# mealworm beetles safe food???



## bonsey (May 10, 2008)

*Mealworms - *are the larvae of the Tenebrio molitar beetle, i had left a tub in the garage - they have all turned to beetles. Are these bettles a safe food source for lizards?? 

PS why are tubs of mealworms so expensive on line? £3+per tub on some sites and same weight in shops and others sites<£2????
which sites are u using and how long do they stay as a "mealie" before caster then beetle?
cheers:2thumb:


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## trw (Mar 2, 2009)

ive fed my leopard gecko the beetles, but she doesnt seemtoo interested in them


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## fran2491 (Oct 10, 2008)

get on Livefood UK Crickets Locusts Mealworms Reptile supplies mail order i buy my mealies in bulk very cheap and they will keep for well over 2 months if kept in the fridge and brought out weekly to feed,its fine to feed the beetles but i find mine arnt interested in them lol:bash:


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## xsmithx2 (Oct 24, 2007)

i get most of my live food from ebay.. 500g of mealworms for under 10er

and 500 crickets for £9-£10

1000 for £12-£13


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

The beetles are safe to feed to lizards.However the beetles secret a foul tasting liquid that not meny lizards will put up with.


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## nuttybabez (Jul 21, 2007)

My leos won't touch the beetles


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## Zemo (Apr 6, 2009)

My Leos won't eat the beetles either, I realised this today as I found one running around the viv, where I think one of the mealies got under the tiles! When buying I have found that buying online is a lot safer bet than at a shop, my local shop I got some mealies and they only lasted a week before they started turning to hatch, where as (like Fran said) the ones from online last over a month in the winter and in warm summer weather just under a month. I also read somewhere that the Beetles contain too much chitin, which can cause problems digesting?


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## bonsey (May 10, 2008)

thanks all.......no beetles to be offered and will try a bulk bag on-line I dunno about keeping em in the fridge tho!!!


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

bonsey said:


> thanks all.......no beetles to be offered and will try a bulk bag on-line I dunno about keeping em in the fridge tho!!!


I keep mine in the fridge when I bulk buy ~ it doesn't kill them just slows them down  When I buy the bags I seperate them into clean crix tubs for the fridge and then just use a box or so a week 

with the bettles you could save them and start breeding your own mealies : victory:


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## fran2491 (Oct 10, 2008)

SleepyD said:


> I keep mine in the fridge when I bulk buy ~ it doesn't kill them just slows them down  When I buy the bags I seperate them into clean crix tubs for the fridge and then just use a box or so a week
> 
> with the bettles you could save them and start breeding your own mealies : victory:



thats what i do also hun split them in tubs i always have a good 6 tubs of worms in my fridge, i used to use just the egg section of my fridge but i can only fit 4 tubs in there so i have a bit of a overspill now lol :whistling2:


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## Astral (May 1, 2009)

My Leo ignores the beetles, really annoying when I spot an escapee running around the viv!


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

bonsey said:


> *Mealworms - *are the larvae of the Tenebrio molitar beetle, i had left a tub in the garage - they have all turned to beetles. Are these bettles a safe food source for lizards??
> 
> PS why are tubs of mealworms so expensive on line? £3+per tub on some sites and same weight in shops and others sites<£2????
> which sites are u using and how long do they stay as a "mealie" before caster then beetle?
> cheers:2thumb:


If the shop does not have a very high turnover then they can be on the shelf for a few weeks before you buy them. I always get mine online and then keep them in the fridge this time of year. (Some peeps, if they are using a lot of livefood, have one of those mini fridges especially for their bugs)


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

fran2491 said:


> thats what i do also hun split them in tubs i always have a good 6 tubs of worms in my fridge, i used to use just the egg section of my fridge but i can only fit 4 tubs in there so i have a bit of a overspill now lol :whistling2:


lmao ~ I've got one of those table-top fridges ..... it's great for the mealies along with the fruit and veg used for the livefoods plus for chilling crix 
down side is I have to share it with my OH's beer :lol2:


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## potter556 (Jul 11, 2008)

I agree with nuttybabez and sleepd, bulk buy from livefoodsdirect and seperate into clean cricket pots and put in the fridge as I do.
This keeps the mealies for a lot longer especially the way the wether has been lately.
We've got a small beer fridge that works perfectly for this purpose aswell as keeping salad stuff in for the livefood.
We also have a mealworm colony set up which has been going for about 5 months now and is doing good, one tip though make sure it is well and truly up and running before you start using it :bash:


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## bonsey (May 10, 2008)

potter556 said:


> I agree with nuttybabez and sleepd, bulk buy from livefoodsdirect and seperate into clean cricket pots and put in the fridge as I do.
> This keeps the mealies for a lot longer especially the way the wether has been lately.
> We've got a small beer fridge that works perfectly for this purpose aswell as keeping salad stuff in for the livefood.
> We also have a mealworm colony set up which has been going for about 5 months now and is doing good, one tip though make sure it is well and truly up and running before you start using it :bash:


 
Some good ideas - which i will defo take on board. Now gonna look for cheap 2nd hand fridge for my shed,I have ordered in bulk from livefood direct......so will get out fridge running asap. I will also look into starting up a mielwormm colony if there are any tips or links lmk as any ways to start reducing "food bill" always a good thing. Wot type of set up have u got yours in Potter556? Is it smelly?


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## fran2491 (Oct 10, 2008)

SleepyD said:


> lmao ~ I've got one of those table-top fridges ..... it's great for the mealies along with the fruit and veg used for the livefoods plus for chilling crix
> down side is I have to share it with my OH's beer :lol2:


hehe lol we did have a beer fridge in the wash room but it broke when we moved house, i will just stick with my fridge door never had any escape anyway :flrt:


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## SandiskReptiles (May 13, 2009)

i bulk buy! works out cheaper!

i then box them from the bag they come in and then i will fridge them and i get through a tub every 2 weeks whilst the others stay stored! works great.

also my leos never seem interested in them pesky beetles!


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## lil05 (Jul 22, 2008)

i always thought that the beetles were darkling beetles .. unless there the same just diff names cause they doo look really similar


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## lil05 (Jul 22, 2008)

lil05 said:


> i always thought that the beetles were darkling beetles .. unless there the same just diff names cause they doo look really similar


 just checked it said this 
"Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. " sorted


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

lil05 said:


> i always thought that the beetles were darkling beetles ..


think you'll find they are ~ Mealworms are the larval stage


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