The WORST season in Golden Gate Geckos' history!

[shadowx362]

The same reason gas prices are through the roof! Because the feeder suppliers have us by the 'you-know-whats', and we are willing to pay their prices because we NEED to feed our animals. It's a shame that some people are capitalizing on the losses of others.

Thats what I thought. Thanks for the response . I have been paying $15 for 1k of crickets for about a year and half and recently it has gone up to $18.99 + tax=$20.??. I get them from a local shop which is good since they are almost the same as online and dont have to pay for shipping or wait. I am going through $40 every 2-3 weeks sometimes even more because of all these babies Its alot especially because I dont have a Job, but its good when I see all the babies but bad when I cant buy more geckos Oh well just have to stare at all you guys geckos.

Back to the main point.
Do you think there could be a lawsuit against the "BIG daddy" worm breeder if everything proves out to be their fault?

 

[lytlesnake]

Wow, it appears that pesticides may be the culprit here. FWIW I've been feeding mostly store bought, giant meal worms, and lately some wax worms too.

I chose to only breed a few females this year. I have had some incubation problems, but they're all attributable to temperature and humidity issues during incubation, entirely my fault.

I assume the giant meal worms are raised in the same medium as the regulars, so I can't really say that I've had any definite problems from the meal worms. I have had a few females that have gone on long hunger strikes this year. Perhaps that could be due to upset stomach from bad worms, I don't know.

If you're a small breeder I suggest breeding your own meal worms, it's really easy. I've bred a few batches and haven't had to buy them for a while.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Do you think there could be a lawsuit against the "BIG daddy" worm breeder if everything proves out to be their fault?

It would be very difficult to prove without the cooperation of ALL the breeders who have been experiencing problems. I do not endorse frivolous lawsuits, because it only make the attorneys richer. I hate to think it would come to the point of some kind of class action. I only want to do the best I can do for my geckos... but I feel very helpless at his point unless we can understand 'if' there is a legitimate issue, and 'what' we can do about making sure our animals are fed correctly.

 

[fallen_angel]

I am going through $40 every 2-3 weeks sometimes even more because of all these babies Its alot especially because I dont have a Job, but its good when I see all the babies but bad when I cant buy more geckos

We spend about $15 every time we buy crickets and it only lasts us 2 days, as we can't buy too many supers in bulk because the prices aren't very cheap on those either

 

[shadowx362]

It would be very difficult to prove without the cooperation of ALL the breeders who have been experiencing problems. I do not endorse frivolous lawsuits, because it only make the attorneys richer. I hate to think it would come to the point of some kind of class action. I only want to do the best I can do for my geckos... but I feel very helpless at his point unless we can understand 'if' there is a legitimate issue, and 'what' we can do about making sure our animals are fed correctly.

yes I sorta agree, but what If they new something was wrong but decided to sell them anyways? I would be pretty pissed if they new about it. I have only bought meal worms in large quantities about a month ago "just to try it out" they arrived and they looked far from healthy and most died. I fed them to the geckos and what do you know out of the whole season i am beginning to get infertile eggs from breeders who have been laying good till now. I ran out of them pretty fast so it was just enough to affect the clutch that was layed about 2 weeks or so after the feedings. and their after. Coincidence? I don't know but it happened and I am happy at least I got some nice babies before this got out of hand. Just my "little experience" with mealworms.

 

[RAZERWIREREPTILES]

Just a thought here i know nothing about how the mealworm farms work but...... they might only deal in in 1 type of worm ie. mealworms OR superworms and if that is the fact then the mealworm farm could have picked a new brad for feed this year while the superworm farms stuck with the tried and trusted brand .... just a thought

And as far as taking your sickest animals that eat meal worms in to have a blood test done, Great ideal

And as far as haveing some old mealworm stock laying around not being used anymore haveing them tested sounds like a great ideal.

 

[shadowx362]

We spend about $15 every time we buy crickets and it only lasts us 2 days, it's definitely been hurting us as well

Yeah I was being a little generous to myself because I dont want to think about next time I have to go buy again LOL :main_angry:....not funny. It first started 3 weeks then 2 weeks now the 1k of crickets only lasted me 6 days. I buy 2K at a time 1K for adults and 1K for babies and they are both averaging out 2-3 weeks but becoming 1 week because of more babies popping out of that incubator every week (11 adults, 33 babies + 12 more eggs!) It really is drying out my savings. I just hope it gets better before I have to start asking my dad to help

 

[Halley]

It would be very difficult to prove without the cooperation of ALL the breeders who have been experiencing problems. I do not endorse frivolous lawsuits,

Yeah, I agree with this. If this could even be proven, I don’t feel I would waste my time with a lawsuit, I just will never order from the supplier of these mealworms as I believe now I have a better understanding of their ethics, and I don’t think I like them to much. :main_thumbsdown:

 

[LadyGecko]

We spend about $15 every time we buy crickets and it only lasts us 2 days, as we can't buy too many supers in bulk because the prices aren't very cheap on those either

Actually super worms are one of the most economical feeders for sale on the market
Two or three supers equals around 6 or more crickets and many many meal worms

Unlike meal worms-Supers will last for months and they are ideal for people that only have a few Leos/lizards that always want to have a supply of feeders on hand

You can buy as few as 250 on line and replenish/change their bedding as needed if you are not feeding them off before there is a waste build up
They need no refrigeration and do not pupate unless they are separated from the other worms

As for bedding -you can keep them in wheat bran or oatmeal(not quick or instant-lol) and since this is human grade food-you should have no worries about the quality of the bedding

Just offer sweet potatoes-greens -zucchini etc for moisture

I also like to mix in some Vionate into the bedding

Another alternative is to buy a small colony of Dubias(non-climbing roaches) and let your colony multiply to the point that you can start feeding from it

That does not take long and you will have another always "on hand" source of feeders and these will range in size to fit the needs of all sizes and life stages of your lizards

I was wondering if anyone that was primarily using meal worms and that has now successfully switched all of their lizards to alternate feeders would ever go back to them after all of this is over?

just curious......

