Mealworms set up. Lol. :)

lol thank god someone explained about aliens!!!! i had read them mentioned several times but never been able to find out what they actually were!!!! so do the hedgies get fed the aliens too??

so im guessing that hedgies like chins are all different and some will prefer one type of treat and others wont.... so if once we have a hedgie ourselves how do we get the different types of insects and how many is a good start of amount so none are wasted??

White things in the tub that look like mealworms are mealworms that have shedded their skin. Be gentle with them, they are very fragile at this point - a bit like any other creature that sheds it's skin, it needs time for the new layer to harden. Bit like snakes, but mealworms are chitinous, so get hard rather than just scaley.

Aliens and beetles are both a-okay to feed to hogs. Aliens don't do much, the fresh ones wiggle a lot. Beetles tend to be a little foolish (they don't 'cling' to fingers well), but are good and tasty (so says Bodhi).

As for how many insects to feed...for live, as many as possible without your hog gaining weight. Obesity is caused by fattening foods (waxworms), lack of exercise (small cages, laziness, lack of out of cage time during active periods), and over-feeding (or inability for a hog to self-regulate).

If you're keeping your hog in a ZZ2/3 foot viv (even a narrow 4 foot x 1 foot viv), and we're talking hoglets, I'd consider your main concern to be lack of exercise. There was a theory put forth (on the US forums) regarding a correlation between hog obesity and cage size. I stand by that idea, and went with my pen. Bodhi gets to eat as much as she can stuff into her mouth (in the way of live food), and she doesn't gain weight, everyone wins

But more realistically...about 20 mealworms per day while they are hoglets is fine. At week 12, you give them their wheel, where-upon their weights are likely to drop suddenly as they realise how to use it and run themselves ragged, so the extra boost to their food is useful. After that, weighing them often will tell you if you are over-feeding, or are okay to carry on. You can also feed a wide range of live food (roaches, locusts, crickets, grasshoppers, mini mealworms, butterworms, calci-worms, waxworms). If you PM me your email address, I'll send you my livefood spreadsheet that has all of their fat/protein values in. Crickets, roaches and locusts come out best, then mealworms and butterworms...with waxworms being that entire chocolate gateaux you secretly scoff if nobody is looking (for comparison)

I get all my insects from Rick http://www.rickslivefood.co.uk/vmchk.html
He's got a sale on atm (woo!), but if you send him an email, he'll answer pretty much any question you have. I like the fact that he's the breeder, the website manager, the packer, the email-answer-er and the shipping guy - he knows his insects from start to finish, and they tend to be good quality. He also has a wide wide range, with a few species of roach and crickets as well as the normal - and they are decently priced and well packed. The few times I've had worries, he's answered promptly, and is honest. If you order something and he doesn't think it is up to scratch, he'll let you know for a change in food/refund. Definitely a real person that wants his customers to be truly happy - and I am I'd recommend him!

In the past, I've also used http://www.livefoodsforgood.co.uk/
I love the idea of LFFG, with them donating portions of profits to rescues and conservation. I've only used them once (my first order), and they were fine - mealworms were a little on the small side, but nothing like the *swearword* you get in places like P@H. Only issue is they don't sell roaches, and they don't sell in bulk (my last order for mealworms was 1kg, they sell pots of 60g). But that said, they are well priced, give good moral highground, and for a newbie to live food, have caresheets/info and smaller tubs of mealworms to start a hog off.

Last is P@H (and other commercial-bought pet shop live food). Do not bother. In comparison, it is...well, a case study! I bought a pack of locusts from P@H (a good one who know what they are doing), within 12 hours half had perished, within another 12 hours, half again had died. They were fed, watered (well, leafy veg), and unlike crickets are not cannibals. They were all gone (the rest mostly down the gullet of the Tiggy's Humpty), but the death-rate was alarming. In contrast, I bought a box (bigger in size) from Rick - after three weeks, aside from the ones killed and eaten by Bodhi, one locust had died of non-hog related causes. Same living conditions...just better quality to start with.

