Breeding my own mealies

[lilkat218]

I breed my own mealworms for my leos. I can't seem to get them to grow larger than about 1/2 inch, and they stay very small. Do you use anything in particular to get them larger? My leos will eat them, but they're so small, they need a huge amount to be filling. I keep them on worm chow from Georgia crickets, and feed potatoes and carrots as well. Thoughts?


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[indyana]

Very strange. Are you certain they are regular mealworms? Could they be lesser mealworms? (Google for pictures. Adult beetles much smaller/shinier than mealworm beetles.)

 

[lilkat218]

I usually order large or giant mealies from premium crickets (Georgia crickets) and any pupae I find in my Leo's cages I used to populate my colony. I was under the impression 'giant' mealworms are fed a growth hormone. I have never bred any that big. I'll have to take & post photos, but from what I can tell, they're regular old mealworms


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[indyana]

Okay then. Nothing special to do to grow mealworms to full size other than feeding and waiting. When they get large enough, they will pupate on their own and turn to beetles. Maybe you just haven't gone through the full cycle yet?

 

[lilkat218]

This is about as big as they get. Some will pupate & I get normal beetles. I find that at this stage, if I try to save some in the fridge they just die, and I can't seem to grow them any larger than this.


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[indyana]

I see a couple in there that look full size (fatter around, about an inch). My only suggestion would be to provide more room/bedding for them so they spend more time eating. Not sure if anyone else has ideas as to why they would be small.

 

[JessJohnson87]

Have you tried putting some oats in a blender and putting them on a bed of that? I have mine on a bed of oats and feed them carrots, kale and orange slices twice a week and they've grown quite a bit since I decided to start breeding.

 

[lilkat218]

That not the container they live in long term. I was sifting the bedding to collect them for feeding. I keep them on 'worm chow' from premium crickets normally. I put the potatoes in there to shoe size/scale. I usually order giant or large mealworms, are they a different species? I've raised these from the pupae I get from the giant/large mealies. I also find my leos won't eat these small guys well, they need a huge dish of them to get their interest, but supers or large mws are no problem. Hmm...


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[indyana]

You won't ever get giant-sized mealworms because those are treated with chemicals to prevent them from pupating. The largest mealworms will get is 3/4 - 1".
https://www.google.com/search?q=mealworm+size

And yes, leopard geckos need a lot of mealworms if you only feed mealworms.