Giant mealworms vs. Mealworms

[Gecko Newbie]

So, I headed back to PetsMart this weekend to buy another tub of mealworms and I got to thinking - "Geez, this is the second tub this week...." Then I remembered reading a post about overfeeding... (I didn't want to post on that thread because it had gotten a little hostile...)

I was just wondering - when some of you say you feed your gecko as much as it will eat in 10-15 minutes - on the occasion that you're feeding mealworms, are they GIANT mealworms, or just regular mealworms?

The first time I bought mealworms, the lady asked which I needed, I said I didn't know, told her about my geckos, and she gave me giants. The next time, the lady didn't ask, I didn't think about it, and went home with regulars. They both still looked hungry after 15 minutes of gobbling those tiny suckers, so I've made sure to ask for giants.

But now, I'm wondering if eating 12-15 GIANT mealworms (in 10-15 minutes of eating) is too much.

I agree with feeding the geckos what they seem to want (hence not wasting my money on crickets), and I think giving as much as they want in a certain amount of time seems logical, too. But I also know that Lola would probably eat 12-15 wax worms in 10-15 minutes if I let her, so I wouldn't put it past her to overeat with the giants.

So, I was wondering WHAT SIZE mealies I should be feeding them. They don't seem to have any problems downing these giant ones....and so far none have eaten their way out of either stomachs.... (ew). I just don't want to raise gluttonous geckos who end up needing to be strapped into the gecko leash PetsMart sells and taken for walks around the classroom....... :coverlaugh:

Oh - bonus! I might be able to get FREE silkworms because the 2nd graders breed bugs (including mealworms and silkworms) and send the extras back to the science department. SO, I may just be able to take them off their hands instead. Nice, right? :banana:

 

[rglove]

I think that mealworms are better because don't have mandibles and giant mealworms have. These mandibles can drill the stomach of your leo.

 

[hyposhawn]

How big is your Leo? If it is less than 6 inches I would go with regular meal worms. Like rglove said Giants can drill through your Leos stomach.

 

[Allee Toler]

I wouldn't feed giants. They seem awfully big.

Petsmart over prices their feeders. I'd suggest finding somewhere else to get them (mom and pop shops maybe.). I pay $1 per 25 worms. and $.50 per 12 cricket. Petsmart is just too pricey. If it's the only place near you, then I can see why you'd pay that much. Lol.

You do need to give them what they'll eat in 10-15 minutes. If they want more in that time, give it to them. But if you see them getting really fat, then they have no self control or no signal to the brain telling them they're full-- an eating disorder start.

I had a frog once that would eat nearly 1000 flies a day if you let her. REALLY fat frog. Took it to the vet, had no signal to the brain saying it was full. So my little tree frog was in the constant state of scavenging. Poor girl died of kidney failure shortly after... Hah. Poor frog. I was 12. It was traumatizing.

Take the free worms from the 2nd graders!! I would. Lol.

 

[Hilde]

Like rglove said Giants can drill through your Leos stomach.

That story is a myth, honest.

If you feed an insect or worm of appropriate size to a healthy leo (or whatever), it's not going to chew it's way out. This is a myth, it shows up every so often on every forum. Feed the proper sized mealworms, zoophoba and other bugs and wormy things to a healthy herp, you won't have to worry about finding it has chewed it's way out. Have you ever watched a gecko or cham eating a mealie or zoophoba? They usually aim for the head, and crush it first. Once the head is crushed, the worm has no desire left to eat it's way out of the diner's body. Even if they don't grab the head first, the body gets enough bites and puncture wounds to kill it or at least maim it. Inside the stomach, there's no air, just digestive juices ready and waiting to do their thing. When the body has been chewed, mangled and otherwise mutilated and swallowed, the insect doesn't have much left to chew it's way to freedom. Mealworms, superworms and all those others can't hold their breath - they have no lungs so there's no way they'd survive for long inside. You can prove that by putting a mealworm in water, see how fast it dies. Even crickets don't live long in a water dish, imagine how well the bugs and worms fare in stomach acid, pH around 2.0 or 3.0.

The old wives tale about mealworms chewing their way out of the gecko have been around for ages. The only way it could happen is feeding an excessively large worm to a near dead animal that didn't have the strength to chew or bite them enough, and died right after the meal. Most likely the myth started with a worm finding a dead body and taking advantage of a free meal by burrowing INTO it. Mealworms, zoophoba and crickets are a staple diet even in the wild. As far as I know, no one goes around chopping mealworm heads, crushing cricket mandibles etc.

Remember there are no Faeries running through the wilds pinching insect heads off for the herps.


