mealworm refrigeration

[izzybpb]

i know that refrigerating mealworms will cause them to go dormant and not absorb nutrients etc. but how will i be able to gutload them if they're always dormant? wouldn't it just be better to keep them out of the fridge? im sure my leo will eat them all before they pupate. (also, what are your guys' opinions on feeding just mealworms? my parents will tear me a new one if i bring home roaches. and ive read a lot of negative things about feeding leos crickets) thanks!

 

[izzybpb]

i did some more digging and im deciding just to switch up the diet between mealworms, crickets, dubia roaches, hornworms, and superworms. if someone made me like an excel spreadsheet or something of gutloading info for each insect that would be absolutely amazing and greatly appreciated
im going to somehow have to buy roaches in secret because my parents will not let them through the door under any circumstances ahahah

 

[GeckoFanboy]

• I feed my hornworms Repashy SuperHorn. They are voracious eaters. They grow very fast, and if they are too big can be a choking hazard to your gecko...my experience.

• Mealworms, superworms, crickets, dubia roaches - all of these bugs eat chopped carrots, green beans, papayas, and oranges DAILY. Repashy also has something called Bug Burger that can be used as a DAILY food (if you want to go that route). Anyway, 24-48 hours before I feed these bugs to my gecko, I remove a few, and place them in another smaller container with Repashy SuperLoad (gutload).

It's that easy. No spreadsheet. Just keep your bug containers clean. I clean mine out every 3 days, but I don't stock huge amounts of bugs. You have to keep the containers clean because the veggies/fruits will get moldy (it only takes about 3 days), and you don't want your bugs eating mold, plus the bugs poop alot. Healthy food = healthy gecko.

Dubia roaches can be kept in a small plastic kitchen container. I buy 12-20 at a time from a local reptile dealer. Just make sure they have something to crawl on in the container (a piece of egg carton). Let your parents know that Dubia roaches are NOT ****roaches, so they aren't going to invade your home...and your Mom isn't going to have to call an exterminator, LOL. Dubia roaches are tropical bugs and they aren't going to survive well in your house on their own.

 

[acpart]

People who keep mealworms in the fridge take them out a day in advance of feeding to let them warm up and eat. When I kept mealworms I didn't put them in the fridge. I found that there are temperature fluctuations in the fridge and when I did try it, sometimes they got too cold and didn't do well.

It's great to have a variety of feeders, but you may want to consider rotating among a few (like 2-3) feeders before getting a lot of different stuff. As mentioned above, they all need the same gutload.

It's true that dubia's don't infest and breed. However, here are a few things to consider:
a. they may not multiply, but they are pretty thin and have been known to get out of cages. Some people are not too happy to find live dubias wandering around even if they aren't multiplying
b. I see that you live in Delaware. Unless your whole house has AC, it is warm enough in DE for dubia roaches to breed and multiply in the summer time
c. as a parent who raised 3 kids who are now out of the house and on their own, I can tell you that sneaking around does not lead to good things (especially taking into account a and b above). There are so many other acceptable choices of feeder, why not leave out the dubias for the moment?

Aliza

 

[izzybpb]

• I feed my hornworms Repashy SuperHorn. They are voracious eaters. They grow very fast, and if they are too big can be a choking hazard to your gecko...my experience.

• Mealworms, superworms, crickets, dubia roaches - all of these bugs eat chopped carrots, green beans, papayas, and oranges DAILY. Repashy also has something called Bug Burger that can be used as a DAILY food (if you want to go that route). Anyway, 24-48 hours before I feed these bugs to my gecko, I remove a few, and place them in another smaller container with Repashy SuperLoad (gutload).

It's that easy. No spreadsheet. Just keep your bug containers clean. I clean mine out every 3 days, but I don't stock huge amounts of bugs. You have to keep the containers clean because the veggies/fruits will get moldy (it only takes about 3 days), and you don't want your bugs eating mold, plus the bugs poop alot. Healthy food = healthy gecko.

Dubia roaches can be kept in a small plastic kitchen container. I buy 12-20 at a time from a local reptile dealer. Just make sure they have something to crawl on in the container (a piece of egg carton). Let your parents know that Dubia roaches are NOT ****roaches, so they aren't going to invade your home...and your Mom isn't going to have to call an exterminator, LOL. Dubia roaches are tropical bugs and they aren't going to survive well in your house on their own.

thank you! i might get a bug burger because for some reason we're always short on produce in the house. and ill definitely let my parents know that... my mom might be able to settle with the dubias but my dad definitely won't, anything that looks like a roach is a roach to him lol. ill have to keep those hidden from him

my gecko is less than a year old so i feed him every day. should i keep the repashy super load in my bug container 24/7 then?

