies to grow. When I switch my beetles, I pick up as many as I can with a plastic fork but then I have to use my fingers and pick them up by hand. The baby mealies are very hard to see in the substrate, but if you stir it up with a plastic fork and look really carefully in a good light, you'll see the substrate moving a bit.

Aliza

 

[boutiquegecko]

Thanks.

 

[ms_ramie22]

Easy way to move beetles... when I know it's time to move them, I let them go a few days without a carrot or apple slice and then when I do put one in their enclosure, wait a while, and the slice is covered with beetles. Then transfer them to the new enclosure, wipe them off the slice and put it back in the old container to collect more beetles. You can get the majority of them out of the old container this way.

 

[okapi]

and you can keep the bin in a brightly lit room with a folded up paper towl on top of the substrate. Alot of the beetles will hide in the paper which can be transfered and repeated if needed.