Mealworms 50g

The rule keepers use is that a feeder should be no wider than the space between the animal's eyes. Width is the measure, not length.

Mealworms are supplied at standard feeder size and suit juvenile to adult geckos, skinks, bearded dragons and similar insectivores. They are not a hatchling feeder: the hard outer shell is more of an obstacle for a very small animal than the size alone suggests.

A 50 g tub is sized for one or two animals over a couple of weeks, or as an occasional feeder in a larger collection.

Because mealworms keep far longer than crickets when refrigerated, the smaller tub is less about turnover and more about how much of the diet you intend mealworms to be. Most keepers offer them a few times a week alongside other feeders.

Mealworms are among the most calcium-poor feeders in common use. A veterinary study measured calcium in unsupplemented mealworms at 0.04 to 0.06 percent of dry matter, giving a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of roughly 0.05 to 0.08 to 1 – that is somewhere between thirteen and twenty times more phosphorus than calcium.

Insectivores need the ratio the other way round, closer to 2:1 in favour of calcium. Fed undusted, mealworms are a direct route to metabolic bone disease.

They are also high in fat and heavy in chitin, the hard outer shell, so they are a supporting feeder rather than a staple.

Gut-load the mealworms for 24 to 48 hours on a calcium-rich food, then dust with a calcium supplement immediately before offering and feed them out promptly.

Use calcium with D3 for animals kept without UVB. Where good UVB is provided, plain calcium is usually the better choice. Dusting sticks poorly to a smooth mealworm, so shake them in a tub with the powder rather than sprinkling.

Mealworms are the one common feeder that stores well cold. Kept in the refrigerator at around 8 to 10 degrees they slow almost to a stop and will keep for several weeks.

Bring them out for a few hours each week at room temperature with a slice of carrot or potato so they can feed and take up moisture, then return them to the cold. At room temperature they will pupate into beetles within weeks.

Suitable for juvenile and adult leopard geckos, bearded dragons, skinks, water dragons, turtles and insectivorous birds and fish.

Not suitable for hatchlings and very small animals, where the hard shell is a genuine impaction risk. Not suitable as a staple diet, given the fat content and the calcium deficit.

Mealworms can bite, and a mealworm swallowed by a cold or unwell animal may not be digested promptly. Feed only to animals warm enough to digest, and remove uneaten worms rather than leaving them to burrow into substrate.

Wash hands after handling feeders and keep the tub closed and out of reach of children.

• Exo Terra Calcium + D3 Powder – essential with a feeder this calcium-poor.
• Zoo Med Stainless Steel Feeding Tongs – useful for offering mealworms individually rather than loose in the enclosure.
• Live Mealworms 100 g – the larger tub, for multiple animals or regular feeding.

Live feeders are supplied for in-store collection or local delivery, with our live arrival guarantee.

Can I keep mealworms in the fridge?

Yes. Mealworms stored at around 8 to 10 degrees Celsius go dormant and keep for several weeks. Warm them for a few hours weekly with a piece of carrot or potato so they can feed, then return them to the refrigerator.

Do mealworms need to be dusted with calcium?

Always. Unsupplemented mealworms have a measured calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of about 0.05 to 0.08 to 1, far short of the roughly 2:1 that insectivorous reptiles require.

Can mealworms be my gecko's only food?

No. Mealworms are high in fat, heavy in chitin and very calcium-poor, so they should form part of a varied insect diet rather than a staple.

My mealworms have turned into beetles. Are they still usable?

The beetles are safe but most reptiles refuse them. Pupation is a sign the tub has been kept too warm; refrigeration prevents it.