Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Had a plastic box that I used to keep mealworms in with grain and calcium so that they would be gut-loaded for the lizards (all now sleeping the winter away.) Some of them pupated into adults, and I eventually fed almost all the adult beetles to the lizards and forgot about the box since the end of summer. Remembered it yesterday and checked it. WOWZA! Looks like I've got a *very* successful colony going. And I guess they *don't* need an apple slice for moisture to survive. Neat!

P.S. Looks like the folded burlap on top is very appreciated. And I went ahead and gave them some potato slices for moisture, even though they've been growing so successfully without it.
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Lisa Rakestraw
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My skinks:
1.1.1 Corucia zebrata (Berman and Joni, baby Charlemagne)
2.2.2 Eumeces schneideri (Jack and Mabel; Kaa and Cochisa their babies)
2.3.9 Egernia striolata

Hubby's snakes:
1.0 Bogertophis subocularis (Humphrey)
0.1 Lampropeltis alterna (Sandy)

They will often eat other mealworms or eggs to get the moisture they need

Good to know. Got to find the balance between not enough moisture and too much when they don't eat the sweet potato before it gets the black mold. Right now I let them eat the potato down to the rind before I replace it.

Question: How do you give them fresh substrate without accidentally destroying eggs? I noticed that there is a considerable amount of frass in the box. But I just keep putting more grain on top. I think it would be impossible, unless I just transferred all the pupae to a new box so that the adults could start laying in a new box.
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Lisa Rakestraw
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My skinks:
1.1.1 Corucia zebrata (Berman and Joni, baby Charlemagne)
2.2.2 Eumeces schneideri (Jack and Mabel; Kaa and Cochisa their babies)
2.3.9 Egernia striolata

Hubby's snakes:
1.0 Bogertophis subocularis (Humphrey)
0.1 Lampropeltis alterna (Sandy)