# mealworm dishes ?



## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

So what dish / bowl are you using to give your lizards mealworms ?
I am sick to my back teeth of mealworms (mini's for my babies and standards for my adults) getting out of the bowl and hiding all around the viv's. I want something that is low enough for the babies to see the mini mealworm but not to low for the mealworm to get out. I also dont want to pay stupid amounts as appearance is not an issue as my viv's are not peices of furniture they are homes for my Leopard Gecko's if you get my point.
Please feel free to help me on my quest.
Thanx in advance,
Tony


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## berbers (May 29, 2010)

exo-terra do a dish with a lip on so they cant climb out - v handy. if its too low for the babies put some veg in the bottom to raise the height of the worms and also feeds them at the same time!


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## Spuddy (Aug 24, 2009)

As above, I have the exo terra mealworm dish. 

Only about £6, they work well too, escape proof.

Once the lizard learns they are there in that dish, they dont need to see them inside like the transparent containers people use and will just go get one from the dish whenever they like.


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## jamesbish05 (Jul 29, 2010)

You can get mealworm dishes from most pet stores that have a lip on the top so the worms cannot escape, there also low to the ground.

Here's example of one:
Exo Terra Mealworm Dish - Escape proof mealworm dish


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## jamesbish05 (Jul 29, 2010)

Hehe looks like you guys beat me to it! I really need faster Internet


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## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

those escape proof bowls are great but......... I need about 25 and @ £6.50 each its going to cost me a fortune, so.......... 

I challenge you all to come up with a home made solution to my problem, for the person who comes up with the best / most practical solution I promise to give them 100% credit for it :lol2:


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## jamesbish05 (Jul 29, 2010)

You mind me asking why you need 25 of them?

How creative are you?..you could maybe make some out of clay, as that is fairly cheap, probs cost about £10 for all the clay you'd need for 25 small dishes. Just make sure it's safe for the reptile to eat out of first


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## ..:: F1D0 ::.. (May 13, 2009)

tonydavo said:


> those escape proof bowls are great but......... I need about 25 and @ £6.50 each its going to cost me a fortune, so..........
> 
> I challenge you all to come up with a home made solution to my problem, for the person who comes up with the best / most practical solution I promise to give them 100% credit for it :lol2:












This is what im going to get for my leo - tea light holders. 2 for £1 at majoty of pound shops.


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## Spuddy (Aug 24, 2009)

Ashtrays!! ... with a 'lip' on the inside to stop them getting out if possible. 


Otherwise just go for a deeper ashtray.


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## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

jamesbish05 said:


> You mind me asking why you need 25 of them?
> 
> How creative are you?..you could maybe make some out of clay, as that is fairly cheap, probs cost about £10 for all the clay you'd need for 25 small dishes. Just make sure it's safe for the reptile to eat out of first


 25 Leopard gecko's to feed :gasp: and as for the clay, i wouldnt have a clue but thanks for the info,

So at the moment its F1D0 in first place (unless "YOU" can do better, you know you want too)


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## Earth-Angel (Jun 10, 2010)

Hey, we have found plant saucers work fine if you don't overfill, we get a 5 pack of small (8-10cm) for 39p in wilkinsons which are great for minis and the next size up 13-15cm 5 pack, I think they are about 79p, not totally sure, for the standards. Hope that helps?!


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## gecko_steve (May 14, 2008)

Ikea do a pack of 10 glass tea light holders for a £1 I think. Thats what mine go into.


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## Blue Lizard Reptiles (Jul 9, 2010)

tonydavo said:


> 25 Leopard gecko's to feed :gasp: and as for the clay, i wouldnt have a clue but thanks for the info,
> 
> So at the moment its F1D0 in first place (unless "YOU" can do better, you know you want too)


They still climb out of anything without a lip, unless it's too deep for them to do so, which wouldn't be ideal for baby leos! 

Have you tried these:

Lees Mealworm Dish - Food Bowls - Feeding Equipment - Blue Lizard Reptiles

Not as good looking as an exo terra, but still seem to work. They don't have a lip, but curve back in on themselves to prevent escape. : victory:


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## RepBex (Jan 17, 2008)

i use plant dishes for my minis for the babies and tea light holders for standards 50p from asda for 4 on sale bargin


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## Spuddy (Aug 24, 2009)

Blue Lizard Reptiles said:


> They still climb out of anything without a lip, unless it's too deep for them to do so, which wouldn't be ideal for baby leos!
> 
> Have you tried these:
> 
> ...


 
seems like a winner to me at only 99p! :2thumb:


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## Jon Swan (Feb 4, 2010)

Large mealworms can get out of them exo terras bowls! I don't know how they manage it but I used to use one and would always find mealworms under my beardies veg bowl, rocks and fake plants. I even found a few bettles once so the little buggers must have been a while unnoticed! Some of cheaper meal worm dishes are even worse.

