Meal Worms in with my supers?

[KylieT]

So I went to the pet store yesterday and got some 3/4 inch mealworms for Geordi and put them in with my supers. I gave them some lettuce and everyone happily chowed down. It's been less than 24 hours and a couple of my mealworms have pupated... I wanted to feed the worms had no intention of breeding. I know that in order to make a super pupate you have to stress it out (i.e putting it alone) but could being in the bin with my gigantic supers be a reason to stress my little mealies out enough to pupate? or is it just a normal cycle?

 

[Chali2naRap]

superworms are best kept at room temps while meal worms are dormant and are best kept refrigerated, when kept cold they will not pupate, but if you keep them in room temps they will.

 

[Chali2naRap]

also lettuce has little to no nutritional value, a mix of dry goods is more appropriate for your worms although i have not got my recipe down to a tee yet so i cant really give you one but other people have good dry mixes they can recomend to u... this is camimoms gutloading info, all good stuff... The "wet" portion of the gutload, which should be your principle gutload, can frequently includes things like (switch it up with a different couple of items every other week): dandelion leaves, squash (butternut, spaghetti), hibiscus leaves and flowers, yam, orange, papaya, carrot, alfalfa sprouts, mustard greens, romaine, leek bulb, spearmint leaves, apple, peas, blueberries, grape leaves, raspberries, arugula (rocket), sunflower sprouts, mulberries ... Fruits and veggies such as these are important both for the nutrients they give (via the insect) to your chameleon, and also because well hydrated prey results in a better hydrated chameleon.

The dry portion (the lesser portion) of a gutload can include (blend/grind fine with a coffee grinder or food processor): spirulina; dried seaweed/kelp/dulse; bee pollen; dried alfalfa; organic raw sunflower seeds; sesame seeds; flax seed; hemp seed; poppy seeds; dehydrated cranberry powder; beet powder; zucchini powder; kale powder; dried Mulberries; fig powder; ground dried hibiscus; ground almonds; small amounts of ground brazil nuts; small amounts of ground/chopped beechnuts; oak leaves; small amounts of quality whole grain cereal / barley /oats / cracked rye /wheat germ / stabalized rice bran/ quinoa; small amounts of quality monkey, avian or ignuana food (read the ingredients, be cautious of too much Vitamin A or animal fat).

Limit your use of grains, beans, and other items higher in phosphorous than calcium (a little can be very good, a lot is not unless you compensate to fix the ratio). Good grain choices are stabalized rice bran and crushed whole barley.
Limit use of broccoli, beet leaves, parsley, cassava, watercress, kale, collard greens, spinach and Soy (anything high in phytates/Phytic acid, Oxilates/ Oxalic Acid, Goitrogens). Some is fine, possibly beneficial. Just not as a regular item.

Avoid dog food, cat food, fish food, and other preared foods that are significant sources of animal protien and/or fat and may provide excessive preformed vitamin A and also D (a little now and then is okay, but too much can lead to gout and other issues). Similarily avoid/limit milk, meat, eggs, etc.

 

[absolutbill]

Mealworms have an extremely quick turnaround in their life cycle. They don't need to be "stressed out" like the supers do - I breed them for my leopard gecko, and just have all the life stages in 1 bin and let them go at it. When I start having a lot of worms I'll pull them out and refridgerate them. Is there a particular reason you don't want to breed them? I find that breeding both those and the supers are extremely easy, and very cheap, cutting my feeder costs. I gutload mine with a piece of potato or carrot, with a slice of bug burger on top (to keep the b.b. out of the dry wheat bran). So far, so good with them. Hope this helps!

Michelle

 

[KylieT]

also lettuce has little to no nutritional value, a mix of dry goods is more appropriate for your worms although i have not got my recipe down to a tee yet so i cant really give you one but other people have good dry mixes they can recomend to u... this is camimoms gutloading info, all good stuff... The "wet" portion of the gutload, which should be your principle gutload, can frequently includes things like (switch it up with a different couple of items every other week): dandelion leaves, squash (butternut, spaghetti), hibiscus leaves and flowers, yam, orange, papaya, carrot, alfalfa sprouts, mustard greens, romaine, leek bulb, spearmint leaves, apple, peas, blueberries, grape leaves, raspberries, arugula (rocket), sunflower sprouts, mulberries ... Fruits and veggies such as these are important both for the nutrients they give (via the insect) to your chameleon, and also because well hydrated prey results in a better hydrated chameleon.


