# Breeding Morio worms



## Blaptica

I was asked by PM to explain how I breed *morio* worms (giant mealworms/Zoophobas *morio*). Stupidly I suggested in another thread I was good at it ! So I thought it made sense to tell you all rather than just the one person. I have a very large collection of lizards (many hundreds) and breed ALL my own livefood. I think currently around 8/9 species. If you breed them yourself you have worms that can be used for baby lizards, because baby morio worms are good for baby lizards !

The only problem with breeding morios is that it is difficult to do in small amounts in my view. Maybe consider swapping excess mealworms you breed for tubs of live food at your local shop ?

Get hold of good large fully grown *morio* worms. To keep them alive and healthy put them in a tray with a 3-10cm of SLIGHTLY damp wood shavings or coir or similar substrate. Feed them slices of veg/fruit and a little cereal (oats/wheatabix,chicken pellets etc). Generally when you buy them they will be in poor shape. Once they have been cared for properly for a week, seperate around 100 of them, each one into a yogurt pot, film canister waxworm tub or similar with a little of the mix used for the tray. 
After around 4 weeks each worm should have turned into a beetle. Then put these beetles into a plastix box with 3-10cm of the mix mentioned above. Again feed the beetles like above for the worms. A little bit of dampened cat pellets of piece of cooked free range egg helps the beetles produce well. In this box put in pieces of natural wood with the bark still on, that have lots of cracks in it. Virgin Cork bark is good. Old pieces of wood that have dried and cracked are good. I use vine wood. Or get some untreated timber and cut very thin lines into it about 4-5mm deep. In these gaps the beetles lay there eggs. Keep the whole set up damp After a week put the beetles into a new box with fresh wood and substrate. Within 7 days these eggs in the old box will hatch into tiny worms. Keep changing the box over for new each week.

So eventually you have 

Box 1. box with beetles
Box 2. box with subtrate and wood with eggs hatching... start to feed with small pieces of fruit and tiny amounts of cereal
Box 3. tray with 1-2 week old worms (keep substrate damp)
Box 4. tray with 2-3 week old worms.

and so on.... up to Box 10 with fully grown worms. At all stages of life, keep them at 24-28c .

When I say box you want something with alot of floor space, and around 15-25 cm high. I use "bed boxes".

Should you breed your own livefood...??? Generally I would say NO !!!

Because unless you have time (which you could be spending with your reptiles), the ability to be consistent (missing out on one spraying of the wood pieces might mean the eggs dry out and don't hatch), and a big collection it isn't worth it. If you don't do it properly it will all be a waste of time. Unless you enjoy breeding livefood like i do, don't bother. Life is just too short.


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## Blaptica

*The sand that holds the lakes in place*

Don't know why I bothered. Seems people don't want my advice


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## ANT

just read through this, very helpful, thank-you : victory:


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## Blaptica

Thanks. My sulky comments were not aimed at you.


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## lesleykno

Do they not smell? i bought some in bulk and put them in wood shavings and after a week they stunk. ended up getting rid of them quickly by feeding then to the schools chickens.


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## Blaptica

No they have no odour when healthy. The beetles can make a musky smell when disturbed. 

The smell must be dead larvae or a over feeding of food that is rotting. If they are healthy when you get them and they are stored correctly they should live for 6 months plus with no smell.


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## Issa

ahhhhh After reading this I can see where we went wrong (humidity too low for the eggs). Quick question..... Do you find that temperature affects breeding at all?? (Ie Would I be better sticking the morio egg tub on top of one of the vivs over the warm spot next time round?)


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## Aligowers55

thanks for the post really helpfull i have loads of lizards too i breed crickets and normal mealworms ,waxworms ,dubia roaches too i am going to give this a go thanks m8


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## Blaptica

Issa, Breeding will be slower around 22-24c, I wouldn't go lower than that. I would stick to around 24-28c ideally, certainly try to stay below 32c.

Aligowers55, if you can bred normal mealworms and wax worms then you should succeed with these. Thanks for the comments and good luck.


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## Dee_Williams

i know i am reviving an old post but it came up on google and was very helpful. not how i thought you kept them at all! thank you!


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## Blaptica

There are many people here who will tell you I am completely wrong....


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## Dee_Williams

well i guess it is whatever works best for you.......... not every set up works for everyone.


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## Phill Robinson

Found this very helpful as i might be doing it myself, thanks!


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