Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,
I've been into herps for awhile, but I've never actually had a herp thats big enough to eat mealworms, so I'm quite the newbie when it comes to them. I bought, a leo a week or two ago... and mealworms are his favourite food.

When I first got his mealies, they were pretty lively. I read keep them in bran, cornmeal or oatmeal. And well I had oatmeal so thats the substrate I'm using.

I cut up a slice of carrot, or put in a piece of green in the little cup every day and replace it. Also right now, I have some fish flakes mixed in with the oatmeal.

Anywho,I'm pretty sure, the mealworms are eating the oatmeal, not the healthy gutloading foods.

Should i just put the mealworms in a bare container, with maybe some egg carton to hide under and then the gutload?

The mealworms are very lifeless, and I'm finding it hard to desipher if the pupae are dead, or just too full lol.

Thanks for your help,
Steven
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Steven ,

and flock;
-1.1 Cockatiels(Buddy and Jake)
-1.1 Budgies(Chipy and Peaches)
-1.0 Orange cheeked waxbill

And slime/scales;
-1.0 Firebellied toad
-1.0 Japanese firebellied newt
-1.0 Leopard gecko
-4 leopard frog tadpoles

Fish, feeders and other wriggly things!

>>
>>When I first got his mealies, they were pretty lively. I read keep them in bran, cornmeal or oatmeal. And well I had oatmeal so thats the substrate I'm using.
>>
>>I cut up a slice of carrot, or put in a piece of green in the little cup every day and replace it. Also right now, I have some fish flakes mixed in with the oatmeal.
>>
>>Anywho,I'm pretty sure, the mealworms are eating the oatmeal, not the healthy gutloading foods.
>>
>>Should i just put the mealworms in a bare container, with maybe some egg carton to hide under and then the gutload?
>>
>>The mealworms are very lifeless, and I'm finding it hard to desipher if the pupae are dead, or just too full lol.

I would expect them to eat the oatmeal, nothing wrong with that. Lethargic makes me wonder if they are humid enough. The thing I do that a friend showed me worked for him was to cover the top with a misted down layer of paper towel. Best guess I can come up with other than that they are adults worms and about to form chrysalis/pupa and so they are full and sluggish.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Mealworms are easy... I wouldn't call oatmeal and fishflakes a nutritious gutload. Their substrate should be their gutload... and the greens and carrot just lay on top of it.. not in a cup.. unless its really shallow the mealies can't get to the moisture source which could be your problem. I go to a feed store and pick up unmedicated laying mash and use just that as a substrate. I have 7 drawers of mealies with probably 3000 in each drawer. I go through over 2000 mealies a week sometimes between my 11 geckos and my colony keeps up with this easily on the diet of laying mash and carrots or greens every 3 days....the rest of the time I moisten a papertowel to put over them...And my geckos are healthy as all get out.

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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

Thanks forboth of your responces.
So, should I buy something such as Flukers cricket food as a substrate(As its a gutload), add a carrot or greens every day, and add a paper towel to stick to the lid?

Thanks
Steven
-----
Steven ,

and flock;
-1.1 Cockatiels(Buddy and Jake)
-1.1 Budgies(Chipy and Peaches)
-1.0 Orange cheeked waxbill

And slime/scales;
-1.0 Firebellied toad
-1.0 Japanese firebellied newt
-1.0 Leopard gecko
-4 leopard frog tadpoles

Fish, feeders and other wriggly things!

You could do that.. or you could find a local Feed store and buy a 50 lb bag of non-medicated laying mash for between $6 and $10 and have it for a very long. My 50 lb bag has lasted me a year now between 7 drawers of mealies. Fluker's stuff is expensive especially in larger quantities.. and the laying mash works just as well.. actually seems to work better for me anyway.....Give them veggies every 2 or 3 days....and moisten the paper towel down on the off days just to where its barely wet.. not soaking... you don't want mold.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

I agree, buy unmedicated layer mash and use the savings to buy another animal!

I have had great results with layer mash and feed that with the calcium and other nutrients it is a good gut load as well. It is formulated for egg production in hens and is used by many nightcrawler breeders as well.

I know my production kept up with my needs until I sold off too many mealies just before my clutches of MHD started to hatch. Now I'm a struggling to get it back up to normal production.

As long as you are only supplying yourself you won't have any problems.

I also think that perhaps your worms are mature and ready to pupate. The worms are the larva stage and they will become pupae shortly. In just a few days the pupae will become beetles and will begin laying eggs to start the cycle over again.

Good luck,
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

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