The Ultimate Guide to Feeding Your Blob

Feeding your blob is the most satisfying part of being a Keeper. Watching a single cell surge forward, thickening its veins to pump nutrients from a single oat flake, is like watching biological engineering in real-time.

But if you want a world-class blob, you need to go beyond the basics.

The “Golden Ratio”: 2:1

Science has discovered that Physarum polycephalum isn’t just a random scavenger. It is a master nutritionist.

In “cafeteria experiments” (where the blob is given a choice between different food sources), it consistently chooses a diet with a 2:1 ratio of protein to carbohydrates. This specific balance allows the cell to grow at its maximum speed while maintaining a healthy, vibrant yellow color.

The Standard Diet: Quaker’s Choice

The laboratory standard across the globe is the humble Old Fashioned Rolled Oat.

• Why Oats? They provide the perfect structure for the blob to latch onto, and they don’t break down into mush too quickly.
• Organic vs. Standard: Interestingly, some strains (especially the ‘American’ strain) actually prefer standard commercial oats over organic ones. Bio/Organic oats sometimes have natural fungal spores that compete with your blob for territory.

Gourmet Treats (Beyond the Oats)

If you want to treat your blob like royalty, try adding these to its habitat:

1. Egg Yolk (Hard Boiled): A tiny amount of hard-boiled egg yolk is a protein bomb for your blob. It will help it grow thick, sturdy veins.
2. Mushrooms: As a forest dweller, your pet loves bolets and button mushrooms. They provide natural minerals found in its wild habitat.
3. Valerian Root: Some researchers have found that blobs are strangely attracted to valerian. It’s like catnip for slime molds.
4. Yeast & Bacteria: In the wild, this is their primary food. If you are using agar, a light dusting of nutritional yeast is like a multi-vitamin.

The “Do Not Eat” List (Toxins)

Your blob is sensitive. It doesn’t have a liver to filter out poisons, so anything you give it goes straight into its protoplasm. Avoid these at all costs:

• Caffeine: Whether it’s coffee or tea, caffeine interferes with the blob’s pulsating rhythm (its “heartbeat”).
• Quinine: Found in tonic water, this is often used in labs as a “barrier” because blobs find the taste (chemical signature) absolutely repulsive.
• Salt: High concentrations of salt will literally suck the water out of your blob, causing it to shrivel into a dormant crust or die.
• Direct Sunlight: UV rays are harsh on a single cell. Always feed and house your blob in a dark or dimly lit spot.

Feeding Frequency

• Standard: Feed every 2–3 days.
• The “Full Speed” Mode: If you want your blob to cover your entire petri dish in a week, feed it daily.
• The “Vacation” Mode: If you have to go away, don’t feed it. Let it dry out onto its paper towel. It will enter a deep sleep (

  sclerotium: A hardened, dormant state that allows the slime mold to survive dry conditions for years.

  ) and be ready for breakfast when you return.

Keeper’s Trick: Always remove uneaten food from the previous day before adding new oats. Old oats can grow “bad” fuzz (molds and bacteria) that will attack your pet blob.

Ready to see how smart your blob is? Head over to the Maze Solving Experiment.