So, I constantly feed my herps superworms, and I've never ever seen anything like I did today. I mean a week ago I bought a container of bugs. They looked normal. And today I open it, feed my leo a worm, and then notice the rotten smell. A ton of the worms are dead, the earth they're in is soaked, and there are these tiny white things that are moving. The dirt is just saturated in them. I stopped feeding everyone the moment after I saw this. But does anyone know what they are? And Is my leo in danger after eating the worm?
Can you take pictures of the little worms/white things? Your leo will likely not be in danger, they may be a species that feeds upon death only. I would probably ask for a refund though... on the worms that is.
The picture probably isn't helpful in any way. They're seriously tiny, and from what I can see aren't worms, but more like little beetles. And the smell is dreadful. I think I am going to ask for a refund. I'll be extremely unimpressed if I find this in the food again. Thanks for the response. I got it in my head that they were parasitic or something.
Well, so long as it didn't hurt your animals, I'm happy. I threw them out. I really don't wanna take chances.
Hi everyone! I'm quickly borrowing my bf's computer, since I'm at his place and Mac (my laptop) can't post cuz of the forum posting glitch, but I really wanted to post here! I've gotten those little bugs before as well. I know superworms aren't the healthiest foods for beardies, but my dad orders them 3000 at a time from a place in southern CA (since we're near SF, CA, it's close in terms of shipping) so we have approximately a 40gal sized plastic bin that we keep them in. Occasionally when we're changing the carrots and potatoes (once a week) I notice that on the undersides of the potato slices, there's these itty bitty white bugs, just like how you described. They never seem to be much of a problem, as long as we keep up with the veggie changes, when we have them. There always seem to be a couple here and there. Every once in a while though, they get really bad, even with frequent cleanings, and the worms themselves start to get them on their shells. When this happens, the lizards still have no problem, BUT the worms themselves deteriorate because they have to carry around all these tiny bugs who are feeding off their life source, I guess. So whenever that happens, my dad and I find alternative food sources until we can clean out the entire superworm bin and start with a fresh batch. It's really only gotten terribly bad once or twice, to the point where I cleaned the tiny bugs off the worms I fed to my beardies, but thankfully, the little bugs have never harmed the beardies, just the superworms. Sorry I can't say exactly what they are, or how to eradicate them from a bug bin, BUT I just wanted to reassure you that I've had this before, and although I try to avoid it, at LEAST it's never been a harm to the lizards. But if you can, I would ask for a refund, definitely. Good luck!
Grain mites? I'm going to research those when I have more time later! (currently working on HW) It's good to know that someone knows what they are! Thanks Karlee!
Yes, these are harmless to reptiles. If the worms are still alive, you can safely feed them off. Excessive moisture in the container may be the cause of some of these issues. If mold beings to attack their feed, that can kill the superworms.
Is there a way to prevent excess moisture? There are holes already in the containers, and I looked in the pet store the other day at the rest of the stock, and noticed most of them are also retaining a lot of moisture, which made me hesitant to buy.
You can always buy a separate container, with no lid on it that they cannot escape from. Simply dump the substrate in it or pick out the larvae and place them into a substrate of gutload/bran etc. You can buy a plastic shoebox (6qt sterilite container) for $1 from most stores. The only moisture they need can be obtained from vegetables (as seen in the picture). Avoid anything too damp that will make the substrate damp and you'll be fine = )
