weird bugs in my mealworms container??

idontspeekgeek

New Member
i was taking my mealworms out to start a gutload and i found these weird looking bugs in the container. can anyone tell from the picture what they are??
 

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oh. i didnt know they did that. how long does it take for them to become beetles and is it bad to feed these beetles to my veiled cham? whats the difference between a superworm and a mealworm? because i always thought that superworms were just really big mealworms.....
 
beetles arent bad to feed but they have alot of shell to them. so you can't feed them more than you would mealworms.

superworms really ARE larger mealworms. but they don't live in colder temperatures and they turn into larger beetles. You can't refrigerate them.

a superworm is probably the size of your smallest finger, and slightly thinner.

superworms also release this nasty sticky residue.
 
thanks so much for the info. im currently feeding dubias, crickets, mealworms, superworms, giant mealworms, wax worms. i would like to try hornworms soon but i dont know where to find them. what is a good bug to feed that has alot of meat of not alot of shell or fat?
 
thanks so much for the info. im currently feeding dubias, crickets, mealworms, superworms, giant mealworms, wax worms. i would like to try hornworms soon but i dont know where to find them. what is a good bug to feed that has alot of meat of not alot of shell or fat?

thats alot of feeders!

silkworms are good, dubias, crickets

hornworms are good high-calcium feeders.

i picked dubias because they are EASY to keep. and inexpensive.

silkworms are a pain to keep, hornworms appearently grow extremely fast and they cost alot for such a small amount
 
beetles arent bad to feed but they have alot of shell to them. so you can't feed them more than you would mealworms.

superworms really ARE larger mealworms. but they don't live in colder temperatures and they turn into larger beetles. You can't refrigerate them.

a superworm is probably the size of your smallest finger, and slightly thinner.

superworms also release this nasty sticky residue.

i thought i had read that superworms are able to turn into beetles but are not able to reproduce. idk if its true ill have to do some research. :confused:
 
beetles arent bad to feed but they have alot of shell to them. so you can't feed them more than you would mealworms.

superworms really ARE larger mealworms. but they don't live in colder temperatures and they turn into larger beetles. You can't refrigerate them.

a superworm is probably the size of your smallest finger, and slightly thinner.

superworms also release this nasty sticky residue.

Mealworms turn into Darkling Beetles

Superworms turn into Zophobas Beetles

The two and not the same. Mealworms have a thicker Chitin (exoskeleton). This if fed too much may cause an impaction risk in your Cham. Superworms have a much thiner Chitin ratio to meat,making it the better of the two to feed.
 
Giant, hormone treated mealworms may (though not usually) pupate and turn into beetles, but they will not reproduce.

Mealworms are the larval form of T. molitor. Superworms are the larval form of Z. morio or Z. artratus.

They are different species, but they are considered mealworms of sorts, but so are pretty much all Tenebrio (and related) species. Giant mealworms are NOT superworms.
 
i thought i had read that superworms are able to turn into beetles but are not able to reproduce. idk if its true ill have to do some research. :confused:

I think you mean Giant mealworms(not superworms). They are somehow genetically altered to lengthen the larve stage, allowing them to grow larger. I believe they are sterile.
 
Giant, hormone treated mealworms may (though not usually) pupate and turn into beetles, but they will not reproduce.

Mealworms are the larval form of T. molitor. Superworms are the larval form of Z. morio or Z. artratus.

They are different species, but they are considered mealworms of sorts, but so are pretty much all Tenebrio (and related) species. Giant mealworms are NOT superworms.

yeah, i wasn't saying that they are the same, but can be considered the same insects, due to their appearence, only size really differs. their nutritional value is different but should still be treated the same (superworms are large, thus contain same amount of chitin per serving of one worm)
 
this is just my opinion i would never feed the giant mealworms because they are sprayed with a chemical that hinders them from turning into a beetle. Even though alot of people feed them to their reptiles and invert, and birds it just isnt natural for them to be so large. You might as well just stick with the superworms and leave out the giant mealworms
 
Mealworms turn into Darkling Beetles
Superworms turn into Zophobas Beetles

The two and not the same. Mealworms have a thicker Chitin (exoskeleton). This if fed too much may cause an impaction risk in your Cham. Superworms have a much thiner Chitin ratio to meat,making it the better of the two to feed.

agreement.

Mealworms and superworms both need to be gutloaded and lightly lightly dusted with calicum. I suggest mealworms make up only 10% (or less) of a chameleons diet. Superworms could be a bit more, but they are high in fat.
and the artificially giant mealworms should be avoided alltogether
 
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