# Mold and mealworms?



## carcar2110 (Oct 8, 2012)

Not sure if there's already a thread for this, and if there is then I apologize, but I just thought asking here would work - sorry if it's kind of redundant  Anyways, I've recently started farming mealworms (a friend of mine with a lizard supplied me with a bunch of mealworms to start with), and have been unsure what to put in there as far as fruits and vegetables and how much to put in, so my mom and I tried a few different things out such as apples and pears and such. I think we might have put too much fruit in there, because I checked this evening and there was mold covering most of the fruit, so we bagged the fruit up and threw it away. My question here is, as far as the mealworms/pupas/beetles left over... are they still safe to feed to my hedgehog? Or will I have to get rid of them and should I start again due to the mold? I'm not sure when exactly it appeared in there, really, so... just not quite sure what to do now :?


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## eskye (Oct 5, 2012)

Remove uneaten food by 12 hours after feeding. Make sure the container is well-ventilated. Keeping moist food in too long will not only mold your oats as well, but create a most pleasant spa area for mites. You're just overfeeding if it's molding. Feed less and remove it sooner than it can mold and it'll all be fine.

You don't have to start over, and they'll still be safe to feed. The hogs will eat the worms, pupae, and beetles, but the best is fresh shed worms (white). They're softer and easier to digest. If you plan to keep the colony reproducing, definitely make sure nothing ever molds- if it does again you need to add more ventilation and be more vigilant about removing food. Mites are pretty much the death of a colony.

Also, about how many are there? I keep multiple colonies of 1000-2000 worms/beetles and feed some slices of apple every few days for each tub. I also give them the fibrous stems from kale/collard greens/lettuce as those tend to dry out and shrivel when uneaten instead of mold.


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## momIImany (Oct 14, 2012)

I use sliced potato and whole carrots. On a bed of wheat bran.


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## stringmouse (Feb 3, 2012)

I would stick with potato and carrot like the above poster. I also use potato along with various dry foods including seaweed and goldfish flakes. The worms, pupae and beetles should be fine, but I would replace the bedding, or at least as much as you can as it may have trace mold on it that could continue to reproduce if it's not removed.


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## eskye (Oct 5, 2012)

stringmouse said:


> I would stick with potato and carrot like the above poster. I also use potato along with various dry foods including seaweed and goldfish flakes. The worms, pupae and beetles should be fine, but I would replace the bedding, or at least as much as you can as it may have trace mold on it that could continue to reproduce if it's not removed.


Keep in mind that what you feed your worms you are feeding your hedgehog. I don't find seaweed and goldfish flakes to be an acceptable diet for feeders at all for various reasons. Goldfish flakes are not generally healthy in the first place due to crap ingredients, and is completely superfluous in the diet. To provide extra protein, if that is the reasoning for using flakes, simply use appropriate cat kibble. Most large scale worm breeders use cat or dog kibble to augment diets.


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## stringmouse (Feb 3, 2012)

eskye said:


> Keep in mind that what you feed your worms you are feeding your hedgehog. I don't find seaweed and goldfish flakes to be an acceptable diet for feeders at all for various reasons. Goldfish flakes are not generally healthy in the first place due to crap ingredients, and is completely superfluous in the diet. To provide extra protein, if that is the reasoning for using flakes, simply use appropriate cat kibble. Most large scale worm breeders use cat or dog kibble to augment diets.


I understand your concern. But goldfish flakes actually contain most of the same ingredients as your typical cat food. It has a lot of vitamins and minerals and many of the ingredients used in recipes for homemade mealworm feed. I also feed these worms to my lizards and many believe it is good for their color. The seaweed, also contains a lot of vitamins, is a great source of calcium, and has iodine which helps regulate thyroid function.

It's also easier to feed since I don't have to grind anything up.


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