"The Pros And Cons Of Feeding Mealworms" Article...

[JordanAng420]

Again, i'm not sure if this belongs in this section or ethics. I guess that depends on the responses I get.

"The Pros And Cons of Feeding Mealworms"
http://www.geckodan.com/The Pro.htm

What does everybody think of this article? The first thing that comes to mind for me is that if the "Dr." is going to make such a big deal about all those degrees he has, he might want to spellcheck the article first.

The second thing that concerns me is that he seems to DISCOURAGE gutloading. That's a big red flag! And the kicker is, this article is being used and worshipped like the bible all over another popular gecko forum! To me, all this article seems like is a giant advertisement for Pollard and Mill run, which Dr. Doofus probably sells. Personally, there are a lot of things about this article I don't like. What do you guys think about it?

 

[robin]

interesting. i read an article YEARS AGO (i do not know if it is the same one) about gutloading and different feeders and the dude came to the conclusion that gutloading did not make any difference. whether it does or doesn't i do not know for sure but in the mean time i will continue to gutload

 

[Tony C]

I don't see it as discouraging gutloading so much as pointing out the limitations of gutloading. A high calcium diet will result in high mortality rates for feeder insects, and it is of questionable value because of the small size of an insect's digestive tract.

Ed Kowalski gives a good overview of gut loading here.

 

[acpart]

It's interesting to me that the author takes "gutloading" to mean loading with calcium. I always thought that "gutloading" involved loading the feeder with nutritious food such as cereals and veggies whose value would be passed on to the reptiles.

As far as the way the mealworms are "cultured", I think that many of us keep our mealworms in pulverized grains which to me would mean that the mealworm would have access to the non calcium binding inside of the grain instead of just the outer layer.

It's hard to know what to say about the rest of the article. Since we dust with calcium, I wonder if that affects the calcium to phosphorus ratio in a more positive way. If the nutritional analysis is really accurate, then it's hard to argue with it, though what I've written above in my opinion seems to negate all the points of this article except the nutritional analysis.

JUst about all of my adult leos switch themselves from mealworms to crickets and superworms. I still bring up my hatchlings and juvies on mealworms. In addition, I supply mealworms to local people who have bought my geckos. If a food were truly non-nutritious, I would expect to see the animal go through a gradual health decline. One of these geckos has been fed on mealworms for over 5 years and is still vital and healthy.

ANy other opionions, or, better, data?

Aliza

 

[Tony C]

It's interesting to me that the author takes "gutloading" to mean loading with calcium. I always thought that "gutloading" involved loading the feeder with nutritious food such as cereals and veggies whose value would be passed on to the reptiles.

This is addressed in Ed Kowalski's article that I linked to.

 

[acpart]

This is addressed in Ed Kowalski's article that I linked to.

Thanks for the info. That article was very interesting. Now that I have all this information, I'm back to where I was before I read it. My plan is to continue doing what is working for me (mealworms for the babies, crickets and superworms for the adults) but to keep a careful eye on the mealworm eaters, and the other feeder eaters for that matter, and to have some of these issues in mind if I find they're not doing well (the geckos, not the feeders). So far at my house, everyone seems to be very healthy.

ALiza

 

[Tony C]

I think the key idea to take home is that "gut loading" is not a substitute for proper supplementation.

There is another interesting thread where Ed and Allen Repashy get into a pretty in-depth discussion of supplements and nutrition, it's long but worth reading.

 

[GrimmyX15]

Strange, this says Gutloading is toxic to mealworms...? What the heck? :/

 

[Tony C]

Gut loading in the strict technical sense (feeding an extremely high calcium diet for the purpose of modifying a feeder insect's calcium to phosphorus ratio) is toxic and will result in high mortality rates starting around 48 hours after the start of gut loading. What most hobbyists do is not gut loading, it is simply providing the feeders with a varied and nutritious diet.

 

[Designer Geckos]

Just a note about feeding mealies exclusively.....

Two of the best and largest breeders, Garrick DeMeyer and Ron Tremper, feed only mealies. Ron has fed only mealies for 32 years! He has had tremendous success and his leos are among the very best in the world. That is one helluva clinical trial!

The thing about mealies is to watch the leos' weights carefully.....some piggies can gain a lot of weight very quickly. Mealies are MUCH easier for us as well. Crickets are a total pain and can harbor heavy bacterial loads as well as parasites....so while they are a very good feeder in some ways they have their drawbacks and difficulties.

We like to mix in some small supers and butterworms too.

As for gutloading mealies, I add in slices of carrots and fresh apples a day before we feed them to the leos.
Be sure to always keep a shallow dish of minerals and vits in with your leos and they instinctively lap it up as they need it, much the same as horses and cows know when they need to. I mix equal parts of Osteo Form, Herptivite, and Rep Cal to cover all bases.

 

[Allee Toler]

Yes, GU always worships that article. Lol. I didn't know you were on here Maia.

 

[Yamori]

Danny Brown is a good bloke who knows his stuff. He has written books, articles and dose seminars, not to mention he is the best breeder in QLD

Bought all my reptiles from him and he personaly deliverd to me.

Am actualy hoping to get another little gem from him soon bit its the end of breeding season so ill have to wait.

just my 2c