Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think I am going to switch from crickets to mealies for my geckos because crickets are turning to be way more of a pain in the butt, and the fridge-storage appeal of mealworms seems pretty nice to me. Plus crickets smell funny and keep escaping into my apartment. So, my question is, do the mealworms need to be "gut-loaded" if they are to be stored in the fridge? Obviously I plan on dusting, but what else, if anything, should be done to keep them as nutritious as possible?

They seem pretty inactive in the fridge, so I don't know if they even need food. So any advice would be appreciated.
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-Kristin

0.1.2 Leopard Geckos
(Monet, Kumquat, and Tamale)

Before you completely switch, look into the NI values of crickets and mealworms, they are different. Also realize the psychological value of hunting for a gecko vs eating out of a bowl.

I'm sure there are people on this forum ready to argue both sides of switching to mealies only, but I want you to recognize what you may be giving up by not offering crickets.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

I am not switching completely - I would like to feed them crickets here and there because I like watching them "hunt" but the crickets last as long as the mealworms do in the cage, so psychologically I don't know if they get more out of one vs. the other. I just want to switch their main diet to mealworms, which isn't too bad since two were eating worms only at the pet store. I am not sure what the other girl was being fed, but she eats crickets and mealworms readily. I just don't have the room for the amount of crickets I would need to keep them all happy (they are pigs!) or the time to go to the pet store every few days. Meal worms seem much more convenient, and they don't seem to have a preference, so why not? Currently I feed a few crickets, then drop in some mealies and they scarf them all down - especially the lively mealies.

I just know more about how to take care of crickets than mealworms, and my main question is "do I have to "gutload" them?"
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-Kristin

0.1.2 Leopard Geckos
(Monet, Kumquat, and Tamale)

Yes, I would gut-load the mealworms. I believe that any extra nutrition we can provide to the food items will benefit our geckos.

I also got sick of feeding crickets to my geckos and switched to mealworms and later superworms.

When I fed mealworms almost exclusively to my leopard geckos I bought them in "bulk" like a thousand at a time. I would keep about 900 of them in the fridge in either wheat bran or some type of chicken feed. In the refrigerator, I believe the mealworms go dormant and eat very little food if any. The other 100 would be kept in my animal room at room temp and would be placed on a nutritious chicken feed or rodent chow. I would add a small amount of carrot for a water source. I'd feed these 100 off and replace these with the refrigerated worms when needed.

Hope this info helps. Good luck.

Thank you so much - very helpful!
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-Kristin

0.1.2 Leopard Geckos
(Monet, Kumquat, and Tamale)

You can try crushed dog food if you like for gutloading mealworms. I just wrap the dry dog food in paper towel and crush it with a hammer and place it in the container for the mealworm to gorge themselves. I would add some grated carrots like the other poster for moisture. If yu want, you can crush it in a coffee grinder; much easier. And also try unmedicated chick mash which is high calcium.