 

[izzybpb]

People who keep mealworms in the fridge take them out a day in advance of feeding to let them warm up and eat. When I kept mealworms I didn't put them in the fridge. I found that there are temperature fluctuations in the fridge and when I did try it, sometimes they got too cold and didn't do well.

It's great to have a variety of feeders, but you may want to consider rotating among a few (like 2-3) feeders before getting a lot of different stuff. As mentioned above, they all need the same gutload.

It's true that dubia's don't infest and breed. However, here are a few things to consider:
a. they may not multiply, but they are pretty thin and have been known to get out of cages. Some people are not too happy to find live dubias wandering around even if they aren't multiplying
b. I see that you live in Delaware. Unless your whole house has AC, it is warm enough in DE for dubia roaches to breed and multiply in the summer time
c. as a parent who raised 3 kids who are now out of the house and on their own, I can tell you that sneaking around does not lead to good things (especially taking into account a and b above). There are so many other acceptable choices of feeder, why not leave out the dubias for the moment?

Aliza

my house has AC and we keep it 70 degrees in the summer. thanks for the insight on dubias escaping, ill definitely keep that in mind. as an 18yo who has lived with helicopter parents since i was born, I can tell you that sometimes sneaking around and getting trouble later is definitely worth not doing the thing at all, esp if its providing my beloved gecko with a good diet

 

[GeckoFanboy]

my dad definitely won't, anything that looks like a roach is a roach to him lol. ill have to keep those hidden from him.....my gecko is less than a year old so i feed him every day. should i keep the repashy super load in my bug container 24/7 then?

Dubia roaches don't actually look like normal roaches. They're a strange looking bug.

No, Repashy SuperLoad is a gutloader only. It should be given to your bugs 24 hours before you feed your gecko. So, just remove a couple of your bugs (however many you think your gecko might eat) 24 hours before you feed your gecko, and put them in a container with some SuperLoad. They'll eat it, and then they'll be gutloaded for your gecko. Only gutload the bugs that he's gonna eat for the next day, otherwise the bugs poop out all the SuperLoad. The whole point is to make sure the SuperLoad is in the bugs gut when you feed it to your gecko.

For 24/7 feeding, give them the Bug Burger. It has nutrients to keep the bugs alive and healthy, but it's not a gutloader.

And whatever you do, don't leave bugs running around the tank. It'll stress your gecko out. Drop in one bug at a time. If he doesn't eat it, remove it right away. Bugs make tanks really dirty if you leave them there. They poop over everything and make the tank very unsanitary. Another thing some folks do is if the gecko doesn't eat the offered bug, they throw it out, instead of putting it back in the bug keeper.

 

[izzybpb]

Dubia roaches don't actually look like normal roaches. They're a strange looking bug.

No, Repashy SuperLoad is a gutloader only. It should be given to your bugs 24 hours before you feed your gecko. So, just remove a couple of your bugs (however many you think your gecko might eat) 24 hours before you feed your gecko, and put them in a container with some SuperLoad. They'll eat it, and then they'll be gutloaded for your gecko. Only gutload the bugs that he's gonna eat for the next day, otherwise the bugs poop out all the SuperLoad. The whole point is to make sure the SuperLoad is in the bugs gut when you feed it to your gecko.

For 24/7 feeding, give them the Bug Burger. It has nutrients to keep the bugs alive and healthy, but it's not a gutloader.

And whatever you do, don't leave bugs running around the tank. It'll stress your gecko out. Drop in one bug at a time. If he doesn't eat it, remove it right away. Bugs make tanks really dirty if you leave them there. They poop over everything and make the tank very unsanitary. Another thing some folks do is if the gecko doesn't eat the offered bug, they throw it out, instead of putting it back in the bug keeper.

this helps so much! thank you and yeah i definitely learned my lesson about leaving them in there. every morning i wake up to mealworms drowning in the water dish

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Leaving crickets in the tank is the worst tough. They hide behind things...and often die. Other crickets come into the tank, they eat the dead bugs, poop all over, make the tank dirty and stinky. The worst is leaving crickets in the tank and then they eat your gecko's poop. Your gecko eats the cricket that ate poop and your gecko ends up sick with parasites. Never leave bugs in a tank and keep your bug keeper clean.

 

[acpart]

my house has AC and we keep it 70 degrees in the summer. thanks for the insight on dubias escaping, ill definitely keep that in mind. as an 18yo who has lived with helicopter parents since i was born, I can tell you that sometimes sneaking around and getting trouble later is definitely worth not doing the thing at all, esp if its providing my beloved gecko with a good diet

I was more of a spaceship parent --set up the mission and then take off and let them figure it out!

Aliza