I have used an glass ashtray before with big lips on it. Worked really well as the leo can see the mealworms through the glass. I feed my leo by hand now but with 25 that aint practical!


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## Jon Swan (Feb 4, 2010)

The Lee's one mentioned about is no good either. Tried one of those and have even more escapes then the exo terra. The lip is no where near large enough for large mealworms and for the two quid my local shop was charging I felt robbed! Try the ashtrays! May be a problem for your babies though but will be fine for your adults.


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## OrigamiB (Feb 19, 2008)

Why not buy some small tupperware containers? just cut a hole in the lid and run a lighter around it to smooth the edges so you have a lip on the bowl


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## Twiglet (May 6, 2009)

I use plant saucers, tea light holders, plastic jar lids (like coffee lids), castor cups and lee's mealworm dishes. I did not get on well with the Hagen Exo-Terra jobs, I found that the mealworms could shift the lip and get out. 
I really rate the lee's ones, they are easy to clean etc. 
Just don't over fill them. That's normally the reason for escapees!


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

Hey Tony - I have the same probs, they are a pain!

Like some of the others I have tried loads of different things (including all those listed so far), but for little ones I now use Jam Jar lids for small mini mealies/roaches and they seem OK.
The big uns are the problem for me and after about 10 different attempts I now think the large asda tealight holders are the best for escape proofing, but I have noticed some of the leos seem to struggle with them ( I think due to height).
I may well be off to Hobbycraft this avo to get some clay and see if I can seat them in this, as they woul be great if they had a ramp for access ! :lol2:

I think I need to get on Dragons Den................... :mf_dribble::whistling2:


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## SteveCourty (Oct 4, 2009)

the exos are overpriced and useless. you want the brown lees dishes look hard and youll find then for about 80p i always use them with no problem. i find them hard to find in shops as they all seem to stock the exos i guess thats due to profit


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## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

Big Red One said:


> Hey Tony - I have the same probs, they are a pain!
> 
> Like some of the others I have tried loads of different things (including all those listed so far), but for little ones I now use Jam Jar lids for small mini mealies/roaches and they seem OK.
> The big uns are the problem for me and after about 10 different attempts I now think the large asda tealight holders are the best for escape proofing, but I have noticed some of the leos seem to struggle with them ( I think due to height).
> ...


 

let me know how you get on with the clay Mark sounds like a good idea.

p.s.

I live with a Dragon so if you can sort out the Den we're sorted :whistling2:

Tony


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

I use large clear plastic castor cups from B&Q or jam jar lids that have a bit of a lip on them for mini mealies. For adults I use the pottery type hamster bowls - don't know the proper name but the mealies can NOT get out.


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## CollaredLizardGal (May 17, 2010)

second - Glass tealight holders work well as the worms cant climb the glass and the lizards can see the worms


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## Lost? (Oct 19, 2007)

i think im gonna buy some clay, sit down with the nipper and get creative!!


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## jillygirl (Feb 1, 2010)

CollaredLizardGal said:


> second - Glass tealight holders work well as the worms cant climb the glass and the lizards can see the worms


yes glass t light holders.. not had one escape yet..


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## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Went to Hobbycraft and purchased a large block of clay (£7.49 or £7.99) then onto Ikea and purchased 12 small tealight holders (£1.99 for 12) and 12 medium tealight holders (£1.49 for 6) (broken 2 on the way home :whistling2

Got home and the fun began, trust me, spent about £13 on materials and had a great 1 1/2 hours (only did 6 small and 3 large) playing with the clay, it was like back to the art class at school in the late (very late) 70's.

At one point my other half started playing with the clay, I walked up behind her, put my arms around her and manipulated the clay whilst she was turning it like on a potters wheel....... oh no that was a scene from Ghost wasnt it :lol2: 

joking apart it was a bit of fun with what I hope was a cure to the escaping mealworm issue. Thanx to everyone who has had an input, I think everyone should buy some clay and have a go at it and see what you can create. Looking forward to the pictures in the next few days.


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

tonydavo said:


> UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
> 
> Went to Hobbycraft and purchased a large block of clay (£7.49 or £7.99) then onto Ikea and purchased 12 small tealight holders (£1.99 for 12) and 12 medium tealight holders (£1.49 for 6) (broken 2 on the way home :whistling2
> 
> ...


You got the same stuff as me then by the sound of it ! I only did 5 though, just going to paint them tonight.. Only prob I found after 5 days of drying was that the clay had constricted around the tub a little and left a small gap, but it won't affect the way they 'work'. Still got plenty left for the next few batches, assuming they are successful.... 
Oh yeah, I used the 'bead holders' from hobbycraft instead of the Ikea tealight holders, they seem pretty good too !

