keeping wax worms

hey guys!(: Well, i have a leopard gecko i obtained from a friend. she (i believe is a she) is about 5-6 years old. I feed her only crickets now as i've only had her for about 3 weeks, whenever i go to the store, they never have mealworms. only superworms and i don't want to feed her anything too big. I noticed that her tail is small compared to other LG so i decided to buy waxworms that came in a container of 50 and the worms are on woodshavings to fatten her up. its working so far and i feed her about 2 every day. she doesn't seem to be having problems but is way more alert now and active now and is still eating crickets(: well, i've only had the waxworms for about a week or so and when i got them, they were "sleeping" due to the fact that they were refrigerated. I've kept them in the regrigerator so far and they are not moving cuz they are could so i don't even know if im feeding my leo dead worms! i was doing research today on keeping them when they are active but the different websites contradicted themselves alot! i want to put them in a plastic container at room temperature with oats as bedding and feeding them carrots and potatoes so that way i know if they are dead or not by their movement and i personally would like to keep them active as it is fun for me to care for and instead of keeping dormant ones in a small container in my refrigerator. if you guys keep waxworms, how to you keep them? any advice? thanks!(:

i just bought my leo some wax worm and i find they last ages in just there containers they come in... i dont feed them anything and i dont put them in the fridge, i have a little cubord under my gecko viv which i just put the tub in there , they usually last a few weeks ... but well done on getting the wax worm becausee that will defo fatten her up, and when you think she is at a good weight just take the wax worm out her diet and only give her it as a treat and replace it with something else like mealworm, are you still feeding her the crickets aswell as the waxworm?

You need to be careful when feeding waxworms to LG, they can become "addicted" to them and refuse to eat any other feeders... There is also no way to gut load waxworms as well, so there is no point putting in carrots or potatos

You are able to tell when they are dead, they turn a black-brown sort of colour, this should not be confused with the brown cocoon that they turn into just before they turn into moths (so annoying when that happens). If you are keeping them in the fridge, it slows down their nervous systems hense why they are slow moving.

I usually warm them up before feeding them;)

You should never warm them up though Jolene. You should let them warm up slowly at room temperature. Never stick em on a heatmat or anything.

I second what Becca said.
You should not be feeding waxworms so regularly. Your gecko will become addicted and refuse to eat anything else, which is honestly so annoying.

Skinny or not, mealworms and supers fatten up just fine

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Waxworms in the state they are in do not eat. So feeding them won't do them any good. They at in a stage where they are getting ready to spin cocoons, and they live off their own body fat. That's why the longer you keep waxworms, the smaller they get.

You will want to keep them in the wood chips they come in, the reason for that is to keep humidity out. Humidity kills them quicker, they turn black and die. So keep them in the warmer part of your refrigerator, don't worry about feeding them, and take out what you need and quickly put the container back in. You don't ever want to leave the container out for long as it'll warm up the whole container, causing condensation inside.

Waxworms as a treat is fine every once in awhile, like once or twice a week. Any more than that, you will get your leopard gecko addicted to them. They are too yummy to not get them addicted. And once they get addicted, it's very hard to shake that addiction, and you'll end up having to starve your gecko for a few days just so they'll go back to eating right again (which beats the purpose of you wanting to fatten them up in the first place).

Superworms are great feeders if you need to pack some weight on your geckos. They are not too large for an adult gecko, and you have one that's 5-6 years old. They are meatier, got more fat, and they fill your gecko up very well. They can also be kept in room temperature and be gut-loaded. So I'd suggest if you want to fatten up your gecko a bit, try buying a small portion of the superworms and see if your gecko will eat them. If they'll eat them, then buy bulk online to save money and keep them in a bin with oats or wheat bran, with slices of carrots every other day.

Waxworms never seem to tempt my Leos.

Yes, not all leos eat waxworms. Most of mine do not like the regular "treats". And I will reword my "heat them up" lol for Jordan. I take them out of the fridge for a few hours before I feed them...lol.

If she's 5-6 years old, the supers cannot be too big. My sub adults chomp them down like champs.

ewwww my wax worm turned into moths I could hear them moving around in the container I hate moths :O

Last time I had some that happened to me. When I opened the container they flew out and my dog started trying to catch them, lol. It was so funny

awww cute!
We had some of those massive morioworm beetles running around in our house.. oops I wish things would stay in worm form forever.

I just got waxworms for the first time yesterday. I was picking out dead ones and ones that looked dead (read on here they turn brown, but 99% of the ones i pitched were shriveled). I have them in the fridge, but I'm really scared that they're going to turn into moths. I hate bugs, so dealing with worms is bad enough for me. lol.

don't put them in the fridge.. I think waxworms are not supposed to go in there.. that's what i've been told. I just keep mine in a drawer (in the container of course). Also, don't gut load them, waxworms don't need to be fed

WAXWORMS(Galleria Mellonella)


Galleria Mellonella, commonly known as Waxworms, are the larval stage of the Greater Wax Moth. They make excellent fish bait and are widely used as live food for herps.

Waxworms are climbers and have a knack for escaping their containers. Once received, always remove the container lids to ensure condensation that accumulated during shipping dissipates. Condensation is hazardous to the life expectancy of the waxworm. Be careful to keep worms refrigerated at all times, removing only those required for feeding. If maintained in cups and refrigerated, they will usually live for 3 weeks.

DO NOT FEED your waxworms as they do not eat. If food is placed in their containers it will mould and kill your waxworms.