how to cut a mealworm? :)

[quirinus]

i always used tiny crickets for slings. since a lot of people here say cut mealworms are good/best for slings, i bought some. never fed mws before. when i cut them, even with the sharpest knife i possess, i squeeze out the guts, what remains is an nearly empty "pipe".. how is this supposed to be done? .. odd question i know.. are the guts more consistent when cold (out of the fridge)?

 

[basin79]

i always used tiny crickets for slings. since a lot of people here say cut mealworms are good/best for slings, i bought some. never fed mws before. when i cut them, even with the sharpest knife i possess, i squeeze out the guts, what remains is an nearly empty "pipe".. how is this supposed to be done? .. odd question i know.. are the guts more consistent when cold (out of the fridge)?

Either sharpen your knife or get a good pair of sharp scissors.

 

[quirinus]

thanks i'll try scissors for fingernails

 

[moricollins]

Scissors, knife, by hand (squeeze and twist),

My preference is a knife. The insides tend to stay in for me

 

[testdasi]

i always used tiny crickets for slings. since a lot of people here say cut mealworms are good/best for slings, i bought some. never fed mws before. when i cut them, even with the sharpest knife i possess, i squeeze out the guts, what remains is an nearly empty "pipe".. how is this supposed to be done? .. odd question i know.. are the guts more consistent when cold (out of the fridge)?

Nail scissors are the best tools for this job.

 

[Smotzer]

I use a scalpel for all feeder slicing and dicing

 

[mellow]

I use a pair of sharp scissors or a pocket knife, you could try cutting off a slightly bigger piece so that insides stay in better, not too big of a piece though.

 

[Chebe6886]

Sharp scissors or knife and I usually feed either the head or tail section so I know there’s plenty of goop inside. The middle is hit or miss. It doesn’t have to be a super small piece they’ll walk up to an open end and drink it like a frosty in summer.

 

[Chebe6886]

My 1/8” Elegans would hop on a large cricket if I put that in there

 

[mack1855]

I use an exatco knife.Slice/dice,no muss,no fuss

 

[SharkNATO]

Razor blades have worked well for me. Could do box cutters if you find a worm-guillotine distasteful. Hobby stores should have handles with replaceable razor heads, can get a nice cutting angles. I used one of those in the past and will be getting one again because it's a gross job and those make the quickest work of it.

 

[SharkNATO]

* exacto knifes are what I was referring to at the end, just saw @mack1855 's reply

 

[vancwa]

#11 or #15 scalpel or teeth.

 

[Chebe6886]

Always teeth

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Scissors.

 

[Colorado Ts]

i always used tiny crickets for slings. since a lot of people here say cut mealworms are good/best for slings, i bought some. never fed mws before. when i cut them, even with the sharpest knife i possess, i squeeze out the guts, what remains is an nearly empty "pipe".. how is this supposed to be done? .. odd question i know.. are the guts more consistent when cold (out of the fridge)?

Freeze the meal worms...pull out how many you need, take an exacto knife or razor blade and cut them into segments while still frozen. That should solve your problem of their guts being squeezed out and being left with a hollow tube of exoskeleton.

Keep the cut up frozen segments in a ziplock bag, pull out what you need for feeding, thaw them and the feed them to your slings.

 

[viper69]

i always used tiny crickets for slings. since a lot of people here say cut mealworms are good/best for slings, i bought some. never fed mws before. when i cut them, even with the sharpest knife i possess, i squeeze out the guts, what remains is an nearly empty "pipe".. how is this supposed to be done? .. odd question i know.. are the guts more consistent when cold (out of the fridge)?

Your knife sounds dull. I've used all sorts of knives no issues as they were sharp, but even then some will ooze out, they are just big containers of FAT.

 

[quirinus]

haha so many replies thank you all! nail scissors worked much better then the knife. I'll try all your methods and see what is best.

 

[vancwa]

I want to watch you use your teeth.

 

[quirinus]

maybe i skip this method.