Breeding mealworms

Winged

Winged

Likes being a biology major.
Jan 11, 2009
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Louisville, KY
Has anybody done this? I bought 1,000 mealworms about a month ago, and have kept them at room temperature to allow them to grow. Of course, now I have several pupas. I wasn't really planning on breeding them, but the idea is looking better. Especially since it's become increasingly difficult to get mealworms, and when I find them, they're really small (half inch max, but usually around a quarter of an inch).

If you've done this, what tips do you have? I can find lots of instructions online, but I'd like to know what's worked for you. Do they stink as much as crickets? Can reptiles eat the beetles? I know some beetles fly more while others stick to the ground more. What are the Darkling beetles like? I know a lot of people don't keep lids on their mealworms, but what about the beetles?
 
My first question is what are you feeding the mealworms to? I did bred them years ago but I don't think it's really worth it. If you want something simple that takes almost no work at all then try one of the various tropical roach species. Most give birth to live young saving you a lot of trouble. Plus species like dubia roaches have no smell at all and can't survive if they escape into your house. Dubia roaches can't climb glass or fly and they'll eat almost anything you give them. Basically keep them warm, feed them and leave them alone. They'll do all the rest of the work for you. I wish I would have started a colony of them years ago.
 
I raised mealworms for my vieled chameleons, I no longer have the chameleons but I still have the mealworms. It is very easy to raise mealworms, you need to provide them a bedding or bran or oatmeal and provide them with food. They will eat carrot, potato and many other vegetables, that is also where they get their moisture from. There is a lot of info online on how to raise mealworms. You can also order them from online insect stores. They do not stink.
 
Vicious_Fish said:
My first question is what are you feeding the mealworms to? I did bred them years ago but I don't think it's really worth it. If you want something simple that takes almost no work at all then try one of the various tropical roach species. Most give birth to live young saving you a lot of trouble. Plus species like dubia roaches have no smell at all and can't survive if they escape into your house. Dubia roaches can't climb glass or fly and they'll eat almost anything you give them. Basically keep them warm, feed them and leave them alone. They'll do all the rest of the work for you. I wish I would have started a colony of them years ago.
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Mealworms are one of the few foods my Chinese water dragon will eat (along with pinkies and fish, sometimes he'll eat earthworms, and every once in a while, he'll take a waxworm...he refuses to touch crickets). I am aware of their fat content, so he only gets them once, sometimes twice, a week, as well as their chitinous, so he only gets ones that have freshly moulted. My turtles also enjoy the occasional mealworm.

Roaches....:yuck: I know roaches are supposed to be a really good food source, but I just can't do that. I've been suggested Dubai roaches before. Mealworms are gross enough for me, thanks.

pam916 said:
I raised mealworms for my vieled chameleons, I no longer have the chameleons but I still have the mealworms. It is very easy to raise mealworms, you need to provide them a bedding or bran or oatmeal and provide them with food. They will eat carrot, potato and many other vegetables, that is also where they get their moisture from. There is a lot of info online on how to raise mealworms. You can also order them from online insect stores. They do not stink.
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Thanks. If you no longer have chameleons, why do you still have the mealworms? Do you have something else that eats them?
 
Lol, yeah roaches are not for everyone. How old is your dragon? Are you including veggies in it's diet? As they get older plant material will take up more of the diet. Mouse pinkies are also high in fat. If it's big enough to eat rat pinkies, they're the better choice of the two.
 
Vicious_Fish said:
Lol, yeah roaches are not for everyone. How old is your dragon? Are you including veggies in it's diet? As they get older plant material will take up more of the diet. Mouse pinkies are also high in fat. If it's big enough to eat rat pinkies, they're the better choice of the two.
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I'm not sure his exact age, but I think about a year and a half. He won't take vegetables. I've tried numerous times. About how old are they when they start taking them? Which ones do they prefer? I think he is probably still to little for rat pinkies; he's almost too small for mouse pinkies, but I'll keep the rat pinkies in mind for when he's older.

I got a second one today (a female!). No clue what she likes to eat yet.
 
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Winged said:
I'm not sure his exact age, but I think about a year and a half. He won't take vegetables. I've tried numerous times. About how old are they when they start taking them? Which ones do they prefer? I think he is probably still to little for rat pinkies; he's almost too small for mouse pinkies, but I'll keep the rat pinkies in mind for when he's older.

I got a second one today (a female!). No clue what she likes to eat yet.
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See if you can get her to take dusted crickets. That might encourage the male to take them too. Crickets are healthier for them anyways. The chiton shells of mealworms can be hard on the digestive system.

I've seen young ones take veggies at a pretty early age so whenever you want to try adding them to the diet is fine. I'd try some bright colored veggies and plant material to get their attention. You can feed grated carrots, yellow squash and zucchini. Rose, violet, pansy and hibiscus flowers are also fine to feed. Leafy greens such as kale, collard and mustard greens can also be added to the diet.
 
I'm going to try hibiscus as soon as I can get some. Somebody else already suggested that to me. I'll also try roses when our bush starts to bloom. Can they have daffodils? (Just thinking about what we have in our garden.) I've tried kale and collard greens, he wouldn't try them. I'll try carrots tomorrow when I feed my guinea pigs.

My female is in QT for at least two weeks, maybe longer. (Yeah, I pretty much never QT my fish, but my herps definitely get QTed.) I hope she'll eat crickets. I hate them, but they are easier to obtain, and healthier for the animal. And I'll be thrilled if she can get Ringo to eat them.

I really wish I had talked to the seller more than I did. :headshake2: I think she might be wild caught, and fairly recently. She's nowhere near as tame as Ringo, and her nose is near perfect (something that's not very often seen in captive CWDs). I was showing her to my mom after I got home, and she noticed that one of the dragon's elbows looked swollen. :( I think there may be a vet visit in her near future.
 
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