Cooling reptiworms

[noonthirtyfive]

How do you cool your feeder worms to get them to last longer? I know a beer/wine fridge is ideal, and depending on the weather leaving them outside can work. Does anyone have any other methods?

 

[Kaiser]

A cheaper alternative to the wine cooler could be to invest in a regular cooler and two reuseable ice packs. Place the tub of worms in the cooler with a chilled ice pack while the other is in the freezer; after the ice pack in the cooler has lost its coldness, replace it with the one that has been in the freezer. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to gauge correctly depending on the size of the cooler and the ice packs (as well as the changing temperatures due to the ice packs warming up over time), but you generally have ten degrees to work with (Reptiworms can be stored for long periods in temperatures between 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit).

 

[noonthirtyfive]

I was hoping something like that might work. I have a spare thermometer I could keep in the cooler to better gauge the exact temperature. Thanks!

 

[Kaiser]

No problem. I hope your bearded dragon enjoys them, if you're planning on feeding them some. :]

 

[noonthirtyfive]

No problem. I hope your bearded dragon enjoys them, if you're planning on feeding them some. :]

Well I was gonna eat most of them myself :d But I can probably spare a few for him too.

 

[Kaiser]

Oh, cool. I didn't know there were any other entomophagists on the boards. If you're looking for other feeders that both you and your bearded dragon can share, try butterworms. They taste like butter. I can't believe it's not butter.

Ha ha. I kid. :]

 

[noonthirtyfive]

Gonna put some in my popcorn

 

[Kaiser]

They add a nice crunch? Probably not. You'd probably want meal worms or crickets for that.

Ewwwww.

 

[lauraj1055]

I keep mine in my basement on a shelf right by the door... I can keep them for a little over a month that way...

 

[noonthirtyfive]

Got my 200 reptiworms today--when I took them out of the warm mailbox and opened the cup: OMG writhing mass of maggots barrrrrrf.

They're much more tolerable when they're cool and not as wriggly. I'm doing the cooler thing and it seems to work fine if I just stick the cup in there and put a little $1 Walgreens cool pack on top. Ender seemed to thoroughly enjoy nomming them, and I already like them 100x more than crickets. Not sure how long 200 will last for a 6-month-old beardie... How long would you guess?

 

[jeffryjb]

200 would not even make it a week for my 6 month old

 

[Kaiser]

Agreed, not very long at all. My bearded dragon is a little over six months old. He goes through about 150 large ReptiWorms in a day. I order in bulk. Lasts much longer, and a better value over all.

But yes, I agree that they're much, much better than crickets. I have an unusual fear of crickets (surprisingly, I'm fine with just about any other insect...), so ReptiWorms were a godsend. Plus, I feel much better feeding them to my bearded dragon, nutrition content-wise and sanitation-wise.

 

[noonthirtyfive]

Thanks for the responses. I mostly just got them to try them out, and I can tell already they won't last long (he wuvs them!)
How many do you normally order for a month or so?

 

[Kaiser]

I order 5000 for a month. At 150 a day, that lasts me for about 33 days. Some days he'll eat 100, others he'll eat 200, so it usually ends up close to a month. But it all depends on how many they will eat everyday. Even if they eat less, I'm sure the ReptiWorms will last well over a month or two, so it should be ample time to finish them.

 

[jeffryjb]

I just got a small wine cooler so my next order will be for 5000. I expect it will last 6-7 weeks for me. My guy loves his greens too, so he doesn't eat quite as many worms. The prices on the large quantities are cheaper by far. The $90 wine cooler will pay for itself in 2-3 months.