Will try and get my Tony Hart style effort up with pics later. :lol2:


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## ccrew (Mar 11, 2009)

*pics of homemade mealie dishes*

has anyone got any pics then come and check everyday to see if any have been posted these will be interesting lol


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

A bit Heath Robinson, but I thought I would leave it 'rural' in shape rather than make it too uniform in shape... Looks a bit golder than it is, but the paint is to be changed to a more sombre browny one next time anyway ! :lol2:

Shows the basic thing though, you can also see the gap I mentioned where the clay constricted.... Now just to let the leos do some testing ! :2thumb:

BTW - 100 percent mealie proof so far !


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## ..:: F1D0 ::.. (May 13, 2009)

Big Red One said:


> image
> 
> A bit Heath Robinson, but I thought I would leave it 'rural' in shape rather than make it too uniform in shape... Looks a bit golder than it is, but the paint is to be changed to a more sombre browny one next time anyway ! :lol2:
> 
> ...


Fancy selling one to me? :2thumb:


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## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

here are my efforts,










mine dried fine but I forced some cracks in them so that Mark wouldnt feel so bad :whistling2:

what paint are you using mark ?


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## ccrew (Mar 11, 2009)

*mealie dishs and caves*

i have made my own reptile cave today only small but big enough to fit 2 leos in and made 1 mealie dish if it turns out good then i will be releasing them to everyone for free only one per household and if they are at a good standard and i get good feedback from them then i will sell them on dont worry they will need good feedback from everyone before released will post pics tomorrow afternoon at football tomoz so will post after that cheers


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## ccrew (Mar 11, 2009)

*My Pictures of cave and mealworm dish*

My Pictures of cave and mealworm dish hope you like them....

for the dish i have not used anything to mould the clay around Its completely freestyle same as cave but when i finished the cave i proped it up with clay in clingfilm inside so that it didnt droop over night.

these pics do not do these items justice but these are by far good in my opinion if everybody would let me know what they think so far THE FEEDBACK FROM YOU WOULD BE GREAT AS I MAY CARRY ON MAKING THEM AND SELLING THEM FOR A SMALL PRICE NOT AS EXPENSIVE AS THE PET SHOPS LOL IF EVERYTHING GOES GREAT THEN I WILL TAKE ORDERS

(SMALL CAVE)


















this meal worm dish is not finished yet but here it is so far i will be doing a lid for them the same as the exo terra mealie dishes but mine are bigger and hold more (MEDIUM DISH)

















Thankyou Carl (Ccrew)


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## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

they look really good, look forward to seeing the finished item : victory:


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## kizzy21_uk (Sep 6, 2008)

i used to use the lee dishes and had escapies all the time, now i use tea light holders and i only have one or two that escape now, also as they are glass the leos cann see the mealworms and they seem more interested.xxx


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## ccrew (Mar 11, 2009)

*caves*

the cave has turned out good so will test and post pics in a few days if everyone likes them then i will be taking orders for them when i do take orders all you have to do is tell me how big you want it and i will make it example: you want 40cm in length by 20 width then i will make as close to measurements as i can. will not be taking orders till 23rd august and will start making them then postage will be available but due to weight of them then will be more in postage and could get broken but i will make sure they are wrapped up very well and protected but as you know royal mail or other courier they just chuck them about but if you recieve on broken then i will need pics and i will send you new ones.


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## ccrew (Mar 11, 2009)

*mealie dish finished*

*mealie dish is now finished the lid comes off so that its just a bowl so its 2 in 1 a mealie dish and a water dish this one will only be used for mealies for my leos but the dried clay soaks in water which is why any others that are made i will be getting the waterproof stuff so that it can be used as water dish or just vanish them which may do same job......... Hope you all like it will prob put some color in it or may leave it yet let me know what you all think cheers
*
*NOT TOO DEEP AND NOT TOO HIGH SHOULD BE 100% MEALWORM ESCAPE-PROOF BUT WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I USE IT....*


























PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK CHEERS CARL (CCREW)


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## tonydavo (Mar 10, 2008)

they look really good Carl, will have to give it a try, keep it up, Bit of advice, make sure anything that you put on to make it water proof is safe for the gecko !


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

tonydavo said:


> here are my efforts,
> 
> image
> 
> ...


Yacht Varnish next time ! :blush:


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## ccrew (Mar 11, 2009)

tonydavo said:


> they look really good Carl, will have to give it a try, keep it up, Bit of advice, make sure anything that you put on to make it water proof is safe for the gecko !


ye i know mate thats the last thing i will do is use toxic stuff on my collection but im glad you reminded me tho thanx for the feedback will let you know how it goes when i test it i dont know if you will be able to help me here tho as im not sure weather the clay as it is will be safe for my leos or will it need some kind of protective coting cheers mate


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