ugh mealworms

[sklr]

i herd you have to cut the heads off of meal worms cause they can eat its way out of a geckos body or atleast do some damage like causing internal bleeding ect..
is that true?
i herd this before i got my geckos so ever since i been cutting off the heads and it can get really gross when it comes to the big ones
so am i wasting my time doing this or should i switch to a differnt food

also i asked my local pet store the other day and he said it really depends on the geckos he said some gulp them down in wich it could happen and some chew it so it lowers the chances

 

[Johno305]

No. This is false...you dont have to chop their heads off...and no they dont chew through your geckos bellies. Mine eat nothing but superworms and mealworms and they have never had a problem.

 

[JordanAng420]

I wish this myth would die! It is simply not true.
NO mealworms cannot "eat through your gecko"
They die either from the crunching, or from the stomach acids, before the worm even makes it to the stomach itself. If you want to feed mealworms to your gecko it is perfectly fine.

Someone else asked this same question recently and one persons reply was great...think about all the large breeders that have over 200 geckos and feed mealworms...for example, JMG. Do you really think that those guys sit there and cut the heads off each and every mealworm they feed? :main_no:

As for feeding something else, i'm all for variety in a geckos diet only because it's a heck of a lot healthier and more appetite stimulating than just feeding one type of food item.

 

[reptilekeeper]

That myth does need to die. I have never had a problem and i have been feeding feeding mealies since i got my leo last year. My crestie hasn't had that problem either and i'v had him for 4 months. So time to put the myth to bed. MEALWORMS CAN NOT EAT THRU YOUR GECKOS.

 

[GeckoTrouble]

Yup it's a myth!

I would recommend a varied diet for you gecko though, makes life much more interesting for them.
Mine have a diet of mealworms, superworms and crickets with the occasional phoenix worm

 

[serialzombie]

Who cuts off the heads of whatever they find to eat in the wild?

Of course you can offer mealworms, but I've read that they're one of the less healthy options available. That being said...they're also easy, cheap, and convenient.

I recently switched from mealworms as my staple feeder, to Blaptica Dubia. As others have stated, variety is the spice of life. So I also try to alternate in crickets, mealworms, waxworms, and superworms. I've really been wanting to try phoenix worms also, but haven't yet.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Complete myth. The only time i ever pull the heads off worms is if i need to stimulate a leo to eat. They smell and taste the juices and they are ready for more.

 

[baseball2k26]

I remember talking to someone on youtube who said they watched a worm eat its way out of a stomach of a leo. You could tell they lied as they kept trying to add to their story.

Its so safe to feed them. I'm sure if you couldn't use mealies, they wouldn't be sold.

 

[gitrdone0420]

Lol, Ive never even heard this myth! Thats funny!

 

[sammer021486]

at the pet store that I buy supplies from, the owner will not feed mealworms because of that myth, along with the shell has too much chitin and can cause impaction and that the supers can hurt the gecko if the gecko does not grab it by the head and crush the head first.

One employee just got the owner to start dusting the crickets with calcium powder and that is great. She was also startled to learn that the phantom I bought from her personal collection was now being feed mealies and supers, she is afraid of the myth too.

I have told him that as long as the temperatures are right there is no fear of impaction.

 

[JordanAng420]

I just had an epiphany!!!

We should start an entire new thread about ridiculous myths and stories we hear about things like that. That would be such a fun thread. As long as nobody mentioned any names.

 

[GeckoTrouble]

Hehehe I like the idea of that one

 

[Palor]

Die myth die!

I bought superworms from a local place last year and the owner told me not to buy them because they eat animals from the inside out.

How do these myths get started? Why do they persist so long after being proven false?

 

[JordanAng420]

How do these myths get started?

This myth was started for several reasons.

First and foremost, it originally came about by keepers who feed mealworms that were either let loose in the cage, or placed in a dish that were escapable. Eventually, the worms made their way over to the fresh feces of a gecko, and upon seeing the two together, the assumption was made that the worm remained alive throughout the digestive process. This is impossible.

Pet store employees follow this rule because there is a "higher-up" in the corporation who still believes the myth. If Caesar Milan is right about one thing, it's that the pack will always follow the leader, even if it isn't willingly. Pack members are never to disagree with the alpha (in this case, "alpha" is management and corporate) The same is true with humans, hence the myth that is spread across pet stores around the country. It's like a tape recording, most of them just literally regurgitate information they were told by someone else. I don't necessarily hold blame against the teenagers working for them that are trying to make a buck. I blame the shmucks that are in charge of enforcing husbandry rules in chain pet stores that sell reptiles.

 

[gaparicio]

How do these myths get started? Why do they persist so long after being proven false?

Whenever there is a new reptile owner, these common questions arise. Just like how every few months we have new forum members asking why their geckos have lumps under their armpits. Or is it ok to feed adult leos pinkies. Or how about do geckos need belly heat or are heat lamps sufficient.

These are just questions that people new to the scene need answered. That's what this forum is for. I'm sure most of us are happy to answer them.

As long as there are new gecko owners, (or reptiles for that matter) I think this myth will never die.

It should though.

 

[sammer021486]

I first believed this too when I got started, but I also purchased crushed walnut for my substrate too against my better judgement.

My fiancee had a renter at her dad's house that said his friend watched a mealworm chew its way out of his gecko (the friend's gecko). I chuckled and said that is a myth, true to form the renter said it really happened, I replied with the gecko must have been dead and the mealworm was feeding on the carcus because that would never happen with a healthy gecko.

Has any studies ever been done to find the acidity level of a gecko's stomach acid. I have searched but never found anything other than a study that was done on a frogs stomach acid, which was around 2. If you think about it there are a lot acids out there that are weaker than 2 and if you threw a mealworm into it, I am pretty sure that it would not take long to kill the worm.
Just look at how badly Coke is discriminated against because of its cleaning properties. Lemon juice is actually more acidic than Coke is.

Last summer I wanted to do a study with commonly found acids and post the results on superworms for how long it took to kill or immobilize the worm.

The acids I was going to use were: Coke, lemon juice, vinegar, orange juice, tomato juice, black coffee, and for a control distilled water.

I never did the study because of the amount of supers tha I would have to use to produce an accurate results table. The amount of acid to use, should I fully submerge the worm or just enough to cover the bottom of the dish.