Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone else seen the add in the December 2004 issue of Reptiles Magazine on page 51? It has two hatchlings side by side and both are claimed to be 4 weeks old and the larger is fed on minimealworms and the other on crix.

The one fed on minimealworms looks like an 8 week hatchling!
These minimealworms are a "cousin" to the standard mealworm we are so familiar with. I was wandering if anyone knew if they were like the standard mealworms and a risk for impaction in hatchlings. The breeders' name claiming this is Tammy Aldrich. I've personally never heard of her but someone else maybe has? You can also check these guys out at www.minimealworms.com They are also REALLY cheap! I just don't want to feed my babies something that could hrt them.

Later,
Robert
-----
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

I saw that ad as well but I really doubt their claims are true. The main thing wrong with mealworms is there is alot of exoskeleton and little 'meat'. Being small impaction may not be much of an issue than with larger mealworms. One thing the articule doesn't tell you is how much crickets or how often the other dragon was fed. Feeding a baby dragon a couple crickets a day may keep it from dying but it certainly wouldn' grow much in 4 weeks but an unlimited supply of mini-mealworms would show much more growth. As for cost, overall crickets would be cheaper as you probably have to feed more of the mini-mealworms to match the same amount of 'meat' in a single appropriate sized cricket.
-----
PHLdyPayne

That's kinda what I was thinking as well. PLus I really can't see a dragon being that size at 4 weeks no matter what it was eating unless it had strong german giant influence in it's genetic makeup. Even if it did have high amounts of protien I don't think it would grow that big in 4 weeks. They can only use the amount of protien that thier body is demanding and the rest is just pooped out right? Along wiht creating larger urates and possible health issues?
-----
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

Hello all. I saw the ad too. To answer the first question, yes I have heard of Tammy Aldrich. I have personally never bought from her, but I have seen her animals, and she has some nice stock. I decided to buy 1000 of the mini mealworms to try out. First off, the price was around $25 after shipping. That was really pricey IMO. But, I must say, they were very active. These guys are very fast. ***Make sure you use a small escape proof dish to feed them in. If you just dump them on the substrate, they will disappear within 3 second, never to be found*** My problem I had was getting them out of the substrate they were shipped with. The dragons loved them, but a 1000 mealworms doesn't last more than a day around here.

Pros:
VERY ACTIVE!!!
Small enough to feed to babies, even one week old.
Fast shipping, and friendly service.

Cons:
EXPENSIVE!!!!
You need to make sure you open the box over a tub!!! There will be loose minis inside the box. Although they were shipped in a bag inside a box, there were still some escapes.

I guess if you can afford them, they are really nice. As far as the claim about their advanced growth, I didn't have them long enough to tell. I may order more and morph them out to start a breeding colony for personal use. I'll keep ya posted.

Jason

On the website it says that shipping is calculated into the cost. 1000 was like 13 bucks shipped is what I understood. id you get them overnighted? Also, did you think about maybe chilling them in the fridge for a couple three hours to make it easier to remove them and feed them? Just a thought. If you do get some more maybe just feed a couple dragons and see how the growth rate does? Thanks for the feedback!

Later,
Robert
-----
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

Hi, yes I did have them overnighted. I did not cool them. The trouble I had getting them out of their substrate was not their speed, it was because they were so tiny. I mean really tiny. I am planning on getting more. I think I may buy 2k, and feed out half, and raise up the other half. I may try feeding them to only a couple of dragons and see what happens. I'll keep you posted. Have a good one.

Jason