# Storing Calci-grubs/Phoenix worms



## LouiseK (Mar 17, 2007)

I recently bought some calci-grubs and they came in a tub with coarse damp sawdust in it.

Everytime i tried to get a bug out, it was covered in sawdust so i took them out of the sawdust and placed them into a tub with some moist kitchroll thinking they needed the moisture.

Later that day i found that the kitchen roll smelt really bad, like ammonia, so i gave them some fresh kitchroll but again in no time at all it smelt really bad.

So i cleaned them out again, but giving them dry kitchen roll and it seemed ok...

But in a couple of days i have found that about half of them have turned black - they're not dead, just black - so i'm not sure about feeding them to my beardie. 

Others look like they've exploded! Maybe they have just shed, but the skin i'm finding is really very thick.

Does anyone have any advice on keeping them?

Thanks


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## pollywog (Oct 6, 2005)

Keep them in the tub they come in, when you want to use them remove what you need from the tub and give them a minute to let the substrate on them dry slightly it should then come off easily by rolling the grubs in your fingers. The substrate isn't sawdust and it is edible so a bit left on the grubs isn't going to hurt your reps.
The darker grubs are getting close to pupating and are at thier highest calcium content at that time so use those first.


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

yeah they do shed and as pollwog says the black ones are the best he should know he grows em  !! they just look horrible I think lol!! I'm glad you also said thet the substrate is edible coz I keep going nuts with my OH for leaving it on the grubs as I always get it all off - I stand corrected and wont shout at him any more (although I'm not going to tell him lmao )


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## LouiseK (Mar 17, 2007)

pollywog said:


> Keep them in the tub they come in, when you want to use them remove what you need from the tub and give them a minute to let the substrate on them dry slightly it should then come off easily by rolling the grubs in your fingers. The substrate isn't sawdust and it is edible so a bit left on the grubs isn't going to hurt your reps.
> The darker grubs are getting close to pupating and are at thier highest calcium content at that time so use those first.


Thanks for the response, i appreciate it 

So if the substrate is edible - what is it made out of?

Thanks


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