I did it!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:01 am

okay.... started my mealworms yesterday. I got a plastic tub (used an empty one from my classroom) and put in crushed up bran flakes. Then I crused up some of my dog's dry food and added it. AFter that I used Cando's idea with the sponges and put them on top. After that I added about one thousand worms....... so we shall see.

I think when I find those beetles I will probably freak out. I am keeping them on a shelf in my husband shop. There is no heat or air out there, but the temps are warm enough I do not think it should be a problem.

I cannot bring those things in the house.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:49 am

Woohoo - go Donna! Gotta love them mealies - it's all for the good of the birdies after all.

I can't believe I am now picking them up with my fingers!

If I can get passed the thought of 'beetles', I may try raising them too. My daughter has just started raising her own as well.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:57 am

the fun comes before you get to the beetle stage.
the first time you see them pupate wil scare the crap out of you. they appear to be dead

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:00 am

You shouldn't have any problems with the raising of the mealworms. I put about 100 mealworms in a container and now have at least 80 beetles. they grow fast. I havent seen any babies yet but they have been breeding and hopefully laid eggs already. I have them in wheat germ and i keep a papertowel to keep it moist and have something for them to drink. Im gonna try the sponge though so i dont have to keep on wetting it. Plus they look like they are laying eggs on the papertowels.

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:22 am

I am so proud of you......

My boxes are producing more worms than my birds can eat...... The warm weather really speeds things up.... If you are getting too many beetles you can always refrigerate a box...... this halts the process of development.
The beetles aren't bad (of course this comes from one who adores bugs)
Just think of them as tiny cows producing at your mini wheat bran farm.

I think by using the bran flake cereal that is fortified with vitamins really helps in the "gut loading" of the worms.... along with the dog food.
The worms you feed your birds are only as good as what you feed them...

And just think about it.... with the price of groceries these days... you always have a nutrious snack right there at you fingertips

Yuck

Jamezyboo- make sure you use natural sponges... celluse (caution..many of these have an ingredient in them that discourages mold and mildew growth) Read the lable. If they say they have a mold inhibitor don't use.
Or better yet use undyed natural celluse, or natural sea sponges, or something I haven't tried yet is natural luffa. loopha sponges . Think I will grow some of these this year.
The worms do eventually eat the sponges... it takes a long while but they will ingest it and pass whatever on to your birds. So make sure it is natural and harmless.

Donna... These worms would be a great school lesson.... what grade do you teach?

Post by **Sally** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:50 am

mickp wrote:the fun comes before you get to the beetle stage.
the first time you see them pupate wil scare the crap out of you. they appear to be dead

Yeah, but when you touch them, they jerk! I just about fell over the first time that happened.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:01 pm

Sally wrote:
mickp wrote:the fun comes before you get to the beetle stage.
the first time you see them pupate wil scare the crap out of you. they appear to be dead
Yeah, but when you touch them, they jerk! I just about fell over the first time that happened.

okay... your scaring me now.....

I hope I bought the right kind of cereal. I bought special K , is that okay?

This is why I an NOT a Science teacher. I teach kdg. and I am not too sure about bringing those worms into my school. Of course, I am sure the boys would love it.

I am sure I will have lots of questions as this progresses, so get ready.

Pukasand · Post by **Pukasand** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:58 pm

Donna,
Good luck. You're a braver soul than I am. I have a hard time touching the canned mealworms. The fresh ones are so expensive, if I had alot of 'worm-eaters', I may venture trying to raise them also. You are my hero for trying!

mike · Post by **mike** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:20 pm

dfcauley wrote: okay... your scaring me now.....
I hope I bought the right kind of cereal. I bought special K , is that okay?
This is why I an NOT a Science teacher. I teach kdg. and I am not too sure about bringing those worms into my school. Of course, I am sure the boys would love it.
I am sure I will have lots of questions as this progresses, so get ready.

Good luck on your adventure. You won’t need much luck though because raising mealies is super easy and the less you care, the better they seem to do ;) The cereal you should use is a multi grain or a bran meal. The bugs will eat the Special K but they prefer bran meal. If you have a Bulk barn or something around, you can get the bran meal for super, super cheap. Grocery stores have it and I think it’s used to make bran muffins or something. Use the red bran meal because the white is bleached but both work.
When I was keeping my geckos, if I ran out of crickets I always had a tub of mealworms that I could draw from. It just required me to toss the occasional potato into the tub, maybe once every couple of weeks. They were just there for emergencies but that colony never died.
I only have one criticism. Natural sponges would work perfectly for supplying water but the only problem is that they are just filler. Your bugs will eat the sponge but the sponge is of no nutritional value to the mealworms and to the birds. Since I am always looking to add nutrients to the bird’s diet I would just make sure the bugs had access to fresh vegetables and you would not need to worry about supplying water nor would you have much worry of mould from too much moisture.
When I was in grade 3-4 we played with meal worms for science class. We watched the stages of development. It was fun. When I was in university I took a part time job teaching an afterschool science class to 6 year olds and I brought mealworms in to show how they hide from light. Anyway, the kids loved them; boy and girls. Their parents weren’t too happy when the kids asked if they could take one home.

mike · Post by **mike** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:25 pm

Pukasand wrote:Donna,
Good luck. You're a braver soul than I am. I have a hard time touching the canned mealworms. The fresh ones are so expensive, if I had alot of 'worm-eaters', I may venture trying to raise them also. You are my hero for trying!

Mealworms aren't too expensive. One lot of 1000 costs under $10. There are many online shops that you can get them. I like to order 5000 because that makes up for the shipping costs.

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:43 pm

I use bran flakes from the grocery store. The store brand because they are cheap. I use to use the regular bran but prfer the flakes.( the semi crushed flake bedding last much longer than bran meal.
The worms will eat the sponges but I have found they prefer the dog food. A sponge 2" x 3" (I cut mine to this size) last 3 to 4 months depending on how many worms you have.
Ocassionaly when I cut up apples for my grasskeets I will put the apple core on top of the bran flakes. They do consume it quickly. I don't like a lot of fruit or potatoes because I found rotting fruit makes the bedding stink.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:19 pm

okay..... I went and got the bran and took out the sponges. I replaced them with an apple half. Now I will leave them alone for a while....

This is why I do this. Just finished feeding mine their mealworms for the second time today. They LOVE them!

mike · Post by **mike** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:45 pm

dfcauley wrote:okay..... I went and got the bran and took out the sponges. I replaced them with an apple half. Now I will leave them alone for a while....

This is why I do this. Just finished feeding mine their mealworms for the second time today. They LOVE them!

Fantastic! The blue guy in the first pic is beautiful!

I can't get my new pair to eat mealworms. They finished two bowls on Saturday and Sunday but yesterday and today, nothing. I'm going to try waxworms this weekend.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:06 pm

He is one of the prettiest bccb's I have seen. I look at them at the bird fairs and none compare to him.

He is sitting on 4 eggs now and my red cheek have 5 eggs. They are too funny. I give them mealworms each morning and late evening. They start gathering around the empty dishes about that time looking for them.

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:47 pm

All your birds have great color.... shows you give them the best!
They look to be enjoying them very much!!