Are mealworms a good diet?:?

[NickC4]

Hi guys,
i searched the site and didnt find any conclusive opinions or facts.

Is feeding mealworms as a main diet a bad idea?

some people said that their too fatty or are dangerous as a main diet. is this true? Are crickets really any better?

thanks for your time, Nick

 

[Dr Acula]

Mealworms/superworms can be pretty fattening so if you have a T that eats 2 crickets per feeding day, you'll only want to put in 1 superworm. But I asked a similar question to this not too long ago, since I'm allergic to roaches, and was told that they're a much better alternative to crickets.

 

[Ben Oliver]

as for primary food they would be bad. as for a secondary feeder they should be fine. i try to give all my T's and lizards a varied diet that way they have some variety in their food and hunting. if they only ate super worms it would be like us eating steak every day its good but bad because of the fat. you can try roaches, crickets, super worms, and many other feeders

 

[jayefbe]

I would never use mealworms as the primary food source. They are high in fat, and have caused problems in other animals when they are the sole prey item. Granted, these were vertebrates but given the other feeders available I wouldn't use them solely.

 

[billopelma]

Bottom line is that no one really knows, though people here have said they've successfully raised T's to adulthood on only mealworms. My feeling is that a varied diet would be most beneficial...


Bill

 

[Storm76]

I tend to vary the diet of my T 's. Zoophobas (Superworms), Crickets, roaches and occasionally locusts. I wouldn't use superworms as the sole diet though and like JFB said: They are high fat, I primarily use them for fattening up freshly molted specimens (first 1-2 feedings after molt) then return to crickets/roaches.

 

[SamuraiSid]

Bottom line is that no one really knows, though people here have said they've successfully raised T's to adulthood on only mealworms. My feeling is that a varied diet would be most beneficial...


Bill

I agree.

I've heard from a few people that a mealworm rich diet is stupid. But ive also heard from people who have done this, that they have not noticed anything out of the ordinary.

I personally have a small collectino right now, and hopefully its going to triple in the next month. Ive started breeding crickets and superworms. And most liekly I will give them whatever I have on hand, crickets or supers.

The only real big dif between mealies and supers is that mealies are higher in calcium, and supers are generally larger. I stay away from mealworms, but Shell has succesfully used mealies, supers and crickets. Varied diet is likely best.

 

[InvertFix]

Variety is Key.
The way I think of it is Superworms and Mealworms are like Twinkies and Ho-Ho's, high fat content. If you ate nothing but twinkies and Ho-Ho's for the rest of your life would you be healthy?

I could be wrong, but that's the way I see it. Just remember that's only my personal opinion.

 

[natebugman]

I have a problem with the logic used to draw the conclusions in these opinions. I'm not trying to get people upset or anything, but is any of this based on experience or just on comparisons to human diets?

Mealworms/Superworms are high in fat so that makes them bad for tarantulas and if they eat them all the time instead of crickets they'll get fat?
I don't know, maybe this is true. I don't know that it's not. I really have no knowledge of spider metabolism. Does anyone who makes a similar claim? Does it cause dorsal aorta failure?

Someone could use the same logic to say that I should feed my mosquitoes nutrasweet solution instead of sugar solution because of the threat of weight gain and diabetes.
Do you get my point?

If you've got research, scientific evidence, knowledge of arachnid metabolism, or experience with problems due to feeding of mealworms/superworms, speak out.
If you're basing your assertion on assumptions based on human/mammal/even vertebrate diets, I think you should be a little less confident in your answers.

Just my two cents.

 

[Introvertebrate]

............If you're basing your assertion on assumptions based on human/mammal/even vertebrate diets, I think you should be a little less confident in your answers.

Just my two cents.

Alright. You got us. We don't know if mealworms are a good diet.

 

[InvertFix]

I have a problem with the logic used to draw the conclusions in these opinions. I'm not trying to get people upset or anything, but is any of this based on experience or just on comparisons to human diets?

Mealworms/Superworms are high in fat so that makes them bad for tarantulas and if they eat them all the time instead of crickets they'll get fat?
I don't know, maybe this is true. I don't know that it's not. I really have no knowledge of spider metabolism. Does anyone who makes a similar claim? Does it cause dorsal aorta failure?

Someone could use the same logic to say that I should feed my mosquitoes nutrasweet solution instead of sugar solution because of the threat of weight gain and diabetes.
Do you get my point?

If you've got research, scientific evidence, knowledge of arachnid metabolism, or experience with problems due to feeding of mealworms/superworms, speak out.
If you're basing your assertion on assumptions based on human/mammal/even vertebrate diets, I think you should be a little less confident in your answers.

