mealworms

[Nikos]

I've been using mealworms to feed my T and have one question.

Well you can store the extra worms in the freedge but how can you do that?
I mean do you have to put them in the freege WITH their substrate (their food) or WITHOUT?

Can anyone help?

Thanks

 

[jwb121377]

Yes put them in with thier substrate, and place them in the bottom of the fridge'. Also make sure there regular mealworms and NOT Super mealworms, as the supers will die in the fridge'

 

[Botar]

You can put them in the fridge, but I'd take them out for a couple of days before feeding them to your T's. That would give them time to get their metabolism back up and running. I'm not certain of the nutritional value of "gut loaded" inverts for T's, but I feel better feeding them plump and healthy food. Also, there really is no need to slow them down at all. My T's will eat the mealworm, pupae, or beetle. So I just keep four cultures going and pull out whatever is in excess and use that as food. Using this method will also keep you from ever having to buy mealworms again since they reproduce quite readily. Also, a slice of apple, potato, or cucumber once or twice a week keeps them plump and well hydrated.

Botar

 

[Nikos]

Thanks all for the help!
really appreciated guys!

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Originally posted by Botar
You can put them in the fridge, but I'd take them out for a couple of days before feeding them to your T's. That would give them time to get their metabolism back up and running. I'm not certain of the nutritional value of "gut loaded" inverts for T's, but I feel better feeding them plump and healthy food. Also, there really is no need to slow them down at all. My T's will eat the mealworm, pupae, or beetle. So I just keep four cultures going and pull out whatever is in excess and use that as food. Using this method will also keep you from ever having to buy mealworms again since they reproduce quite readily. Also, a slice of apple, potato, or cucumber once or twice a week keeps them plump and well hydrated.

Botar

I thought beetles were too hard for tarantulas. Can you tell me exactly how you raise all yours? I'm trying to raise moths, but so far, it isn't going too well.

Big Dragonfly

 

[Botar]

I've got 4 different small gladware containers... about the size you could put 2-3 sandwiches in. In each is about 2.5 inches of wheat bran. If you put some mealworms in one and let them pupate, they'll turn into pupae and then darkling beetles. I move the beetles from container to container every two weeks. That way I have different sized mealworms in each container. Once a week or so, I put in a slice of apple, cucumber, or potato for food variety and hydration. It is also very easy to pick the tiny mealworms off of this food source for the tiny slings. The larger juveniles and adults will, IME, readily take the pupae or adult beetles. You may find a T that doesn't care for the beetles, so just feed that one something else or large mealworms.

I use the mealworms/pupae/beetles as variety in the diet. I still use crickets and have two colonies of different roaches started as well. Once the roaches are up and running, I hope to be petstore free... with the exception of pinkies. I've raised mice before and don't really care for the odor, so I think I'll continue to buy them.

Mealworms are also an excellent food source for slings. They are no threat to a molting T and can be cut up if you don't currently have any small enough for the tiny slings.

Botar

 

[Botar]

Here is a picture of one of the containers with some mealworms feeding on a slice of cucumber.

Botar

 

[Gail]

I agree with Botar that mealworms are so easy to raise. One thing I do once a year though is order a big batch of them to get some "fresh blood". It probably is in no way necessary, but I do it anyway. Another bonus to raising mealworms if you feed the wild birds is that the birds will love you. I put out a little dish of them once or twice a week (my mealworm colonies do very well) and the chickadees, titmice and juncos love them. In the spring I am more generous and for the few weeks when they are all feeding babies I fill up the dish every day. The little buggers actually get so used to coming to me for their baby food that they will sit on the railing and make one hell of a racket in the morning until I fill up the dish. They practically take them out of my hand. Then, when they fledge the babies they always bring them to the balcony to show them off and to teach them where to get a handout LOL. I swear I have several generations of welfare recipient birds, and like their human counter parts, I have to wonder if they would have any clue how to fend for themselves if the teat suddenly dried up

Gail

 

[Botar]

Well here's to hoping your teats don't dry up... sorry... I couldn't resist.

Botar

 

[Gail]

ROFLMAO at Botar

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Originally posted by Botar


Mealworms are also an excellent food source for slings. They are no threat to a molting T and can be cut up if you don't currently have any small enough for the tiny slings.

Botar

They can't bother a molting t? What if they turn into beatles?

What about large mealworms (not superworms, just a large species of mealworm)?

Big Dragonfly

 

[Raveness]

Their substrate stinks like hell..blaaah..but my spiders love em'

 

[Botar]

Originally posted by Big Dragonfly
They can't bother a molting t? What if they turn into beatles?

What about large mealworms (not superworms, just a large species of mealworm)?

Big Dragonfly

There is a pupal stage between the mealworm and the beetle that would surpass the length of any T molt. The beetle may have the ability to harm a molting T, as I have seen them feeding on other pupae when they are in need of water. However, IMO/IME the mealworm would be harmless aside from any stress the movement would cause the T. I've never seen or heard of the mealworms feeding on any "meat" source. The only mealworms I have experience with are the worms of the darkling beetle which seem to top out at 1 to 1 1/4 inches... never seen one at 8" or 300 lbs, but who can tell these days.

Botar

 

[Botar]

Originally posted by Raveness
Their substrate stinks like hell..blaaah..but my spiders love em'

What are you using as substrate? I use oat bran and there is no offensive odor whatsoever. That is one of several things I like about them. No odor, very easy/inexpensive to set up/care for, prolific breeders, readily accepted by my T's and crawfish, and no chance of escape... even if there were, no chance of survival/infestation by the escapees.

Botar

 

[Nikos]

I'm using a wheat plus some cereals mix and no oddur as well.

 

[Jono_mad]

question

my rosea still hasn't eaten a thing since i gor her (exactly 1 month ago) and all the crickets have now died. i've decided to try her with mealworms which i will be getting tomorrow. should i put the worms on a jar lid or something to stop them burrowing?
thanks,
Jono

 

[Botar]

I've read that you should put them in a shallow dish that is deep enough to prevent escape. I don't bother. My T's will usually pounce on them... if not, they dig them up later. I would think it would all depend on the set-up. I don't toss them to my T. blondi... to much space and substrate... not to mention the fact that he probably wouldn't appreciate that small of a meal.

Botar