Serving MealWorms?

[DanteD716]

Alright, so I just left PetSmart with the normal seed. I did pick up some mealworms (25 count) for my OC Waxbills. Now, my question is, how do I serve these?! I used to buy the for my green anoles but those are lizards, not birds? Thanks!

[cindy]

Put them in a bowl with sides and set on the bottom...they will do the rest! Don't use a plate, they will crawl off!

[DanteD716]

Okay, thanks! Do you think the zebras would like some, or even the societies? Also, how much should I give them? I wonder if my tarantula would eat one..

[cindy]

There are a few places online that are really a good deal compared to the stores....

this is a thread I posted a while ago
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... orm+prices

I am shopping around for mealies and found a few inexpensive deals

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/category/131/Mealworms

1000 Small or mini mealies for $9.99

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http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=8810

1000 for $9.99

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Bird's Nest

http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/RTProd ... NAW-LM-500

500 for $5.99

2000 for $22.99
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http://www.reptilefood.com/category.aspx?zcid=92

Various amounts ranging from $7.00 for 1000 to $27.00 for 5000

another company
http://southeasterninsectaries.com/custom3.html

The prices posted above may have changed, the thread is from Jan. 2010

[cindy]

I also found this site tha t offers 1000 for $6.99. They are out of Ohio.

http://www.thenaturesway.com/index.php?cPath=22
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Out of Mississippi

http://www.millbrookcrickets.com/ourpro ... worms.html

$9.00 for 1000
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These people supply Petsmart

http://armstrongcrickets.com/shop/index.php?cPath=63

$9.50 for 1000

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http://www.minimealworms.com/page2.php

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and a little mealworm humor

this happened 2 yrs ago

I gave my shaftails some last night. Their cage is about 4 ft from the table. I put a nice steak on the grill, set the table for my husband, daughter and myself. Well my daughter went to sit down and looked at her emplty plate which is on the other side of the table from the cage...I think the shaftails were using her plate as target practice! YUK! (these were canned, not alive)

Moving the cage today, they even have a plexiglass guard around the cage that is 18 inches around the bottom. They had to fling it up and over the plastic guard!

My poor daughter was like this is not funny Mom...new dish please!!!!

[Ursula]

I also buy mini mealworms in the 5000 quantity online from Grubco. When you calculate the price, petstores are outragously expensive. It might be worth it if you feed 1 worm to a lizard, but not mini-mealies to a waxbill.

I keep the mealworms in the fridge in a container with oat bran, they last several months that way when you feed them with apple slices every few weeks overnight in room temperature. (Make sure to remove all apple pieces that haven't been eaten before putting the container back in the fridge, otherwise they turn moldy and the worms die.)

Before I feed mealworms in the morning, I freeze the desired quantity overnight in the freezer in a small plastic cup, so they are dead but still fresh when the birds get them in the morning. I do that because I had a mealworm beetle colony developing in my aviary previously. It's not that they could have escaped from the food dish, but the finches are flinging them around and some survive, hide and multiply. After turning to the frozen mealworm method I don't have that problem anymore.

I have to say though that it's primarily my cordon bleus that eat them. My orange cheeks might eat the occasional mealworm, but they are not as crazy about them. But you never know, yours might like them better than mine. And everybody seems to like mealworms generally speaking, even my budgies and parrotlets like them once in a while.

Yes, you might want to try feeding them to the tarantula, he might like it. We had the funniest thing happen once, my husband accidentially dropped a mealworm from the kitchen counter on the floor when he was putting them in the feeding dish, and before we were able to reach down and pick it up, a spider was literally shooting out from the crack between 2 kitchen cabinets, grabbing the mealworm and disappeared with it. We were both dumbstruck and just looking at each other, saying "did you also just see this???"

[cindy]

Trust me it was hysterical!!!!! My husband and I were cracking up!!!...I gave her a clean plate minus the wigglers!!

[DanteD716]

Those are both, very discusting stories. Lol, the tarantula is chowing down now and the birds weren't interested so I'll try again tommorow. Rancel, they have a 25 count for 2.49, but if you plan on serving regularly and have alot of birds you should buy in bulk. I'd rather buy them as a monthly snack.

[cindy]

Ursula....after getting down off the chair I would have jumped up on upon seeing the spider....I would be laughing hysterically!!!

[PrettyBird]

I bought live mini mealworms from the petstore to give to my GS..I had no such luck...they wouldnt even touch them! for me it was a waste of money. They just werent interested in them at all.

[cindy]

st make sure when feeding them they are eating them and not taing them up to the nest box to eep for a late night snack. I was cleaning a flight one day and leaned close to the nest box, I must have bumped it and several black beetles came crawling out....reminded me of the Mummy movie!

[DanteD716]

Cindy, speaking of late night snacks, my fawn zebra hen made a pile of eggfood in the corner and after I took out the eggfood dish, she ran to the corner and ate her "stock pile". I didn't know they did this. I also went to petsmart, and there was a fawn hen (same petsmart I got mine from) in the zebra cage. She was the only one just like before. I was tempted to buy her. But, I thought I'd save my money for a new pair from Dennis.

[Ursula]

st make sure when feeding them they are eating them and not taing them up to the nest box to eep for a late night snack. I was cleaning a flight one day and leaned close to the nest box, I must have bumped it and several black beetles came crawling out....reminded me of the Mummy movie!

THAT'S why I freeze them!

[cindy]

Mine would not touch the frozen ones....I stopped serving the "flying mealies"! Egg foods will do!

[Dayna]

[quote="cindy]

and a little mealworm humor

this happened 2 yrs ago

I gave my shaftails some last night. Their cage is about 4 ft from the table. I put a nice steak on the grill, set the table for my husband, daughter and myself. Well my daughter went to sit down and looked at her emplty plate which is on the other side of the table from the cage...I think the shaftails were using her plate as target practice! YUK! (these were canned, not alive)

Moving the cage today, they even have a plexiglass guard around the cage that is 18 inches around the bottom. They had to fling it up and over the plastic guard!

My poor daughter was like this is not funny Mom...new dish please!!!![/quote]

Soo funny! How generous of the birds to want to share their supper with your daughter. But I have to agree that half eaten mealies is not my idea of a good meal either

Ursula....after getting down off the chair I would have jumped up on upon seeing the spider....I would be laughing hysterically!!!

Agreed. Then I would have to get my husband to hunt it down and throw it outside. I hate spiders!