Meal worm colony

I'm looking to start a meal worm colony to add some change to my pets diets and to save money in the long run. I have been looking up a bunch of stuff and just thought to ask here if anyone has one already and if so can they give me a good idea what there set up is like...

I have one of those small three bin plastic organizers on casters and use oatmeal and breadcrumb for bedding and give various veggies etc. They do very well in there. I probably have 1000's. I keep them around 78 deg or so. I can send a pic later.

That would be awesome... Do you Split them in into the different stages of life?

i have two bins. one on top of other. 1st one put beetles in and the bottom is made of screen and the baby mealworms fall into the 2nd bin. then when they grow up and pupate (what its called?) i put them in the first bin on an upside down cup so beetles wont get them. then when they change they just walk off the cup and into the bin...this way your beetles and worms will never be together. I guess the beetles eat the pupa (thats why they are on cup) but i do know for sure... if you leave them with the worms they will eat them

sorry i would be better off having my 6yr old retype **** for me

Can you send me pics of the setup please... I think I get it, but pics would be helpful as well lol... What do the Beatles eat then I read keep them in crushed up oats and stuff... Wouldn't that drop through the screen too?

i will try and get some pics...i just have them on instant oats...i use small screen like you would find on a door or window. Oats dont fit but their poo does. If you want to try it i will look for the screen and u can have some

That would great, you going to the show on Sunday?

i plan too but also looks like we are both at the beach.

That is true, but tom and thurs I work like crazy, Fri and sat I would be free though. I just did not want to inconvenience you at all

I don't split mine. They have been this way for months and I got the colony from Battlefield Reptiles (can't remember his name) and he had them this way when I got them. I don't notice the beetles eating anybody, I always have every stage when I need them. I do clean the bins out every couple months, they are actually due for a cleaning as you can tell from the pic! Very low maintenance, I give them potatoes, pears, apples, squash, pretty much anything that is a veggie and they eat it up, every couple of days.

the 1st year i did them i left them all together with not a real issue but i think iv had more worms with this new way only because less pupa get eaten by worms. I also do potatoes and sometime baby carrots...

Im hoping you mean supers not mealies o.0 Set up seems pretty common I use one of the larger bins, 2-3 drawers for incubating worms - > beetle stages - a drawer or two for beetles and bounce them around at harvest, and remaining set up split up for micros and larger worms

Kaco, what are your thoughts on meals? Do you believe they cause compaction? Too fattening? I can only guess negative from your comment. Read some on it and seems like you should not use as main staple and not use on smaller dragons and as long as your temps are right adults should be fine but input would be awesome as no one wants to hurt their dragons.

impaction

I have no plans on using them as the main food source, I have a dubia and veggies as the main... The meal worms are for a treat (all 3 of my beardies are almost 2 or older) and as a second food source for my savannah monitor... I usually buy a bunch each week to cycle into rotation and figure I could grow them rather then buy... If the sound of crickets did not piss me off so much I would do them as well lol

ew crickets! i dont like keeping them at all. I can put up with the sound but not the smell.

I can imagine that sucks as well... I may end up doing super worms as well but from what I have read it seems like they are a bit of work, having to isolate them and stuff... Basically I would like to not have to get any feeder insects for any of my reptiles in the near ish future...

i was lookin at supers (last night and this morning)...they dont look too hard. that is why i did meal worms because they seemed to be too much work but guess will give them a try.

I will prob end up doing both, I'm gonna start with meal worms and then move on to supers... Maybe look into some others as well... I don't know, I like having a replenishing supply of feeders... Once I move out of my current place and get a place with a garage at least I'm gonna start breeding rats and then I will be set... But that's all in due time

im breeding rats rabbits mealworms dubia (as feeders) its a zoo here...i tried breeding feeder fish to feed to my oscar but didnt work

Lol, I'm slowly working my way towards that... Although my gf is very adamant about me not breeding rats inside the house... That is my current hurdle to get around...

mine are in the garage. Sometimes if its getting close to time to clean and i guess the wind blows just right the smell comes in the ventilation. Was starting to build a shed but no money and not sure if i will be able to keep it cool enough in the summer... No issue in the garage with temps but also in the winter i vent my dryer into the garage to help keep it warmer

have 135 super worms in their own cups! found a use for my snake tub lids and the million 2oz cups i mistakenly picked up. Hot glued 45 cups to 3 different lids and then set another cup inside those (so pupa / beetles EZ to get out) so they can be lifted out. Stacked on top of each other and setting on the top of one of my snake racks.

Pics of the superworm setup? Lol

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/pet/3582783580.html va beach

What's that?

i thot i saw u post about crested and right after leaivn this page i refresh craigs list and somone had posted one...figured id link it. Could have been another person talking about them my bad

Vergesseneins wrote:

have 135 super worms in their own cups! found a use for my snake tub lids and the million 2oz cups i mistakenly picked up. Hot glued 45 cups to 3 different lids and then set another cup inside those (so pupa / beetles EZ to get out) so they can be lifted out. Stacked on top of each other and setting on the top of one of my snake racks.

Pics or it didn't happen.

That was on the reptile expo page a guy had asked about them... I was thinking that was it, no worries...

Vergesseneins wrote:

Kaco, what are your thoughts on meals? Do you believe they cause compaction? Too fattening? I can only guess negative from your comment. Read some on it and seems like you should not use as main staple and not use on smaller dragons and as long as your temps are right adults should be fine but input would be awesome as no one wants to hurt their dragons.

Nutritionally they are similar, supers do have higher fat content and slightly elevated fiber. Neither have any other notable values other then being high in phosphorus. and neither should be used as a main staple or often for younger dragons. Superworms seem to have a better meat to shell ratio, i prefer using supers.