The perfect mealworm bedding

[snakegirl]

The perfect mealworm bedding


What do you use? Am trying to find the perfect bedding. either making it myself or buying some. I came to know a few Like mixing oats with wheat bran. Maybe add some corn meal...this all sounds good. but what about the best. Not only that...But small so you can Pick out the mealworms!


Rght now i use crushed powder Oats....you can kinda get them out of the bedding but it leaves Dust on you. And i use blended wheat germ. i love the way it looks,feels (no real mess/dust) but Leave much more bits of it when i take out mealworms for feeding.

So tell me what you use or think it better.what do you think of


Fluckers Cricket food or mealworm bedding *they look the same*?
http://www.flukerfarms.com/mealwormbedding.aspx



Pro-gutload, this stuff look great! High in price though...
http://progeckos.com/supplies/food.htm


What do you use?​

 

[Mel&Keith]

We use ProGutload. It seems expensive but it's not. It last for a long time and a little goes a long way. We go through a lot of feeders and still only use maybe 30 pounds of ProGutload a year. Just get a small bag and try it out.

 

[Chewbecca]

I am probably going to get flamed for this, but...
I have a mix of high quality dog food with sea kelp and I mix in repashy insect gut-load, and I toss in two potato wedges for moisture.

VOILA!
My meal worms gut-load just great! Their segments grow fat within 2 days, and the geckos LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE them.

ETA: I used to add oats in, but they burrow so much and are incredibly difficult to get out of the oats.

 

[reddmann]

I started raising my mealworms about a month and a half ago. I'm not saying its the perfect bedding but I use old fashioned rolled oats chopped up in a blender. Then I chop up some dry dog food and sprinkle it in with the oats and mix it in good. Then I put 2 or 3 peeled baby carrots on top for moisture. I keep them in a 10 gallon sterilite container with holes in the lid. I keep a small plastic bowl with a lid with holes in it to put the pupae (sp?) When I find them. I also keep a small piece of carrot in that but I don't think ya have to. I have a 6 qt rubbermaid shoebox with the crushed oats and a carrot to put the beetles in when they change into beetles. In a month and a half I started with about 250 mealworms and I h already have 6 or 8 beetles and probably 30 pupae right now. I'm more pupae everyday and am starting to get a couple of beetles from them everyday.

 

[reddmann]

I am probably going to get flamed for this, but...
I have a mix of high quality dog food with sea kelp and I mix in repashy insect gut-load, and I toss in two potato wedges for moisture.

VOILA!
My meal worms gut-load just great! Their segments grow fat within 2 days, and the geckos LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE them.

ETA: I used to add oats in, but they burrow so much and are incredibly difficult to get out of the oats.

This is actually a popular mix. Haven't heard of using sea kelp but many people use dogfood, insect gutload and potatoes so I don't think you'll get flamed. I use dogfood and sometimes insect gutload myself mixed with the oats. If you grind up the oats its much easier to get the mealworms out of it when ya need to.

 

[nwheat]

Cody's pro gut load is great. Large numbers of mealworms can easily be sifted out - no picking and no prep time on my part. :main_thumbsup:

 

[reddmann]

Maybe I'll have to try the progutload the next time I change mine out. It does take some time to blend the oats/dogfood into powder for easy sifting.

 

[GeckoGathering]

Broken Grain

Maybe I'll have to try the progutload the next time I change mine out. It does take some time to blend the oats/dogfood into powder for easy sifting.

Just a little caution statement:
Broken Grains can get grain mites started if contacting moisture
in certain ways.
My suggestion don't grind your oats and pet food
contents to stay clear of grain mite problems. (can give cause
for destroying colony and can be fatal to a gecko.)

Yes your mix does need moisture items in the way:
Pineapple skin (but starts fruit flies/nats)
orange peel,
carrot,
ear corn and husks(husks are a place to harvest meal worm groups)
Potato, Apple,
etc ...(listed in order of highest testing ...............
or a manufactured moisture product of choice.
Dehydration is a leading cause of worm death.

