Super Worm Stink

[Chewbecca]

Anyone else notice that Supers smell REAL bad???

At first I thought it was because of the potatoes even though I change them every other day (and when I started noticing the smell, I was changing them everyday).
Then I started using carrots which cause considerably less humidity/moisture.

They STILL stink.
Even my SMALL supers stink.

Does anyone know of a simple way to change the bedding without it consuming 2 hours of my time by picking out EVERY SINGLE worm individually?

The stink is unbelievable.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions to help keep the stench down?

 

[ajveachster]

We put the potato in a shallow dish to keep it out of the bedding. I've found that the bedding is what starts to rot and smell if it gets damp. The worms are still able to find the potato just fine.

 

[Chewbecca]

Yes, I, too, was keeping my potatoes on a shallow dish.
It didn't seem to matter.
It stinks anyway.

My mealies don't stink, and I make up their container the exact same way.

I am thinking it's their frass that is stinking so badly.

 

[DarthGekko]

Rebecca,

I have used Supers in the past and they stunk. I dunno what it is so I went back to mealworms

Good luck!

 

[acpart]

My superworms are on powdered bedding so it's easy to sift them out. I find that one thing that makes them stink is the dead ones, so if they smell, I sift out the dead ones and then it smells OK. ALso, if you're keeping your superworms in too small a space I imagine they'll stink.

Aliza

 

[Ehatcher]

i have never had any experiences with supers smelling at all. I go through at least 200 a month and buy in bulk. I guess im lucky.

 

[Chewbecca]

I guess you ARE lucky because mine STINK.
BAD.

I'm changing their bedding today and probably spending 2 hours sifting out EACH worm since they're really small supers that I got for my hatchlings and my tortoise.

YAY.
I'm so irritated that I have to do this.

 

[mainelygeckos]

Mine stunk and am sticking with my mealies lol no stink at all from them and ya could be dead ones or too moist substrate but hey mealies less hassle

 

[ang3l3s]

they both stink but supers more!! I don't use bedding cause of the stink and mold, i just put them in a container and give them whole grain cheerios and carrots/ still stink

 

[leoman777]

my supers dont stink at all..... neither do my mealies lol

 

[Chewbecca]

WELL.
You all withOUT stinky super worms...DUE TELL.
What is your secret???

How often do you sift through and clean them out?
What do you use for moisture?

 

[leoman777]

i have them on wheat bran so when i need to sift them out just take a scoop and put it in a strainer and the wheat bran falls through and you have your worms and i use baby carrots for moisture and sometimes potato when i dont have carrots but there is still no stink oh and i keep them in those sterilite sliding drawers and its the same for my beetles

 

[LizMarie]

Mine have a smell too but it isn't horrible. They don't smell a lot but I know that there tends to me a stronger smell when there are dead worms in the bin. I use Pro Gutload with carrots making it easier to sift through.

 

[Chewbecca]

Maybe I'm keeping them in a container that is too small???

You all don't think their frass makes them smell???

 

[Krow]

Mine stink a little & only every once in a while. I dont keep them on much bedding, only a little & its oatmeal.

 

[Chewbecca]

OK, I changed them out and it was the most disgusting, horrid smell EVER.
I thought I was going to pass out.

UGH.

I put them in a bigger container with less bedding, and carrots on a separate dish that don't even TOUCH the bedding at all.
We'll see if the little buggers manage to drag them off the dish, though, into the bedding. Which is what they usually do.

 

[Haligren]

Mine have a very mild stink. I mean, it's not enough to clear a room. You can only really smell it if you open up the faunarium I have them in and stick your face right in there.

I keep mine on wheat bran, oatmeal, and Fluker's gutload. For moisture and added nutrients, I feed carrots and orange peel. A little while ago I realized that my supers were too cold. They seemed largely inactive and stopped eating after a few days and would huddle together. So I put an old electric blanket underneath it and set it to the lowest setting. Now my supers are much more active, eat more, and I find stink less. The carrots and orange peel dry up after a while and don't get a chance to rot and stink up the bedding. It's also super dry where I live so that might have something to do with it as well. I also change the bedding every week to every other week. Yes, it stays that clean as long as I remove the carrots and orange peel when they've dried up. Oh, and of course, the occasional dead super.

Oh, and since I changed to a faunarium which seems to have greater airflow than the other plastic container I kept them in, the stink has also lessened. I guess because the bedding doesn't mold as often.

 

[Gonser]

My supers do not seem to stink. Put potatoes, carrots, greens, etc. in some sort of dish to keep the bran dry. I buy 250 at a time from Mulberry, and when those are gone I get a new load in a new container so that way the bedding gets changed each shipment. I would stick to the "small" supers and stay away from those big horse supers! The leos like the smaller ones better anyway, as those big ones put up a fight when eaten and can bite your leo in the mouth or internally.
Also, for those of you keeping them in wheat bran....wheat gluten is very bad for people, so I would think it can also be bad for our leos/feeders! I would stick with oat bran.

 

[Chewbecca]

My supers do not seem to stink. Put potatoes, carrots, greens, etc. in some sort of dish to keep the bran dry. I buy 250 at a time from Mulberry, and when those are gone I get a new load in a new container so that way the bedding gets changed each shipment. I would stick to the "small" supers and stay away from those big horse supers! The leos like the smaller ones better anyway, as those big ones put up a fight when eaten and can bite your leo in the mouth or internally.
Also, for those of you keeping them in wheat bran....wheat gluten is very bad for people, so I would think it can also be bad for our leos/feeders! I would stick with oat bran.

My adult leos eat those giant horse supers almost everyday, and none have suffered any external OR internal injuries due to supers.:main_rolleyes:
Sorry, not to be a jerk by using the eye rolling emoticon, but a gecko being bitten internally by a super worm is a myth.
And a very bad one.

I do, however, feed small supers (which I got from Mulberry Farms this past time) to my hatchlings and occasionally to my redfoot tortoise.

I think I will have much more luck this time as the bedding is not as deep, and the dish for the carrots is up on top of the bedding.

This will be a true test to see if it's the carrots or frass that stinks up the super worm enclosure.

 

[Gonser]

My adult leos eat those giant horse supers almost everyday, and none have suffered any external OR internal injuries due to supers.:main_rolleyes:
Sorry, not to be a jerk by using the eye rolling emoticon, but a gecko being bitten internally by a super worm is a myth.
And a very bad one.

That's easy for you to say, since you haven't eaten one of those horses! Those suckers bite, so who's to know unless you put one in your mouth. I dare ya!