Little Rabbit Foofoo
Running through the forest
Finding all the mealworms
And pinching off their heads ......... ???

 

[Gecko Newbie]

Haha! Hilde.....your version of Little Bunny Foo Foo is rather amusing.

Okay, so, I have heard / read all the info you all shared with me before (except some of the stuff Hilde said). I was just confused because some people on here say they feed superworms, and when I looked at the superworms at PetsMart (it is the closest/only store with bugs) they looked about the same length as a giant mealworm, just much fatter.

How big are my geckos....hmm. I still haven't held them (though Lola did lay in my hand IN the tank for almost 45 seconds once), so there's been no weighing done. i would say Tony is about 8-9 inches long and Lola is about 7-8 inches long - give or take for both. Tony is sturdy looking while Lola looks dainty in comparison.

So no giants, just regular mealworms? Allee - where do you get your worms from? Your prices are WWWWAAAAAYYYY better, for sure!!

Oh yeah! The whole "the bug should be the same size as the distance between the gecko's eyes" thing....is that the LENGTH of the bug, from tip to tip, or the WIDTH of the bug, from side to side?

Thanks guys and gals!

 

[Allee Toler]

I get my worms from Penasquitos Pets. But I'm sure you don't have one. Lol. I live in Rancho Penasquitos.

Usually if you can find a local mom and pop shop you can get them cheap. There's also tons of websites online that offer decently priced worms with decent shipping prices. I get silkworms and butterworms online. Mealworms (which is really rare) and superworms at the local shop.

I have a whole bunch of superworms that I've raised. Do you want them? It's like 100 or so worms. If you pay the shipping, I'll gladly send them over to you. I need to get rid of them as GiGi is no longer allowed to eat them. She's been diagnosed with fatty liver disease and cannot digest the certain amino acid inside the superworms properly. The worms were hand raised and organic. They only eat and live in organic material. =] So they're as healthy as they come.

 

[hyposhawn]

Wow Gigi's been facing lots of problems lately.

 

[Irathe]

I wouldn't feed the giant meal worms to your leos... not for the reason they can chew out (which is a myth and love the fufu thing) but because they have been treated with chemicals that have not been proven to not harm herps (herps are generally sensitive to chemicals). If your leos can handle giant mealworms they can most likely handle small-med sized superworms while being better for them (less chitin more protien less fat) they wont morph unless specific conditions are met. And for they eye measurement that is width not length.

As for Gigi hope she gets better seems like 1 problem after another with her.

 

[ColdBlooded]

Giant mealworms are fine to feed in my opinion. They are smaller than supers(zoophobas) which I also have no issue feeding.

It is true that giant mealworms are sprayed with a hormone to delay the larva from pupating but it DOES wear off.

As Hilde said, the mealworm/superworm/giant mealworm eating through your gecko is completely a myth...so don't worry about that.

I generally offer mine 3 or 4 superworms (full sized larva). Sometimes they eat all five, sometimes they don't. When I feed roaches I offer a few medium sized nymphs or occasionally an adult male if I have extra.

It's really up to you how much you feed your leos.

 

[Allee Toler]

Wow Gigi's been facing lots of problems lately.

She's always had it. Since she was a hatchling. I just never noticed it, and neither did the vet until her every 3 month blood test this passed week. It's to the point that we're giving her whey protein to balance out the fat levels of silkworms. Silkworms have practically no fat, but for her, it's bad right now. Once it's calmed down a bit, she can eat regularly. It just flared up since she was sick.

One in three reptiles have fatty liver disease. It's no reason to not breed her. It's not genetic 100%. It only effects 10% of the babies produced, and it only shows up with a fatty diet. Hers flared up because of the baby food we've had to give her twice a week for added protein and vitamins.

It's a giant trail. The salmonella eye infection caused us to give her higher fat content to keep her weight up since she shriveled, and then the bumps came up because the antibiotic we gave her for the eye infection wasn't strong enough so salmonella settled in her ear canal. wee... poor gecko! Lol. 9 1/2 months old too!

--------------
If you don't want the supers, geckonewbie, anyone else want them?

 

[hyposhawn]

That's so sad.

 

[Gecko Newbie]

Thanks, everyone, for the advice!

I think I'm getting a handle on things and will soon have more advanced questions instead of these beginner ones.

OR, maybe I'll just get to share funny pictures of and stories about my geckos.....

 

[Henry_leo]

I've been feeding My Leo Giant Mealworms for over two years, no problems yet.

 

[Henry_leo]

Hilde, would you recommend Giant Mealworms? My Leo has been eating them for 2 years now and no problems. Ar the hormonal chemicals used on them harmful to my leo?