But anywho, if you start with mealworms, there is little wastage. Hogs will eat the aliens and beetles as well And they are super-easy to keep. Roaches are also very easy (cat biscuits, goldfish flakes, orange and egg boxes), and have a great meat-to-chitin ratio - as well as being good to get your hog running after food, Bodhi loves them (she's had dubias and discoids so far - dubias are the cheapest, easiest things to breed - I do nada, and they pop them out like there is no tomorrow!).

Hope that helps

I hate beetles. Iv just googled images for alien mealworms and i have had them before. Iv never come across a beetle and really dont want to, that would freak me out something rotten. I think il stick to buying not breeding, i feel slightly sick. Beetles freak me out. xxx

As long as you feed the aliens off to your hog, you'll never see a beetle

Ah i get it now! done! I went into p@h today and no joke half of there mealworms in their tub were aliens! cant ruddy well be fresh! xx

ps sorry amanda didnt mean to hi jack your thread xxx

Yeah...I'd never buy any live food from P@H, it is dreadfully bad quality.

ordering from rick.approx how big is a 60g tub. how many mealworms ish? xx

60g seems to be about a standard small tub whereever you go - should last you about a month, I reckon - I don't remember seeing more than a couple of aliens in my first few tubs (the 60g ones).

Kiania wrote:60g seems to be about a standard small tub whereever you go - should last you about a month, I reckon - I don't remember seeing more than a couple of aliens in my first few tubs (the 60g ones).

iv just ordered the 125g one, seemed pointless paying more for postage than the mealies. Sure my two will scoff the aliens before they turn. How long does it take once its become an alien to turn?

I bung all of my aliens in a pot together, so hard to say.

But I did just read this:

They will be pupae’s for a week to two weeks, then they will turn to beetles.

http://suggiesavers.org/mealworm.html

Redswife wrote:Ah i get it now! done! I went into p@h today and no joke half of there mealworms in their tub were aliens! cant ruddy well be fresh! xx

ps sorry amanda didnt mean to hi jack your thread xxx

I don't mind you hijacking the thread at all. Its coming up with some interesting facts and discussion points. Its great.

I found my first alien today. I've got a smaller tub with less lively worms in, I call it the intensive care unit, lol. I've put him in there. Weird looking thing though.

Has anyone come across small black worms which move quickly? I have one of these in my tub. Looks the same as a mealworm but looks like it has hairs, a bit like a caterpillar. Anyone know what it is?

Amanda x

hiya sorry amanda another amanda here with more questions!!!

right 1st off we get our hoglet on 13th!!! it is going to go into a viv from faith which we will be receiving same time as hoglet, whom is now called flake..

so we are going to be that terrible newbie owner!! we have no idea at all on how we keep/ look after mealwormies etc....

so what we need to know is if we buy a 60g tub like suggested,

1) do we change them out of the tub to something else??
2) if we move them into a big tub like amanda did what do we put inside the tub to help mealies live long as possible?? amanda looks like she has something else in the bottom of the tub or is that what comes inside the mealie bag/tab????
3) when we/if we change the pot do we put food in for just a little while or continuously? (i'd read for gut loading to give mealies some cuecumber, and carrot for eg for 2 or 3 hrs i think it was then that was thrown away and mealies put into the fridge to slow down their process for couple of hours before giving to hoglet?
then you feed hedgie....
4)so do we just gut load some or all and then remove the fattest ones??
5) how long is good to stay in fridge before going into a cupboard??
6) do we need to have air holes on the tub/container?
7) do we need to sieve the contents to help remove worm poo??

for the little lad flake the is i hope by the time he gets to us going to be well looked after with proper live mealies!!!
thanks for any advice/instructions (once we get some answers i intend to print it out and stick it to the fridge after laminating it so i can always refer back until im "with it")

so i guess i sorta need an idiots guide from mealies arriving to the rest of the process!!

