Waxworms and superworms

[Suzle87]

It’s ventress’s birthday this week so just nipped our to buy a treat for him, I’ve got waxworms and superworms (as all his silkworms are now in cocoons) I just wondered how do you guys store these 2 types? And any advice on feeding them to him as I don’t want him to get bitten or anything.
Thanks in advance

[kingofnobbys]

I store my superworms in a 4L tub (I make holes in the lid with a soldering iron to give good ventilation). I simply put down a bed of 1L of wheat-bran ( medium oat-bran works OK too, as does a mix of wheat-bran and oat-bran ).
I change out the bran bedding every 6wks to 8wks, when the it's been very well processed and starts giving off that ammonia smell.

I then end a raw carrot and chop it in half and that gives them a hydration source and to enrich them with calcium I drop in the whites from buk or puk choi for the worms to eat. Any fresh dread crickets or silkworm moths or sick or freshly dead silkworms go to the supers too (I don't get many dead or sick sickworms but occasionally one will be found amongst my 60 to 100 medium and large silkworms.
I also drop the old stale bearded dragon pellets (RepCal Adult bearded dragon) that I feed my crickets with in with superworms when my Crickets Storage tubs are empty. (Helps enrich the superworms).
I keep my superworms at room temperature (never cooler than 21 degC in my house). My current batch of superworms arrived several months ago and are still alive and well and lavae.

Can't help with the wax worms - can't get them here.

[splashy07]

I breed my own superworms, as I do not trust any commercially raised food. I want to know what they are eating, and not cannibalizing. As far as storage, I keep them in an open tray on bearded dragon pellets. They also get leftover skink food and a fresh kale leaf daily. The baby superworms are kept in my snake rack to grow quickly in the warmth. They are the larva of an African beetle that needs heat to grow. Room temp will grow them much slower. Wax worms are all fat and practically zero nutrition so I do not use, but they can be refrigerated to stay dormant until ready to use, as can mealworms (but not superworms). The thing about waxworms is that if you get a dead one in there (they turn black and smell real bad) it seems to make the entire container go bad, so remove any that have died daily.

[Suzle87]

Thanks to both of you for the advice.
And splashy07 you were a bit psychic about the waxworms, found one dead soon after reading that so was able to get rid of it before it turned the whole lot.

[splashy07]

Ah yes, been there way too many times. It's one of those insects you can't propagate yourself, so you are at the mercy of the retailers. I used to buy them for my predaceous Katydids.

[Raven_Vivi]

I keep waxworms in the fridge if I ever get them. Mostly cuz I'm lazy and my guy doesn't eat a lot.

I like buying my guy butterworms and hornworms though.
The butterworms can be fridged. The hornworms are room temp and grow nice and big ;D
My guy doesn't like supers of wax worms too much though.
He's spoiled ;P