My grain of choice after tests
and description of added contents in it.
( vitamins, minerals, protein, calcium, fat, phosphorus, etc. is
" Layer Hen Crumbles"...
After it is eaten the remains can be sifted, and used for beetles
to lay eggs in............then add fresh crumbles for the worms.
Great method, great results, gecko proven.
Take care. HJ
($10 / 40 pounds from a feed/ grain store.

 

[stewy84]

went to home farm got the portablemill and tractor out. went to oats bin (where a mealie colony started all on there owen didnt put them there)threw a few scoops in,went to the corn bin threw a few scoops in, went to nonmedicated protein bin and put 1 scoop in, let grind while eat lunch at grandmas, unload into buckets and had 8, 5 gallon buckets of bedding. next roud going to add dog food and the chicken stuff. No more protein, dairy cows got sold. never had a prob with mites, kinda expexted to but have never saw one yet. I know that nobody have these resorses but if u got a neighbor farmer bet they could come up with something for you and is way cheaper than any thing ive came across. The blender thing takes way to long, try a 10$ eletric coffee grinder from walmart, thats how i started but still was to much time for the amount that you get. I have 6 or 7 tubs with worms at diff sizes, and 1-2 tubs of bettles all the time, havent bought feeders in a long time and only made bedding once but am about to add on to the colony this year cause I keep adding to my colony of geckos.

 

[snakegirl]

right now Am using

2 parts crushed oats
1 wheat germ
1 wheat brand
2 table-spoon's of calcium
3 table-spoon's of herptivite

Mix all up and ready to go, am thinking though after i will order
a bag of pro-gutload

 

[dmuehl]

I tried the grinding of dog food .... etc..etc... etc ... that was so time consuming.

I switch to picking up chick feed and wheat bran from a feed store. I use 2 parts wheat to 1 part chick feed. I use carrots for moister in all of my bins.

With the last combination of bedding I have way more feeders than my Geckos can possibly eat. The first bedding that I tried I was not as successful.


The Geckos love their mealworms.

 

[GeckoGathering]

Worm Food Bedding

I tried the grinding of dog food .... etc..etc... etc ... that was so time consuming.

I switch to picking up chick feed and wheat bran from a feed store. I use 2 parts wheat to 1 part chick feed. I use carrots for moister in all of my bins.

With the last combination of bedding I have way more feeders than my Geckos can possibly eat. The first bedding that I tried I was not as successful.


The Geckos love their meal worms.

Just a Comment about Chick Starter.
You should check the label to see if it reads:
Do Not Feed To Layer Hens.
Chick starter usually has 2 chemicals in it. (to prevent early
diarea deaths in chicks). Although I do not know what problem
that is to layer hens, I prefer geckos laying not to receive it
by way of their prey food.
I feel it is safest to use "Layer Hen Crumbles" designed
and supplimented for hens (as I see our laying geckos)
Suggest using this with moisture items....on top of grain.
orange peel/carrots/ear corn/husk I find best tests on.
Do not break down grains/pet foods as this along with moisture
in a certain way allows grain mites to get started in your bedding.
They can be real problems to your prey colony and your gecko.
Take care. HJ

 

[RampantReptiles]

I use to use the chicken feed crumbles but the crumbles were so big I had to grind it down. Then it was super dusty so I am in the process of switching over to Wheat Bran. Its nice cause its not dusty but Im not getting anywhere near enough worms from my colony. Im not sure its the Wheat Bran or the eggs that were lost when switching over or if my beetles are just super inbred that they arent producing as well.
I am curious about the Progutload. It looks like great stuff but Im concerned about dust. Im allergic to dust and after sifting worms for 30 min I get asthmatic and have to whip out the inhaler. I wear a doctors mask while doing it but I still get all itchy and then the asthma.
Any ideas would be great.
Thanks,
Michelle

 

[Mel&Keith]

The Progutload really doesn't create dust. The granules are very fine but heavy if that makes sense (sort of like sand). I dump scoop fulls of Superworms into a sifter over the trash can, let them sit for a second, then tap the sifter a few times. That's all it takes since it doesn't really stick to the worms like ground oats do.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

I use the Pro Geckos gutload on my crickets and they can't seem to get enough of it. I use Cody as my direct supplier of calcium and vitamins. His water crystals are amazing as well.