Help! Why wont my slimes wake up?

[Sarah Gracen]

I got some physarum cultures on the interweb. I have them in little plastic tupperwares on damp paper towels with some boiled oats a centimeter away. I keep them in the dark world under my couch. So far none of the ones I've tried to awaken have done so, they just sit there inanimately and eventually get smelly. What am I doing wrong?