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cream filled, not crunchy?

S

surfrkidts

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lately i've been having problems with my mealworms. (still a mealworm noob after years of using them)

First, they come in perfectly healthy, eating like idiots. red wheat bran and potatoes gets em up to size quickly, and within about a week, they start to get increasingly squishy. the chitin layer that makes their exoskeleton seems to become really flexible and they squish when i try to pick them up with tweezers, and they don't tend to move much. its happened about the last two orders, but nothings changed from the ones before that! i ruled out humidity because i have tried keeping them drier and more moist, neither worked. anyone else notice their worms getting squishy after a few weeks out of the fridge?
 
It's the fridge part that's (literally) killing them. It could be from two different reasons. First, your fridge may be too cold. I **think** 40 is the lowest you want to go, and many fridges are colder then that. Also, they could have been kept in the fridge for too long. You need to take them out for a 24 hour period every week or two to allow them to eat and drink (they don't do that in the fridge).

They should be plump and active when you buy them. If not, it means they have been in the fridge for too long as it is. A pretty common problem. That's why I have a colony going, and I don't put them in the fridge unless they are growing faster than I can feed them off (not much of a problem there!).
 
theres just one problem to that hypothesis, i don't keep them in the fridge. i just meant that its a few weeks at room temp that it happens, but i personally don't use a fridge for them
 
sorry i realize that it does sound like i keep them in the fridge when in fact i shouldn't have mentioned them at all. I buy from reptile food, which doesn't use refridgerators to my knowledge, and they are healthy when they come, its the following weeks that they begin to lose their satisfying crunch
 
Hummm...

I would be sure they aren't exposed to any sort of extream temps. The only time I ever had that problem was when I got some that had been refridgerated too long. Are they being shipped to you? If it was the last two orders, it could easily be from the outdoor temps being too low. I couldn't say for sure, as I haven't ordered them through the mail before.

I have had one or two *POP* when picking up because they had gorged themselves on apples. But, the exoskeleton was still normal.
 
when i used to order from reptile food they would get squishy and die out in less than a week, i started using the superworm farm and the mealworms seem to last forever...or for the amount of time i actually have them..lol
 
Sounds to me like they are getting ready to pupate. Thats when they dont move much, I doubt they are still eating at that point and may be why they are 'squishy' after a few weeks. Just my two cents, not worth much really.

I take half of mine and refrigerate them so when im done with the first half, they still have awhile before they will pupate.
 
i get medium sized meallies so that they don't pupate right away. temps during shipping seem to be fine because they come with a heat pack. temps are all good here, so i guess maybe my next step will be to try a new company. after all these are the first mealworms i have had do this...
 
I get medium too, but after 2-3 weeks alot are full grown and ready to pupate. Just sounded familiar since you said they dont move, they do that before they pupate.

If it is something that youve never seen before, I would switch too.

Maybe try and see if those ones pupate shortly after this happens(?)
 
Shanti you always find the most charming things to say :p

I am definatly not a mealworm expert and so i am here to learn as well :)
 
raiquee said:
Shanti you always find the most charming things to say :p

I am definatly not a mealworm expert and so i am here to learn as well :)
Click to expand...

LOL, I'm guessing you're referring to the popping! It really is about as pleasant as it sound! :ack2: ROFL

I feel the same way about people talking about cutting/tearing things (bugs) in half to smear the guts to get the gecko to eat. :>Puke<: I don't know if I would be able to do it. But, I suppose if the situation is desperate enough, I would. The thought makes me want to run around the room on my tippy-toes, shaking my hands in a very girly fashion, screaming "EW EW EW EW"!

I hope I NEVER have to make Marcias slurry. That would most certainly make me sick to my stomach!

Have I grossed you out enough now? lol
 
I think that switching should take care of the problem. these tend to pupate quickly anyways and even tho they usually die once they get squishy, that doesn't help me much either. case closed for me i guess!
 
A_Kendergirl said:
I feel the same way about people talking about cutting/tearing things (bugs) in half to smear the guts to get the gecko to eat. :>Puke<: I don't know if I would be able to do it. But, I suppose if the situation is desperate enough, I would. The thought makes me want to run around the room on my tippy-toes, shaking my hands in a very girly fashion, screaming "EW EW EW EW"!

I hope I NEVER have to make Marcias slurry. That would most certainly make me sick to my stomach!

Have I grossed you out enough now? lol
Click to expand...

I have done all of the above......(sigh) really not pleasant :throwup02

I once tried cutting off crickets' head, then used my bare fingers to squeeze its "juice" out; I can feel the cricket still kicking and moving when I do this...yuck, and the worst part is IT DIDN'T WORK! My leo turned away when I put the cricket near her face!

I also made Marcia's slurry 2 times, the first time I didn't have enough mealworms, so I threw in a some superworm to make up for it; when I open the blender, not all the supers got mushed up, some were still moving and fighting for its life in the slurry...actually, blending the stuff isn't that bad, but cleaning the blender is!! The second time I made the slurry, I put in some silkworms, they blended very well into a smoothie :)
 
Yes, i hope whoever makes marcia's slurry washes that blender REALLY WELL :throwup02:

If i ever get queasy my sugar glider, mango, shells supers and licks the guts out like it's nothing! I could always just have her bite the head off then steal it back :) lol she may bite me however....she begs for supers when i feed the leos...:rofl:
 
Lol i just had to make one for my friend. He had limited mealworms and many supers so i cut the head off the super and kinda squezed outthe guts thru the exoskeleton like a tube. Pretty gross, very smelly but it worked and the geckos ate it mixed with water sugar and calcium.
 
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