The dry portion (the lesser portion) of a gutload can include (blend/grind fine with a coffee grinder or food processor): spirulina; dried seaweed/kelp/dulse; bee pollen; dried alfalfa; organic raw sunflower seeds; sesame seeds; flax seed; hemp seed; poppy seeds; dehydrated cranberry powder; beet powder; zucchini powder; kale powder; dried Mulberries; fig powder; ground dried hibiscus; ground almonds; small amounts of ground brazil nuts; small amounts of ground/chopped beechnuts; oak leaves; small amounts of quality whole grain cereal / barley /oats / cracked rye /wheat germ / stabalized rice bran/ quinoa; small amounts of quality monkey, avian or ignuana food (read the ingredients, be cautious of too much Vitamin A or animal fat).

Limit your use of grains, beans, and other items higher in phosphorous than calcium (a little can be very good, a lot is not unless you compensate to fix the ratio). Good grain choices are stabalized rice bran and crushed whole barley.
Limit use of broccoli, beet leaves, parsley, cassava, watercress, kale, collard greens, spinach and Soy (anything high in phytates/Phytic acid, Oxilates/ Oxalic Acid, Goitrogens). Some is fine, possibly beneficial. Just not as a regular item.

Avoid dog food, cat food, fish food, and other preared foods that are significant sources of animal protien and/or fat and may provide excessive preformed vitamin A and also D (a little now and then is okay, but too much can lead to gout and other issues). Similarily avoid/limit milk, meat, eggs, etc.

I have a wet gutload that I had considered giving them but the lettuce was just for the night I can switch them over, and they were in a bed of oatmeal and bran. I will give them the gutload ASAP.

Mealworms have an extremely quick turnaround in their life cycle. They don't need to be "stressed out" like the supers do - I breed them for my leopard gecko, and just have all the life stages in 1 bin and let them go at it. When I start having a lot of worms I'll pull them out and refridgerate them. Is there a particular reason you don't want to breed them? I find that breeding both those and the supers are extremely easy, and very cheap, cutting my feeder costs. I gutload mine with a piece of potato or carrot, with a slice of bug burger on top (to keep the b.b. out of the dry wheat bran). So far, so good with them. Hope this helps!

Michelle

lol I just hadn't put much consideration into breeding them because I know that there isn't much nutrition in them and my little guy doesn't seem to take to them too well, (he had a bad experience with his first one and got bit in the face.) I just got them to try again but if he does take a new liking to them then I will certainly consider it being that it is so easy.

 

[Chali2naRap]

Mealworms have an extremely quick turnaround in their life cycle. They don't need to be "stressed out" like the supers do - I breed them for my leopard gecko, and just have all the life stages in 1 bin and let them go at it. When I start having a lot of worms I'll pull them out and refridgerate them. Is there a particular reason you don't want to breed them? I find that breeding both those and the supers are extremely easy, and very cheap, cutting my feeder costs. I gutload mine with a piece of potato or carrot, with a slice of bug burger on top (to keep the b.b. out of the dry wheat bran). So far, so good with them. Hope this helps!

Michelle

bug burger can actually take care of most nutrition when it comes to gutloading your worms, a normal potato really has low nutritional value as well as its just water and starch, what i did was just switch over to a sweet potato which will provide a lot more for your gutload, also carrot should really only be provided once in a great while for your chameleon.http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html

 

[Chali2naRap]

crickets get my wet gutload, superworms usually come in sawdust and will live for a long time in it so i just substitute the sawdust with dry oats, coconut shavings and cheerios although this gutload is high in fat and sugar so im still working on it, if you want this is fine but its not reccomended by all so its really up to you

 

[KylieT]

I had another idea today, Do you guys think that its a good idea for me to put some Fluckers High Calcium Dry gutload in with my bedding for my supers and mealworms? Not a lot but just enough to get some throughout. It's just another way to make them more nutritious.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Mealworms just pupate a lot faster than supers - you likely got some that were mature.

How to gutload superworms (and mealworms): https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/443-superworm-substrate-gutload-one.html

 

[Chali2naRap]

I had another idea today, Do you guys think that its a good idea for me to put some Fluckers High Calcium Dry gutload in with my bedding for my supers and mealworms? Not a lot but just enough to get some throughout. It's just another way to make them more nutritious.

get some spirulina, a vegetable based protein diet for your cricket gut load. i you can get 500 grams off of amazon. your cham DOES need protein, all living organisms with bones do