On Mealworms, Gutloading and Refrigeration

[30secondstobob]

I don't refrigerate my mealworms. Refrigeration slows down the metabolism to the point where they barely, if at all eat. I like them to be fat and happy when I offer them to my geckos. The drawback is that I do lose a few to the pupal stage befor they get fed off. I feel it is a small price to pay to have healthy, gut loaded mealworms for my geckos at all times.
My problem is with my new hatchlings. If I don't refrigerate the tiny mealworms, they will grow too quickly to be food for the baby geckos. If I refrigerate them, they will not eat enough to be properly gutloaded. Is there a compromise between refrigeration and gut loading mealworms? How does everyone handle this? Bob

 

[OnlineGeckos]

You gut-load them twice a week, take them out for a day and give them carrots and whatever else you want to gut-load them with. Then you put them back in the fridge. The idea is that they'll be gut-loaded well enough for you to feed them straight out of the fridge.

 

[acpart]

I haven't had good luck refrigerating mealworms, probably because they get pushed toward the back of the fridge and get too cold. Since I'm breeding mealworms, I always have tiny ones. However, I have to say that baby leos can handle full-sized mealworms within the first month or so. I use the tiny mealworms primarily for my SW banded geckos who are the size of a quarter when they're born, but I don't worry too much about size for the leos.
If you really want to slow down the mealworms without refrigerating, you could try a part of the house that's cooler, though seeing that you live in FL, maybe that's impossible.

Aliza

Aliza

 

[12many]

i dont seem to have luck at breeding mealworms since i've tried twice and still no babies.

i will be trying again soon though. hopefully it will be a success

on the other hand, my dubia bin has gotten much larger that always use up 2 oranges every 2-3 days because they finish it off within a day.

 

[BadKelpie]

I don't feed many mealworms, but I do let them breed. I just keep a rubbermaid in the cupboard, they live on whole wheat flour and I toss in veggies every once in a while. They go through their life cycle and I always have mealworms. They're getting too plentiful again, now that I think about it. Gotta give some away.

 

[mack]

Just let them do their thing on breeding and have a small container to put a select few in that you plan on feeding to your gecko. Then you gut load twice a week for the ones you have in the separate container.

 

[Zeetrain]

Ive fed hatchlings and juveniles regular sized mealworms and even giant mealworms with no problems.

 

[Terrain_pull up]

You gut-load them twice a week, take them out for a day and give them carrots and whatever else you want to gut-load them with. Then you put them back in the fridge. The idea is that they'll be gut-loaded well enough for you to feed them straight out of the fridge.

+1. I also dust them with Repashy ICB powder before feeding

 

[Terrain_pull up]

You gut-load them twice a week, take them out for a day and give them carrots and whatever else you want to gut-load them with. Then you put them back in the fridge. The idea is that they'll be gut-loaded well enough for you to feed them straight out of the fridge.

+1. I also dust them with Repashy ICB powder before feeding

 

[abrahamavelar]

if you do keep them in the fridge should they be kept with the beddin thing the come with????

 

[scm133]

if you do keep them in the fridge should they be kept with the beddin thing the come with????

Depends on where you get them. If they come from pet store, I would mix some organic wheat bran in with the bedding. I get mine from Vita-Mealies, and they supply nutritional bedding.

 

[abrahamavelar]

Oh ok thx