Wax worm rejuvenation?

[RedMountainHome]

Hi all,

I got some wax worms from petsmart and, while I got the best bunch available, they're pretty sluggish and dried up looking. Is there anything I can do to spruce them up a bit before attempting to feed them out?

Thanks!

 

[Andee]

Don't put them in the fridge. Feed them a bit of steam butternut squash? That might help. Putting them in the fridge kills them really fast, they live longer when outside, they shouldn't go under 55 degrees in farenheit, and then when they turn into moths you can feed them out that way. However I only suggest feeding chameleons wax worms one large one once a week, or two medium/small ones once a week.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

Putting them in the fridge kills them really fast

That's why they look like crap when you buy from big chains such as PetSmart and Petco. Those companies keep their waxies in the fridge and unless you get them within a day or two of them arriving at the store, they are almost always going to look like crap. You would think that a pet store would know a little bit more about how to care for their grubs for their pets, being a pet store and all.....

Find a local bait shop if you can and get wax worms from there. Almost all bait shops have them. They will most likely be in better condition than any you will find at a big chain store, and the bait shops will sell them to you for way cheaper as well.

 

[RedMountainHome]

Thanks for the tips! I've got smallish ones, that's all they had.
Would carrots, sweet potatoes, or apples make good feed for the worms? That's all I've got at this exact moment.

 

[Andee]

butternut squash is similair to sweet potato try steaming it, letting it cool and then feeding.

 

[RedMountainHome]

What's up with steaming it?

 

[Andee]

Wax worms eat rotting wood pulp, so their jaws are not very strong and are meant to eat soft stuff.

 

[Andee]

Ah these aren't the right worms, there is the lesser wax worm which eats wood pulp, and greater wax worm, greater wax worms eat bee hives, supposedly a big pest. Anyway there is a recipe for food for them, it makes sense why they don't eat much though because they have a very specific food source. Hold on I'll get the recipe.

Edit: Mix bran and honey in a heated sauce pan.Add enough bran to make it stiff.Spread it on a cookie sheet till it cools.Crumble it up and place on the bottom of your container.Freeze any extra for later use.

 

[Peachypink]

That's why they look like crap when you buy from big chains such as PetSmart and Petco. Those companies keep their waxies in the fridge and unless you get them within a day or two of them arriving at the store, they are almost always going to look like crap. You would think that a pet store would know a little bit more about how to care for their grubs for their pets, being a pet store and all.....

Find a local bait shop if you can and get wax worms from there. Almost all bait shops have them. They will most likely be in better condition than any you will find at a big chain store, and the bait shops will sell them to you for way cheaper as well.

So good to know! I never even thought to question wether they should be in the fridge or not! Gesh, feeder husbandry is almost as diverse and specific as Cham husbandry.

 

[RedMountainHome]

Interesting!
Would flour work as well as bran? I don't think I've got any bran sitting about.

 

[Andee]

No flour doesn't work, but anything like a cereal made from bran? Like a really simple cereal, so bran flakes or cheerios. So at least you can eat the food too XD

 

[trickedoutbiker]

So good to know! I never even thought to question wether they should be in the fridge or not!

Keeping them in the fridge prevents them from turning into moths. That's why you see a lot of places keeping them in the fridge, is so that way they don't turn into moths while sitting on the shelf. After all, they are selling you wax WORMS, not moths. Unfortunately, this is not good for the worms though.