Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi all

i decided to save money by trying to breed mealworms. i read that each female beetle can lay up to 250 - 1000 eggs at a time, so i didn't put too many mealies in my "breeding bin." it's this large tupperware container with 1 inch full of my blended gutload and a baby carrot on top (on a piece of paper towel). i placed about 20 of the larger mealies i had in there so hopefully i get 1/4 or more of them as female and have them lay over 250 - 1000 eggs each... do you think that'll be okay? i'll just keep adding the largest mealworms after the beetles die off. i read that the beetle lives for 3 weeks before dying and the eggs don't turn into worms until a week after laying... but how long is the life of a mealie (before turning into pupae)? also, how long does it take for a mealworm to turn into a beetle if the temp is 80F - 82F?

thanks for your help!

[aimEe]
-----
0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Foreman)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

You know - I just put the pupae and beetles in a tub - let them die off, scoop off the dead and just leave it alone for about 2 months - then I have mealies in there - tons of babies -and then I start feeding them hard. I'll keep pitching pupae in there as I see them.

It's a lot easier (for me) then looking for specific stages. I get HUGE quantities of mealies that way - although I still purchase some (at 5-7.50 a 1000, they are very cheap!).
-----
Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
Email

No Fru-Fru morphs in the herp room

Oops, I accidentally posted that last one with my old forum SN but, Thanks Monte!

I heard that the beetles and the worms like to nibble on the pupae which cause them to die... I wanted to start off breeding with 20 mealworms coz I don't want too many I only have one leo & 2 toads that I feed them too & I'm somewhat hesitant of having more than 50 beetles in my room laying 500 eggs each - leaving me with 50,000 worms I just wanna give it a try, so I just ended up buying a mealworm breeding kit from wormman.com hehe~

Thanks again for your help!

[aimEe]
-----
0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

Yeah, the beetles and mealies will nibble on the pupae even if there's a fresh veggie source nearby. It's really gross.
-----
chickabowwow

3.2.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 1 more egg a' cookin'

. . . at them. I am extremely allergic to the dust, so I just throw them in and let them go for 2 months.

It works for me.
-----
Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
Email

No Fru-Fru morphs in the herp room

It's really gross picking out half-eaten carcasses, but it's either that or sleeping with the smell in my room.
-----
chickabowwow

3.2.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 1 more egg a' cookin'

awww you're really allergic? better stay away! how do you feed your leos then? do you open the bin, hold your breath, and take a couple scoops? when i separate pet store-bought mealies and transfer them to my gutload, i get allergies too...but not to the extremes... just sneezing

[aimEe]

>>. . . at them. I am extremely allergic to the dust, so I just throw them in and let them go for 2 months.
>>
>>It works for me.
>>-----
>>Monte Meyer
>>Powergeckos
>>Email
>>
>>No Fru-Fru morphs in the herp room
-----
0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

. . . because if I'm not careful - my eyes swell almost shut and my nose plugs up badly - and my eyes ITCH terribly.

Right now - I wash thoroughly after I'm done - and try not to stir up the meal worm poop/dust. In the summer, I can go outside and sift out the mealies from time to time and put fresh bedding in.

I'm working on building a container, a part of a cupboard- fully enclosed - with some ventilation/bathroom power vent - to put my mealies in. I think that would help a lot.
-----
Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
Email

No Fru-Fru morphs in the herp room

ya after i read a few of those mealworm breeding sheets that told me that they'd each themselves...i decided to separate them if one pupae is gone, then that means i lost approx 500 free mealworms hehe

[aimEe]

>>Yeah, the beetles and mealies will nibble on the pupae even if there's a fresh veggie source nearby. It's really gross.
>>-----
>>chickabowwow
>>
>>
>>3.2.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
>>and 1 more egg a' cookin'
-----
0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

they breed best if yopu just let them run around in your room.. JUST KIDDING ;p
-----
Jaylon ( bigJ)

www.hometown.aol.com/flyingcolorsloft/main.html
0.1 black pine
2.6 northern pines
8.22 leo's in albino and tangerine
1.3 UKC registered American pitbull Terriers a.k.a "the bouncers"

lol jaylon!!

ur so crazy if it's best that they run around in a room... wait til i work for you!! them AND the hissing cockroaches!!! lol i'm goin back on messenger! hope ur there!

[aimEe]
-----
0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com