Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi
Anyone culture Super mealworms or regular mealworms ?

I know they turn into beetles which is fine with me as going to use the beetles also but interested in if they are easy to breed as mostly interested in the worm itself to supplement crickets that I give to my lizards .

thank you

Mealworms are very easy. I have a rubbermaid container with oats and some shredded newspaper. I mist them and throw in addition food and they are doing great. Make sure you let some mealworms pupate and turn into adults so they can breed and keep the colony going.
-----
Michael McFadden, M.S., D.V.M.

Great thank you. What temp do you keep them more or less ?

Going to order some use same set up as you do

Regular mealies are very easy. I keep mine at room temp in a rubbermaid bin with oatmeal and some ground dog food. Add some fresh friut and veggies( and remember to keep them in, the mealies lay there eggs on the food). Super mealies, I assume you mean the big guys sometimes called king mealworms. I have never tryed them, but have heard they are harder. They need to be seperated to pupate(SP). I cant really give you any more than that. Good luck.

Anna

thank you very much for the info. Yes the super mealworms I read are harder and seem like a pain.
I ordered mealworms today should get them next week again thanks for info its helpfull

I got a vivarium set up for my carolina box turtle that integrates superworms into it, and they are almost self-sustaining.
This works well, and only works because I keep the turtle in a huge tank and the substrate is potting soil (A little, for color.), peat moss (mostly, prolly 75% peat moss.) and the veggies I throw in for turtle that don't get taken out, as well as whatever the superworms will eat, like oat bran, etc. I run into these guys a lot as I grew up on a farm, they were mostly around the grainery after dark. Much easier to raise than regular mealies. I'm afraid the lizard wouldn't be able to live on mealworm substrate, but my box turtle don't mind.
They will live on peat moss until they find something better to eat. They won't have much nutritional value to the pets, through, unless you gut load them first.
I still buy 100 superworms a month, gut load them, and feed them in a big plate to the turtle. Most of them get away (Into the enclosure.), but not all. Superworms like it warm, 75-80F and just a little damp, but not too humid. I have a warm end, a cool end, a humid end and a dry end, I find them mostly near the humid end.

Thanks I ordered mealworms but if things go well might try superworms but they seem harder to brred even the individual worms need more room some type privacy when they pupate.

I imagine in a large enclosure such as yours thats not a problem