Mealworms make an excellent food source for geckos, being easy to store and feed while having high protein and calcium contents.
Feed them several times each week to geckos in good health for best results. When ready, these worms should be white to cream colored and soft-shelled when ready for feeding.
Contents
Feeding
Though mealworms may seem practical, they should not be fed regularly as a staple feeder. High in fat and difficult to crush exoskeletons mean they can quickly attract predators like birds and lizards – both potential threats posed by mealworms! They should, however, be included as part of a varied and balanced diet, especially when gut loaded or coated with vitamins and calcium powders.
Simply placing chunks of vegetables, fruit or leafy greens into an insect feeder insect box to “gut load” them provides them with micronutrient rich food which they then pass on to their lizards as part of their regular diet supplementation plan. Regular dosing with vitamins and calcium dusting should also help.
Storage
Live mealworms provide the ideal food source for geckos during times when food sources may not be accessible or difficult to transport. With proper storage conditions in place and regular monitoring and feeding routines in place, your geckos should always have food available!
Proper ventilation and humidity regulation in storage containers is of utmost importance in order to prevent excessive moisture levels that promote mold and bacterial growth, as well as regular cleaning sessions to remove feces, shed skins and any waste materials that could harbor potentially harmful organisms.
Selecting an ideal storage container for mealworms is key, as they require an ideal environment in which to grow and thrive. Preferably, sterilized before use and featuring an easily opened secure lid without disturbing their habitat or risking escapees; additionally it must be placed in a warm spot that provides suitable temperature and humidity conditions for them.
Health
Mealworms provide not only an excellent source of protein and fat for reptiles, but they can also aid their metabolism – some leopard geckos have lived long lives fed solely on mealworms!
Mealworms require some moisture in order to thrive, so after placing them in their container place them in the refrigerator for 24 hours. At that point remove it and inspect visually for mold growth as well as any moisture sources that have lingered for too long; any of which should be cleared away as soon as possible if present.
Before placing mealworms back in the fridge, add a piece of raw vegetable such as potato slices or carrot strips, or half an apple, in order to hydrate and provide your pet’s gut with essential nutrition – known as gut loading. Do this once weekly at most.
Diseases
Mealworms are one of the only feeder insects that won’t bite your gecko and provide an excellent source of protein and calcium, yet shouldn’t be fed exclusively as this could lead to obesity and malnutrition; additionally, they’re not nutritionally complete so shouldn’t be the sole food source of any reptile.
Mealworms contain a hard exoskeleton that makes digesting them difficult for some reptiles, particularly leopard geckos, who may suffer impaction as a result.
In order to reduce impaction, provide your pet with a variety of feeder insects like crickets, dubia roaches, black soldier fly larva (BSFL) or hornworms as part of its daily diet. This will provide essential vitamins and nutrients in his diet while adding variety and keeping impaction at bay.