Sandy

 

[gothra]

It would be great to hear from some people outside the US, where the mealworm shortage is not a problem, to see how their breeding season is going.

Aliza

I'm from Hong Kong, I don't think I can help much though because I don't breed my geckos. But there aren't any mealworm shortage here, I bought some last month and they are turning into beetles no problem.

The weather is very bad this year, it had been raining and raining and raining everyday; and so my geckos aren't eating as much as usual.

 

[gothra]

Oh, one more thing that I think worth mentioning. I have 2 females that will stop eating completely every year during ovulation; and that goes on for months (Dec to July). This year, only 1 female stopped eating, the other one ate very well, so I guess she didn't ovulate this year.

 

[geckodude]

I spoke with one of my suppliers and they told me that ".... a hormone of some type (I think that's what it is) is used on the Giant Mealworms to prevent them from turning into a beetle and continue to grow in size". HE doesn't breed his own mealworms, but said he will check out this link and speak with his supplier. I have a few more emails out to other suppliers that hopefully will be responded to.

My first "Post" is done!

 

[Kangas Kritters]

Just got off the phone with...

... my wholesaler that I get rats from whenever I'm short. I asked her if they had any mealworms and she said nobody does. I said so you're supplier is being affected by the pesticide issue too and she replied "yes, that's exactly what it is". It may have been her opinion or maybe she heard something with her connections in the wholesale market. Just wanted to share. Somebody also asked a few posts ago (LadyGecko I think) if we'll ever go back to mealworms again. I won't be, too many alternatives.

 

[PacHerp]

... my wholesaler that I get rats from whenever I'm short. I asked her if they had any mealworms and she said nobody does. I said so you're supplier is being affected by the pesticide issue too and she replied "yes, that's exactly what it is". It may have been her opinion or maybe she heard something with her connections in the wholesale market. Just wanted to share. Somebody also asked a few posts ago (LadyGecko I think) if we'll ever go back to mealworms again. I won't be, too many alternatives.

Thanks so much for posting this information Charlton! I too... will not be switching back to mealworms... too much of a risk for my animals at this point.

 

[Kristi23]

I am still feeding mealworms. I'm pretty sure I'll continue to, but we will breed our own to be safer.

 

[Double LY]

I have lost two adult leos in the past month for completely unknown reasons. I have been in the process of switching everyone to supers since I don't have any leos too small for them anymore. Some were still being offered mealies in a bowl until the two died.

I am not a breeder, so I can't contribute information with respect to eggs/hatchlings. I keep a small collection of 20 (which has now been reduced to 18) pet only leos. I stopped adding geckos several months ago when I felt that I had reached my magic number (having enough variety to satisfy my wants while knowing I have enough time to care for everyone properly without it being a burden instead of the wonderful hobby it is).

Both of the leos who died were around two years old. Both were outwardly healthy and chubby. One was found dead in the tank (I tend to them daily so she died overnight) and the other I found showing what looked like neurological problems (started with a kind of "ticking", which spread to a paralysis of the lower extremities to death within 4 hours). They had lived in the same conditions for over a year with no problems (and everyone else is still doing well) so I don't believe husbandry is the issue. They were unrelated from two different breeders so it can't be the breeder. Nothing could have fallen on the gecko that appeared to become paralyzed before dying. I do "spot cleans" during the week with Sundays being the official "wash day" for tubs (using non-toxic cleansing products) so they could not have been poisoned by cleansers.

THANK YOU MARCIA for bringing this subject to light. I have been beside myself over these deaths and did not realize others may be experiencing the same thing. The two that died were two of my first geckos - my oldest son chose their names. Teaching children about death is something that has to happen, but watching the enthusiasm of my children with our geckos and telling them that they should live a LONG time only to see them die in two years with no explanation has been really crappy

 

[GeckoRing]

Just found this thread....a little late, but it has been very interesting! We have been having an awful season. I can not tell you how many nights I have laid in bed wondering what I was doing wrong, how I could fix it......you name it! We have lost about 50% of our eggs, many proven females not ovulating, and lost one breeder, unexpectedly. I am sorry that this is happening to so many of us, but it reassuring to have this kind of support from the forum! Thanks Marcia and Kelli and Everyone! I have also found that my geckos are not readily switching over to Supers...though I will try the tongs! I have also been using roaches, but my supply is not keeping up with the demand.

 

[KelliH]

The more I think abut this the more upset I get. I wish my mealworm supplier had been upfront to me about the true cause of the mealworm "shortage". I know that for several weeks my supplier kept my orders filled while others were turned away... Was I getting "bottom of the barrel" mealies? Were these mealworms exposed to something potentially poisonous? It just makes me feel sick to think about it all. :-(

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Since my herp vet is out of medical leave, my regular vet (for my dogs) told me he would be happy to send out a sample of these mealworms to IDEXX labs for testing for toxins or pesticides. He also keeps leopard geckos, and was feeding mealworms until the supply ran out. After I explained what has been going on, he said, "It does sound like some kind of poisoning". He'll get back to me later this afternoon after he talks to the lab to find out what kind of sample size they need, what he needs to put on the paperwork, and the cost for the analysis.

It may be a dead-end, but at least it's a place to start!

 

[Ccrashca069]

Its awesome your vet is looking into the test for you