Hi all, I just joined this forum and I have questions pertaining to mealworms I’m keeping. I can’t seem to find any information about it, and I apologize if this has already been answered on this forum.
I was given these mealworms to feed to the hedgehog I am fostering. I have two containers of mealworms. Both containers have oatmeal substrate with potato slices.
I replaced the oatmeal substrate for both containers a little over a week ago. I checked on my mealworms and found that in one of my containers, there was a tiny mealworm with a solid black mass growing on its back, near its rear. I can describe it like a rock-hard scab on your knee. I took the mealworm out to inspect it, and I could see it couldn’t walk. It just laid on the surface and squirmed as if trying to remove the mass. I could very easily tell that the mass was growing from the inside out.
I looked it up but I couldn’t find anything, and my curiosity got the best of me. I began to pick off the mass. The final bit of it came off the mealworm, and a long, white, gooey string came out of the mealworm as I pulled the mass off. The mealworm died.
I didn’t see anything else on any of the mealworms, until yesterday. In the same container, I found a larger mealworm with a solid black mass, exactly the same as the other mealworm. It was clutching a piece of shed skin, but I don’t think it was its own shed skin since the mealworm was a normal tan color. It was doing the same thing - it couldn’t walk and it squirmed as if in uncomfortable pain.
I checked the other mealworms and found some that were beginning to develop a tiny black mass as well. They are all able to walk still. I placed all these mealworms, including the previous one, in another container to examine them.
I can’t seem to find any information about this. I’m very curious as to what this is, and I am also concerned as to what if I had fed a mealworm that was beginning to develop the mass to the hedgehog.
I’ve attached photos of the mealworm. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I was given these mealworms to feed to the hedgehog I am fostering. I have two containers of mealworms. Both containers have oatmeal substrate with potato slices.
I replaced the oatmeal substrate for both containers a little over a week ago. I checked on my mealworms and found that in one of my containers, there was a tiny mealworm with a solid black mass growing on its back, near its rear. I can describe it like a rock-hard scab on your knee. I took the mealworm out to inspect it, and I could see it couldn’t walk. It just laid on the surface and squirmed as if trying to remove the mass. I could very easily tell that the mass was growing from the inside out.
I looked it up but I couldn’t find anything, and my curiosity got the best of me. I began to pick off the mass. The final bit of it came off the mealworm, and a long, white, gooey string came out of the mealworm as I pulled the mass off. The mealworm died.
I didn’t see anything else on any of the mealworms, until yesterday. In the same container, I found a larger mealworm with a solid black mass, exactly the same as the other mealworm. It was clutching a piece of shed skin, but I don’t think it was its own shed skin since the mealworm was a normal tan color. It was doing the same thing - it couldn’t walk and it squirmed as if in uncomfortable pain.
I checked the other mealworms and found some that were beginning to develop a tiny black mass as well. They are all able to walk still. I placed all these mealworms, including the previous one, in another container to examine them.
I can’t seem to find any information about this. I’m very curious as to what this is, and I am also concerned as to what if I had fed a mealworm that was beginning to develop the mass to the hedgehog.
I’ve attached photos of the mealworm. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
