Mealworm Care Sheet
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Scientific
Name: Tenebrio molitor (Darkling Beetle; larval
stage) |
| Lizards
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Description |
| Mealworms are
becoming one of a few staple foods for carnivorous lizards.
While they should not be the main food source, they are
an excellent complimentary food to crickets, silkworms and butterworms.
Mealwoms will grow to a size of about 2.3 cm. |
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Nutritional
Information |
| Moisture |
62.44 % |
| Protein |
20.27 % |
| Fat |
12.72 % |
| Calories |
133 |
| Ash |
1.57 |
| Fiber |
1.73 % |
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Food
& Water |
| Keep your mealworms on a
thin bed (1 - 1.5 inches) of dry oatmeal and wheat bran.
Add a few slices of potato, apple or other similar fruit
or vegetable for water. Make sure you remove the vegetable
and replace with fresh produce every day. |
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Lighting,
Temperature & Humidity |
Keep the temperature where
you are leaving the mealworms arounf
45 degrees F. The mealworms will keep for a few weeks
in this temperature. |
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Housing |
A deep plastic container
will do just fine for mealworms. They will try and
make a getaway is shallow containers are used. Make
sure there is a lid on the top, and punch
many small
air
holes
into
the
lid.
The
substrate is their food, as mentioned above. |
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Other Issues |
| Since mealworms are the larval
stage of the Darkling Beetle, they will
at some point go into a pupal stage, and then turn into
beetles. Mealworms are edible in both the larval and
pupal stages, but should not be fed to your lizard when
they are beetles. If you seperate the beetles into their
own container, you may be able to breed them as well. |
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