mealworm farm

[shirleytx]

Has anyone had any luck with growing/developing thier own mealworms? I found this Link (http://www.mealworms.com/) and was thinking of giving it a try.
Good or bad idea?

[poodge]

Yuck. I just visited the link and have to wonder how it would be benificial to you.
What would you do with all of those worms? It's cheep enough to buy them. I'd rather buy them than put the time in to playing with bugs.
But with just one hedgie, I only go through, maybe, four mealies every day or two.
If you decide to do it please post how it goes.

---Poodge's Mom

[teela1342]

:Pukey: My roommate would strangle me in my sleep if I tried to raise my own worms at the house! :Pukey: I agree with Poodge, it looks like a lot of work. I will leave the worms to the PetsMart folk.

[shirleytx]

My thoughts are this. If I did my own I would know they are fresh. On the other hand how many would I end up with? what would I do with the surplus? The whole live bug thing freaks me out to be honest, i'm a vegetarian and so it goes against everything I believe in. I just want what is best for my little daisy. I think I may try it once, there is very little cost involved and it would be interesting I guess.

[poodge]

Wow. Let me know how that turns out.
What's wrong with the live mealies you find in the petstore 'fridge? I mean, there's nothing but worms and grain in the package. I don't think pesticides are an option for the grains. :)
I'd be really worried about the population control too. Maybe you could strike a deal with some local petstores, or give some away to animal shelters. You'll still have a huge surplus, no matter what.
Where are you going to keep these little guys anyway? I'm envisioning a box of bugs being tipped over accidently and having to clean up that wriggeling mess all my myself. (No I'm not offering to help should that situation arise. LOL)

You're more brave than I, I tip my hat to you.
---Poodge's Mom

[haig]

I used to raise my own worms for fishing, wasn't too much work. Its worth it if you go through them fast and they are expensive in your area.

[SherAlana]

I raised my own mealies too when I did avian rehab work, I used one of those cheap plastic pet auqariums by super pet. Used potatoes for water, and oatmeal for the "sod", there was very little "smell" and they burrow so much that all the worms end up at the bottom so you don't really see them. I didn't find it too gross and the only thing was the work cleaning out the dead ones every once in awhile and putting the healthy ones back with new oatmeal and stuff. Food flies were an occassional problem too, BUT I kept my worms in the laundry room, away from the main house. It was still warm in there and my mom would not have a cow. When I was done rehabbing I donated my worms to the shelter.

[shirleytx]

Thank you for the reccomendations.

[hedgehog69]

just get yourself some mealies and a large rubbermaid and put grains into it then the mealies and give potatoes,salad mix, carrots for the water. they are easy to keep as long as you change the bedding and when you get too many just start feeding them to the birds outside they love em lol.

[PrettyHate]

A friend of mine raises mealies for her lizards. She suggests that you start out with at least a hundred mealies (more is better if you can do it), and then leave them to breed for a couple months. That way you will have all stages of meal worms in there, and you wont run out because they will continue to replenish themselves (in theory).