ladybug wrote:1) do we change them out of the tub to something else??
2) if we move them into a big tub like amanda did what do we put inside the tub to help mealies live long as possible?? amanda looks like she has something else in the bottom of the tub or is that what comes inside the mealie bag/tab????
3) when we/if we change the pot do we put food in for just a little while or continuously? (i'd read for gut loading to give mealies some cuecumber, and carrot for eg for 2 or 3 hrs i think it was then that was thrown away and mealies put into the fridge to slow down their process for couple of hours before giving to hoglet?
then you feed hedgie....
4)so do we just gut load some or all and then remove the fattest ones??
5) how long is good to stay in fridge before going into a cupboard??
6) do we need to have air holes on the tub/container?
7) do we need to sieve the contents to help remove worm poo??

1) You don't have to change them out of the tub, but is makes it easier if you have your own tub ready and waiting. The tubs they come in generally are a bit flimsy, and tend to spray mealworm poo out the sides.

2) I use a substrate mix of porridge oats and weetabix - I use the cheapest own brand 'value' varieties for both of these.

3) I put fresh food in perhaps twice a week overnight (but I have a lot more than just 60g of mealworms). You need to have a careful balance between the food getting eaten, and it making the substrate soggy. The former is wanted, the latter will not be good! I just read that some people use kitchen towel, soaked in water and then squeezed, and laid over the substrate. But obviously gutloading with fruit and veggies is better. I've found carrot, blueberries, apple, sweet potato, and orange to be the best contenders - they also REALLY like the egg biscuits from P@H.

4) Gutload the lot - they all need to be fed anyway, may as well do it with healthy stuff. That means you're not hunting through the pot for fatter ones (which in the heat of the moment, is impossible - and preparing ahead will involve a goodly chunk of time to sort through the pot!).

5) If you're keeping them in the fridge, you need to take them out every so often (weekly is fine) and give them something to eat. If you're keeping them in a cupboard, you need to feed them every 3 to 4 days as they will be active. The fridge slows down the metabolism. If you're breeding them, then put them in a cupboard, if you're just feeding them, fridge is fine.

6) They are living animals, so yes, you need airholes, otherwise they will suffocate. Or at least, airholes or no lid.

7) Yes, sieving the contents of the tub gets rid of the frass (technical term for mealworm poo). When you get them, stand over a bin/outside, pour a little of the mealworms into your sieve, shake it until it nothing comes out, then tip them into your prepared box - repeat until all the mealworms go through this treatment. Try not to leave them alone, they can climb sieve mesh!

LOL seeing as this has been talking about mealies etc, Flake came home today .. so i gut loaded mealies with carrot and apple for 2hrs then removed the apple and carrot and put a few wormies in the substrate in a different tub and into the fridge to slow down the process.


now comes the idiot question! some seemed to be dead when i took them out of the fridge and only moved slightly........ so was this because they had gotten cold etc and therefore were more or less static or did i do something wrong???

so if i were to gut load and take out a few for flake to eat later, how long do they need to warm back up to be eaten by him?

i used porridge oats and weetabix some of the (value stuff) crumpled up into bits....

we also had a few black pieces, which ive thrown out as assume it was dead skin or dead wormys did i need to throw them away???

sorry for ning nong questions!!!

and thank you for any answers!!!!!

Black ones are dead worms. My last batch got taken back to the post office and got too cold, so mine are currently filled with dead ones (joy for cleaning out at some point this week!).

With fridge'd worms, I normally run my hand through the tub and give it a shake before leaving it for a couple of hours for them to warm up. Their metabolism slows down in the fridge, hence why they last longer - they simply slow right down.

For feeding fridge'd ones, I can see no problem feeding them straight from the fridge, but an hour or so (ie after gut-loading) means they are more active.