Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I usually find dead,stiff superworms,is this reasonable?How much do they live?
In order to become bettles I guess they should stay alive for as long as it takes,so should I look for any potential problems or take the mortality as natural?
I usually find worms that are not dead but curved and little stiff,there underside is also flat like that of a dead one, are those inferior feeders than the most lively ones?
Thanks in advance..

Are you providing moisture? You should put a few slices of potato, apple, squash, etc. cut side down and some egg crate in the container along with your gutload and either bran or oatmeal. (I use oatmeal and superworm gutload). They need the moisture to keep them from cannibalizing each other. As long as you have many of them together they'll last for months. I keep 500 or so in a gallon ice cream container with no lid. Don't put so much in that the meal gets damp or they'll die. My CWD male LOVES the nasty, black beetles, but they only turn to beetles after they've been set loose in the big dragon enclosure. Diane
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

to add to that...the dead flat ones probably are dead but the curved ones MIGHT be beginning to pupate. Here is an excellent site with step-by-step photos for breeding. They need to be set individually into containers in order to breed. I have bought supers only 2x in 3 years. 50 one time and 100 the other. I keep them in bran and chicken lay mash and give them chunks of carrots, apple or potato. Do be sure to remove moist food every couple days so they do not mold. I have no cover on them.

ONE POINT!! IF you use a grain based substrate (especially oatmeal) and let it get moist and warm (like hot summer days) you will be setting yourself up for grain mites! UGH!! I had them two summers ago - what a mess! They won't really hurt anything but i kept mixing up the bin looking for freshly molted larva and these things were everywhere! So now I use no top (to keep dry), and keep them in the coolest place I can in the warmer months. Take that precaution and they are a very handy feeder to have on hand - and yes, they do live for months. I bought this bunch of 100 sometime late spring or summer!

superworms

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Thanks to both of you for the tips,
I am offering fruits and veggies every other day and position them so their dry side looks to the ground and freshly cut one to the surface leveled with the surface of the medium,is that what your telling me or the other way round?
Also for dry gut load I offer several brans and meals mixed with several other items I found in a decent gut-loading website.
Also I am providing 3in depth of substrate/gut load,is this necessary to be that deep?
Thanks

I've always read to position the freshly cut side down into the meal. The rest of your container sounds ideal. 3" is about what I use and I add to the mixture and cull out any dead worms about every other week. I buy 1000 large at a time and only order them every couple of months. You will lose some no matter how well you care for them Diane
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago