How to keep super worms??

[Dog Shrink]

Well apparently I just killed my whole lot of super worms. IDK how, they were in a cricket keeper right under Eros's tank in rolled oats and crushed dog kibble with a carrot wedge, apple wedge, and potato wedge. WTH?? How do y'all keep your supers from dying? The mealies that were still in there with them cause I didn't have another container to put them in are fine and thriving, but the supers (who should have eaten the mealies) are all dead?

Please help. I don't want to order another lot of them until I figure this out.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Bummer They need warmth (and at least some humidity), 80-85 is good. Any kind of plastic container will work to store them, a lid is not necesary but can be used if there is enough ventilation.

 

[Dog Shrink]

A lid would be needed here or my dogs would likely eat them My house is never that hot so am I actually gonna have to like heat these things? Great. Just when I thought the supers would be the easier route to go than mealies.

Thanks Laney

 

[wakeskate420]

I keep mine in my room in a sterilite rolling three drawer cart and they all seem fine and my room stays around low to mid 70s, you're always gonna have some dead ones, idk if it's from lack of anything or not. I try to give them as much mositure as possible with cricket quencher or water crystals and they go crazy for it. I think moisture is a big factor for death rate, maybe try the crystals?

 

[Dog Shrink]

that's a good idea Jake. I didn't even think of that. I thought they'd get enough mositure thru the fruits/veggies I had in there. sucks I just threw out like half a jar of orange cricket cubes last month. Didn't think I'd need them after my son's toad died. She was the only one that ate crickets.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

IMO mealies are easier- I breed both. I wonder if they stay warmer in a rack since they generate heat.. When I lived at the beach during the winter they could stay in the garage for storage, it was humid but cool. No deaths but didn't have a breeding colony then. Now they are in my lizard room with the vent blocked so it stays above 80. A few deaths. But this winter some of our snakes will be back there to cool down and my animals have to come out. I'll likely have to heat the worms. Joy.

 

[acpart]

I don't know why they died. It doesn't sound as if you did anything wrong, though I have learned from another post that potato can be a problem. I don't heat my supers and I don't give them any moisture besides veggie parings. I get 1000 at a time, keep them in a faunarium (about 14"x6"x6") with no problem and they last for 3 months until I use them all up.

ALiza

 

[gothra]

I don't provide heat to my supers, they did fine throughout winter (indoor temp around 65-70). I think the lack of ventilation is probably the culprit for the die-offs. Sometimes they can also suffocate in powder bedding; since you're using rolled oats, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Aliza your faunarium and my cricket keeper are pretty much the same thing 'cept mine's a little smaller. Ok so no potato for the supers then, Ventilation should have been good but there is about 2 inches of rolled oats in there so maybe too thick?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Very strange that all the worms died and we still don't know why. I read that potato thread too, but have never had any issues, ventilation being the key. Those critter keepers are plenty ventilated. Maybe try a different location in your house, like a kitchen shelf. A little more humidity. Or a dif substrate with the oats. Feed stores have all kinds of stuff to choose from. Some people use wheat bran (we do) and livestock feed like chick mash. We use a high protein livestock grower for rodents so I use that too. Of course veggies as well. Supers go nuts for romaine! Googling superworm breeding will give you some additional ideas that may work for you Good luck!

 

[Dog Shrink]

thanks hon...

 

[tlbowling]

I dont know why they died either? I keep mine EXACTLY the same also in a critter keeper with carrots and potato, only instead of rolled oats, Im using about 2 inches of chicken mash? But I've used rolled oats before w/o problems. Where are you getting them from?

 

[Dog Shrink]

This batch was from the bait shop. I'm gonna try y'alls suggestions and see how it works.

 

[tlbowling]

I get mine from Grubco. They are all alive and kickin'

 

[Dog Shrink]

yeah I was planning on getting the next lot from the bug depot which is why I wanted to make sure I had this fixed before investing in 500.

 

[gothra]

Its important to keep humidity as low as possible. [High humidity + oat bedding] and you risk a grain mite infestation.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Ohh, I didn't know that about oats.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

We keep our supers in Pro Geckos Gut load w/ potatoes in a Sterelite container.

 

[roger]

alot of my supers die also and turn hard and shiny