Superworms and Mealworms (Pics)

bitterbeauty · Dec 19, 2008

I use mealworms and superworms as staple food for my geckos (some of my geckos will only each mealworms). I breed them myself so it is all cost effecient. If I have extras I feed them to the wild birds.

For both types of worms they are put on human grade oats and high protien chicken feed (microwaved to prevent mites).
For moisture I use carrots most often, potatoes and oranges. Occasionally celery but that seems to effect the geckos like of the worm. (probably because of the smell)

My superworms container.

Mealworm container. I have gotten lazy about separating my pupa from my worms. (I got spoiled by superworms) So I have all stages in one container.

I use a bead organizer to help superworms pupate. It works well.

Recently hatched superworm beetle.

Superworm beetle container.

The difference between mealworm and superworm pupae

Thanks for looking!

Pepper · Dec 19, 2008

How neat! Whats the difference between meal worms, giant meal worms, and supers?
Is it just size?

What can you feed mealies to gut load them? I've just been giving them carrots and yams..

Do you powder them before feeding them to your animals, mine won't eat dusted meal worms.....!

How hard is it to breed these? None of mine ever turn into pupae..

bitterbeauty · Dec 19, 2008

Pepper said:
How neat! Whats the difference between meal worms, giant meal worms, and supers?
Is it just size?

What can you feed mealies to gut load them? I've just been giving them carrots and yams..

Do you powder them before feeding them to your animals, mine won't eat dusted meal worms.....!

How hard is it to breed these? None of mine ever turn into pupae..

I have never dealt with giant mealworms due with the fact they I have been told that they are sprayed with a growth hormone. Which I do not believe can be healthy for my geckos. (You can see what growth hormones do to humans when they are put in our chicken etc.)

There is a debate on whether mealworms can be gutloaded or not. I am on the fence. But oats and fruit/veggies are gutload enough.

I do not dust worms before feeding because I keep a bowl of vitimins and calcium in each tank and all my geckos have large calci pillows under their arms as it is.

Mealworms are pretty simple to breed as long as they are provided food and moisture they pretty much breed themselves. Mealworms thrive on neglect basically. Just make sure overcrowding is not an issue as this will cut into your egg yields.

Superworms are slightly more challenging due to the fact that they usually dont pupate on their own. You must separate them and stress them before they pupate. You put them in small container by themselves with no food or moisture and they will eventually pupate or die.

Pepper · Dec 19, 2008

ahh that's cool!

At our store we have mini meal worms, giants, and supers. The supers are all too big for my critters, they are all babies. and the mini's are way to stinking small, they could eat like 30...so I have to use the giants, but now I feel bad, I didn't know they used hormones...

Nigel4less · Dec 19, 2008

bitterbeauty said:
There is a debate on whether mealworms can be gutloaded or not. I am on the fence. But oats and fruit/veggies are gutload enough.

Well you should note that its not just Mealworms that cannot be gutloaded it is any sort of Larvae(Which Meal and Superworms are). But feeding them to keep them alive obviously still needs to be done.

Bennayboi · Dec 19, 2008

Ive never heard that mealworms or superworms cannot be gutloaded. What have you guys based this on?

shadowx362 · Dec 19, 2008

Awesome pics and description! And I can say the gut load is great and your home grown meal worms are too

cwazy · Dec 19, 2008

great post!!! ok so ive seen baby mealies... and they are tinie tiny wee lil! lol... what about baby supers??? i had 3 super pupaes, im down to one... i dont think i had the luck to have em lay some eggs... *shrugs* any chance of baby supers?

LizMarie · Dec 19, 2008

Cool Topic and Great Pics. Your mealie tub looks like mine, all the mealies hooked on the carrot, lol

I'm scared to feed superworms, everyone talks about how mean they are, lol

bitterbeauty · Dec 20, 2008

Bennayboi said:
Ive never heard that mealworms or superworms cannot be gutloaded. What have you guys based this on?

Im not sure about the subject but I have been told that larvae stage insects cannot be gutloaded. Like I said I am on the fence about it because technically I think anything that eats can be gutloaded....but I dunno.

bitterbeauty · Dec 20, 2008

shadowx362 said:
Awesome pics and description! And I can say the gut load is great and your home grown meal worms are too

Haha! Thanks Edgar!

bitterbeauty · Dec 20, 2008

cwazy said:
great post!!! ok so ive seen baby mealies... and they are tinie tiny wee lil! lol... what about baby supers??? i had 3 super pupaes, im down to one... i dont think i had the luck to have em lay some eggs... *shrugs* any chance of baby supers?

I am in the same boat with you. These are my first superworm beetles so hopefully baby supers are in the future! lol. I assume they will be tiny like mealies and then experience a fast growth spurt? Not sure. Ill keep ya posted!

bitterbeauty · Dec 20, 2008

LizMarie said:
I'm scared to feed superworms, everyone talks about how mean they are, lol

They arent too bad. I only handle them with tongs tho. Some of my geckos actually enjoy the challenge since they are stronger than mealworms. Plus it is so much easier to just toss then one superworm vs. 20 mealies.

Snowy & Petra de Gecko · Dec 20, 2008

Great Pictures

That is a Great Set Up.:main_thumbsup:

Giant Mealworms are Mealworms that are given growth hormones that make it so that they do not pupate. Then, I have heard that they can pupate but, not lay any eggs. I do not know as I do not use them.:main_thumbsdown:

Super Mealworms are very large and maybe mean but, they move fast. Raising them is different.

Mealworms are very easy to raise.:main_yes:

Gutloading ... technically speaking you cannot Gutload anything is probably correct. It is not like stuffing a Bell Pepper, or a Burrito, or a Hot Pocket, etc.

But, you can feed them a nutrious diet so that they will not use their fat reserves. Then, what ever is left inside of them is left for your Gecko to eat. So there is a little bit of nutrion in their stomach or intestional track and that is what your Geckos will get the benefit of. And while a mealworm will not fill us up if we were to eat several of them, it is a different matter when a Leo eats them.

Scoots85 · Jan 6, 2009

Wow, some nice pics!

How old should a leo be before feeding it superworms? Mine's about 7-months and I'm still fairly certain a superworm would be tough for her to take down.

bitterbeauty · Jan 6, 2009

Scoots85 said:
How old should a leo be before feeding it superworms? Mine's about 7-months and I'm still fairly certain a superworm would be tough for her to take down.

Depends on the gecko. I would think 7 months is good enough. My rule is 30 grams and up can have supers. Try a small one and see how they do.

herpencounter · Jan 6, 2009

Im having the hardest time keeping superworms alive lol. I want to breed them but that is hard when they are dead.

Any idea what could be wrong???

bitterbeauty · Jan 6, 2009

herpencounter said:
Im having the hardest time keeping superworms alive lol. I want to breed them but that is hard when they are dead.

Any idea what could be wrong???

How are you keeping them? I have mine on oatmeal with carrots at room tempurature. I have had them since summer time of last year and all is good. Maybe your ventilation is off?

herpencounter · Jan 6, 2009

I keep them same as you =x oats and carrots 78-82F at all times.

bitterbeauty · Jan 6, 2009

Then maybe there is a ventilation problems what kind of container do you keep them in? How many holes does it have etc

Superworms and Mealworms (Pics)

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