Mealworm Colonization Question

R

ryasaurus_rex

Guest
Hi, I am new to th eforums, and have loads of questions... I am thinking of getting my first gecko soon, a leopard gecko. And i am one of those people who has to have everything planned out and functioning properly before i even get started.
So, I want to have all the supplies, and have everything maintaining itself before i get any geckos. I havent had any reptiles in a while, but from past experience, I know how much of a pain it is to have to run to the pet store twice a week for worms/crickets. So, I want to breed mealwormns... With that being said,

1) How long from worm to beetle?
2) How many beetles together to get a legitamate amount of offspring?
3) How long to leave the beetles together before they lay eggs?
4) How do you know if they have layed eggs?

If anyone can answer any of my questions, I would appreciate it so much, I can't wait to be able to pursue this new interest!!!
-Ryan
 
acpart

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,453
Location
Somerville, MA
Hi,
I will try to answer your mealworm questions as briefly as I can. The even shorter answer is that you should start out by buying mealworms and plan to start a colony and provide your own in at least 3 months.

1) How long from worm to beetle?
It depends on the temp but I'd say it's at least 3 months from egg to usable mealworm for me

2) How many beetles together to get a legitamate amount of offspring?
The more, the better. One will probably not do anything

3) How long to leave the beetles together before they lay eggs?
I put beetles as they morph into a container with some gutload. I add veggie scraps which they seem to like even more than gutload. After about 4 weeks I move all the beetles into a new container with gutload. I keep the worms, "aliens" and beetles separately because they eat each other for moisture if kept together.

4) How do you know if they have layed eggs?
The first time you do the beetle thing, you will probably not see anything for at least 2-4 weeks. Eventually, if you stir up the gutload you will see the grains of gutload moving. It takes even more time before you can actually see worms. The next time you move the beetles into gutload you'll probably see mealworms sooner because you've probably transferred some teeny ones with the beetles and also they're already laying eggs from the first day you transfer them.

Don't be surprised if at some point you have a lot of dead beetles. They have a short lifespan. If you're constantly processing aliens and beetles, you'll have a constant supply. I have so many I'm selling them.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Aliza
 
R

ryasaurus_rex

Guest
How complicated is it? Would it just be easier to buy in bulk every few months? I am only going to have one gecko, two at the most... to begin with.
 
J

justin-branam

Guest
with one or two geckos, it is probably not worth it to setup a breeding colony. it will be more trouble than its worth. check out places like timberline live foods and such. you can buy 1000 mealworms at a time for around $16 shipped. you may also check with a local pet store, and ask how much they charge for bulk quantities of mealworms. petsmart and petco are very expensive, but if you can buy the 500 count, it may be cheaper than buying them through the mail.
 
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