Reptile & Amphibian Forums

COULD YOU POST PICS OF YOUR SETUPS. I HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF ALIEN MEALWORMS AND A FEW BEETLES SO I MAY BE DOING OK, BUT I AM HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE WITH THE SUPERWORMS. AT FIRST IT SEEM TO TAKE FOR EVER TO GET ALIENS THEN I GOT LIKE 1-2 ALIENS WHICH JUST TURNED DARK AND DRIED OUT, THEN LIKE A WEEK AGO I GOT 2 BEETLES BUT ONE LOOKED REAL BEAT UP TODAY I CHECK ON THEM AND THEY BOTH ARE DEAD I LOOK IN THE FILM CANISTERS AND NOW I HAVE LIKE 3-4 ALIENS AND THERE WAS 1 DEAD BEATLE IN THE FILM CONTAINER AND 1 DRIED UP ALIEN. I HAVE 3 CONTAINERS FIRST IS WITH THE FILM CONTAINERS, ONE IS WITH THE ACTUAL WORMS AND THEN A CONTAINER FOR THE BEETLES I GIVE THEM POTATOE AND CARROTS THE SUBSTRATE IS OATMEAL AND DOGFOOD. I HAVE THE FILM CONTAINERS IN A SHOEBOX LID SITTING ONTOP OF THE OILFILLED HEATER(HEATS THE ROOM)EVERYTHING ELSE I PUT ALL THE CONTAINERS 4-5 IN A LARGE RUBBERMAID(OLD CAGE FOR A MONITOR I HAD)WITH A HEAT LIGHT. THE LARGE BLUE RUBBERMAID IN THE PIC IS WHAT I HAVE THEM IN. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW EVERYONE SETS THEIRS UP

I don't have any pictures but that light might be whats doing it. Superworms do well at room temps... 68-74 degrees F. I have a drawer system I use.. you can buy at any department store or even a dollar store made by sterlite.. 4 drawers... The top 2 drawers I use for mealies.. the bigger bottom ones for superworms.. I use Laying mash (non-medicated) for their substrate... room temps of about 70F... slices of apple or potato.. greens.. whatever veggie is handy for moisture plus a few moist papertowels because they need more moisture than mealies do.

For pupating.. I use a fish and tackle seperator box.. you get it in the fishing sections. Melt small holes over each compartment and place 1 superworm in each.. No substrate no moisture.. You put it in a dark warm place and leave it alone for 2 weeks or so.. checking every other day to see if you have any pupated. When they do pupate.. take them out of the compartments.. toss them into another enclosure.. and wait until they emerge before adding a water source but make sure you have them on a nutritious substrate. You want to select only the largest of the supers to pupate.. or they won't survive the process.. After they emerge.. go ahead and put in the water source.. and some egg crates or cardboard tubes.. whatever for them to hide in...same with the worms.. they need hide spots.. The hardest part is waiting to see the tiny worms.. because it'll seem to take forever.. it took me almost 3 months to see good results and to get my worms to feeding size and start my second generation.
-----
Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
2.2 Leopard geckos (2 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 1 het Blizzard (Lilith) and 1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
1 Gerbil
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Sahara and Hercules)

I agree that temperatures between 75 and 80F are optimum. When you do get enough beetles to breed the eggs and subsequent micro-superworms don't survive well at tempts over 85. There is a wealth of info in the thread I've linked below
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15216