How to Feed Mealworms?

[Jedi Master Bruce]

Hi everyone! I have recently switched from crickets to mealworms. I gutload the mealworms with Cody's ProGutload. Then, I put some mealworms in four-inch petri dishes in the leopard gecko's cages. I have one adult leo per cage. The only trouble I have had is the geckos not eating the mealies when the mealies get sluggish before or after transformation into pupae. Also, the dish and the mealies sort of get "old" and looks like it needs to be replaced. Here are my main questions: Thanks Much!

1. What calcium or vitamin supplements do you put in the dishes with your mealies?

2. How often do you rotate each supplement in the mealie's dish?

3. How often or when do you replace/clean the mealie's dish?

4. Do you put gutload or food in the mealie's dish?

5. What is your cleaning schedule for mealie dishes?

 

[PaulSage]

1. What calcium or vitamin supplements do you put in the dishes with your mealies?

I mix Vionate, Osteo-form, Minerall-indoor & T-Rex Micro-stik calcium

2. How often do you rotate each supplement in the mealie's dish?

I don't rotate the supplements, I just keep the above mix in there at all times.

3. How often or when do you replace/clean the mealie's dish?

Usually once a week I dump their crocks and start over w/ fresh mix, but I usually add new mealworms to their dishes every other day (but I dust the mealworms with some of the mixture before adding them to the dishes)

4. Do you put gutload or food in the mealie's dish?


No gutload or food--they seem to eat the vionate though. I do, however, put a small chunk of carrot in the bowls for the few geckos that are kept in groups (most are kept individually) for the larger dishes that have a few 100 mealies in them.

5. What is your cleaning schedule for mealie dishes?

Aside from dumping them about once a week, I usually only wash the crocks if they get dirty or if I'm moving geckos around.


That's just how I have been doing it--can't say it's "the best" way or not. I keep the mealies on Cody's gutload w/ carrots for water and they seem to do very well that way. I usually go through about 10,000 mealies each week, but also give my breeders dusted crickets once or twice a week.

Also, I used to use petri dishes, but the mealworms can get out of them so I switched to ceramic ramekins a few months ago. I was breaking glass petri dishes right and left, and so far haven't managed to break one of the ramekins. I use two sizes of ramekins--a smaller one for the shoebox tubs, and a slightly larger one for the sweater boxes. I have eight blanket boxes of breeding groups, but for them I use an 8 (?) oz. dog food crock. (those are the ones I keep a carrot in since there are so many mealies in them)

 

[ExcessiveHerps]

1. What calcium or vitamin supplements do you put in the dishes with your mealies?
Daily I use limestone based calcium, twice montly I use rep-cal calcium D3 & Rep-Cal Herptive on alternate weekends.
2. How often do you rotate each supplement in the mealie's dish?
Replaced every 3-4 days.
3. How often or when do you replace/clean the mealie's dish?
1-2 times a week the dish is dumped its spot cleaned as needed daily.
4. Do you put gutload or food in the mealie's dish?
When I first get the meal worms I feed them baby carrots for 2 days then they go into my fridge and feed them off daily I buy 2-3 weeks worth of mealworms at a time.
5. What is your cleaning schedule for mealie dishes?
I don't have a schedule they are clean with a paper towel when needed and get disinfected a few times a year with a bleach solution.
I use white deli cups with lids which have 2'' whole in center of them, this prevent mealworms from ever escaping

 

[acpart]

I store my mealies in a gutload substrate that I make from a variety of nuts, seeds and grains from the local food coop. Each time I feed, I take out any remaining mealies and put them back into the storage bin. I put a small amount of gutload in the dish with the mealies to keep them from trying too hard to get out. I make my own ceramic mealworm dishes for the adults with sides that curve back around to make it hard for them to get out. (At the White Plains show in Jan. I saw someone selling plastic mealie dishes that looked exactly like mine!). I feed the babies in shallow lids until they get the idea about where the worms are.

Aliza

 

[NewportGeckos]

Looks like most of your questions have been answered, but I'll go ahead and put in my 2¢.

Usually I have a small amount of vionate in the dish just to last the mealies for a day or so. The worms eat it and if the gecko licks at it, even better! Every time I feed, I empty the dishes and throw the mealworms away! Sticking mealworms back in the gutloading bin is just another way to transmit parasites or disease, and I don't like to take the chance. Also, I don't know of any leo that would eat a pupae. Hell, I know I wouldn't! Mealworms tend to get really slow and squishy both when they are away from food for too long and when they are about to pupate, but I just throw those ones away because they aren't overly appetizing for the gecko :main_rolleyes: . I often wash out the dishes with warm or hot water and wipe them off with a paper towel just to get mealworm poop or guts out, but theres not set schedule for it. Just clean when it gets dirty! Now as far as bowls, I use ceramic flower pot bottoms/saucers. The mealworms can't get out, they are a breeze to clean, dishwasher safe, and are cheap! Plus they are practically impossible to break (unlike petri dishes which i tend to break all the time). Here's a picture of one so you can see what I'm talking about. Ignore my two geckos fighting over the calcium, they are calc addicts!

Hope this helped!

 

[Jedi Master Bruce]

All excellent answers and nice albino gecko!

 

[geckogod2]

any mealies that transform into the pupae and the beetles, my geckos tend to ignore. I feed the beetle and pupaes to my beardies and they love them.. they go nuts over the beetles.

 

[Jedi Master Bruce]

Very interesting! I had no idea beardies ate beetles and pupae. (You can see I do not keep beardies.) What else will eat beetles and pupae? Anyone?

 

[PaulSage]

Very interesting! I had no idea beardies ate beetles and pupae. (You can see I do not keep beardies.) What else will eat beetles and pupae? Anyone?

My turtles and my Jack Dempseys like them.

 

[brandy101010]

Very interesting! I had no idea beardies ate beetles and pupae. (You can see I do not keep beardies.) What else will eat beetles and pupae? Anyone?

I do keep beardies and I diddn't know that. Actually I always heard they were not that great of a feeder for them. Hmmm. Gues I'll do some research because I have plenty of beetles!