Just my two cents.

No one said they know for a fact. Everyone just put in their opinions, clearly stating that it was just opinion. But I do see where you are coming from. Invertebrates and vertebrates like us have completely different needs and anatomies.

 

[rasulsimakshah]

Variety is Key.
The way I think of it is Superworms and Mealworms are like Twinkies and Ho-Ho's, high fat content. If you ate nothing but twinkies and Ho-Ho's for the rest of your life would you be healthy?

I could be wrong, but that's the way I see it. Just remember that's only my personal opinion.

so does that make superworms/mealworms as tasty as the twinkies/ho-ho's to a T?? ;P

 

[InvertFix]

so does that make superworms/mealworms as tasty as the twinkies/ho-ho's to a T?? ;P

They're deliscious! Have you ever tried them???? ;P
I like the way they wiggle around in my mouth. Om nom nom nom.
Give it a try. Just kidding. Ha ha

 

[rasulsimakshah]

Give it a try. Just kidding. Ha ha

...should have mentioned that before... hahah

so you'd all recommend occasional feeding of mealworms, but more regularly with roaches? i hate the way crickets smell.

 

[InvertFix]

...should have mentioned that before... hahah

so you'd all recommend occasional feeding of mealworms, but more regularly with roaches? i hate the way crickets smell.

It really depends on your preference. I try not to use crickets because I hate them haha
I tend to feed mainly B. dubia roaches and once in a while I'll throw a super worm into the diet. And when I'm feeling super ambitious I get some crickets for them.

 

[rasulsimakshah]

yeah, crickets are a hassle for me (nearest store is 30mins away) and i've ordered a small mealworm starter colony to give me a little freedom from that. looks like a dubia colony is up next...are they hard to raise/not get them running around your house? hahah

 

[natebugman]

Ahh, the cricket...the cow of the exotic pet world...so stupid...so messy...so nasty...so smelly...yet so easily accessible. If only tarantulas would eat them in the fast food form (freeze dried) instead of on the tarsus. But then again, that wouldn't be as much fun to watch. LOL

 

[InvertFix]

Ahh, the cricket...the cow of the exotic pet world...so stupid...so messy...so nasty...so smelly...yet so easily accessible. If only tarantulas would eat them in the fast food form (freeze dried) instead of on the tarsus. But then again, that wouldn't be as much fun to watch. LOL

It's much more fun watching live because I hate them with a burning passion. Bwahahaha!

---------- Post added 04-04-2012 at 01:45 PM ----------

yeah, crickets are a hassle for me (nearest store is 30mins away) and i've ordered a small mealworm starter colony to give me a little freedom from that. looks like a dubia colony is up next...are they hard to raise/not get them running around your house? hahah

B. dubia are actually very easy to care for. They produce at a moderate rate, but at least it's not an alarming rate. And you keep them in tubs because they cannot climb smooth surfaces or fly. So they won't get loose unless you let them loose. And they cannot breed unless the temperature is at about 92 degrees fareinheit. So it's also easy to control their breeding, and if they are loose in your house I doubt you keep it above even 75 fareinheit. Very easy to feed as well, they can eat anything, even your table scraps. But I tend to feed them fruit baby food with high protein cat food blended into it twice a week and just crush up cereal and dry oatmeal to eat at all times.

Where are you located? You may want to check if it's legal to keep roaches and what kind you can. If it's a-ok let me know and I can send you some for free if you pay the shipping.

 

[jayefbe]

No one said they know for a fact. Everyone just put in their opinions, clearly stating that it was just opinion. But I do see where you are coming from. Invertebrates and vertebrates like us have completely different needs and anatomies.

Exactly. I stated my opinion, which is not based on scientific evidence (which is nonexistent in this specific case) but conjecture based on evidence from other animals. I totally understand that mealworms may be fine, but there's much more evidence that supports roaches/crickets as a healthy food source. That's my reasoning for why I seldom feed mealworms. So much in the tarantula hobby is conjecture. As long as it is based on logical reasoning or has some scientific backing, I see nothing wrong with it (there's also nothing wrong with disagreeing with it, or being skeptical of it). Also, I'm always sure to make it abundantly clear when my posts are merely my opinions, or when they are based on some sort of evidence.

 

[billopelma]

...And they cannot breed unless the temperature is at about 92 degrees fareinheit.

Not even close to accurate in my experience. To slow them down, I routinely let my colony go to the low/mid sixties for months at a time. While it does slow them way down, they don't stop breeding entirely.
There was someone on another thread who claimed their thriving/expanding colony had never seen temps above the 70's...

Bill