MEALWORM SHORTAGE!!!

Another ad for roaches:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=112096

I fed crickets to all my leopard geckos for the first time in a very long time last night. It was more time consuming than feeding mealworms, but not so much. I fed crickets exclusively for years and actually I enjoyed it back then because I got to watch the geckos stalk their prey. :-) It also gives them some much needed exercise (and some of my fatties need it!) and crickets are healthier for them.

I'm trying to remain positive about this situation we are in but it's hard! We've all grown so accustomed to feeding mealies and the ease of doing so that it seems like such a pain in the ass to mess with all those crix again. But remember, that is how we all used to do things back in the day, and all was good then. Shoot, I may actually never switch back to mealies, back when I used to feed crickets I had almost 100% hatch rates and rarely any infertile eggs. I also had healthier looking geckos ie. they were not fat.

Another factor in deciding whether to return to mealworms is that they may never return to the pre disaster pricing. The growers and vendors look like they will be missing at least a month of sales and that can really hurt. Some will recoup part of their losses through federal income tax deductions, but the remainder may very well be passed onto the customer when production resumes.

Good point, Lucille. I have a friend in the feeder business that told me he lost over a million dollars in sales last month due to not having mealworms! (Maybe we're in the wrong business, Kelli! LOL!)

Originally Posted by Golden Gate Geckos

Good point, Lucille. I have a friend in the feeder business that told me he lost over a million dollars in sales last month due to not having mealworms! (Maybe we're in the wrong business, Kelli! LOL!)

Yeah, but Leos are sooooo cute....and mealies are so, well............wormy. LOL.

Maybe I missed this earlier in the thread, but what about feeding supers? The small supers aren't that big...yeah, too big for little babies, but still more cost effective and less ooky than some other options can be for bigger geckos. My adult Leos love supers.

Maybe we're in the wrong business, Kelli! LOL!

Ya think?!?

I went to Petco today to get baby crickets. Thinking of y'all's predicament I asked what other sorts of live food was available.
They showed me some baby red worms which came to about 3 cents each. Of course, I'm sure since Petco is pretty expensive they could be got elsewhere for much less.
These worms which were maybe 3" long might could be cut into smaller sizes for geckos.

So why is there a mealworm shortage?

I just found out that the feed some of the growers have been using has been genetically altered to prevent bugs from eating it.....
Now that makes sense, the farmer would not even think the "end user" would be feeding bugs.

It's going to be an interesting lawsuit.

Superworms are superior to mealworms nutritionally and can and should be used instead when given the choice. There are many species of roaches available. Therefore to say they didnt work for you is meaningless. Like saying dont buy a new car, I did and it broke down. You have to be specific to have a valid point. For the most part roachess are superior in every way to crickets or mealworms and definitely as far as nutrition. There are reasons people pay more for roaches and crix and mealies. Price alone is not something to consider if one prides themselves on the quality of the animals they provide. Roaches also take less effort to keep and breed than crickets and mealworms do just to buy. As specialists in bulk sales of alternative feeders not one client has regretted choosing to forgo crickets and mealworms. Lobster roaches are cheap because people didnt like them. They climb glass. There are many species out there that provide the same or better without being glass climbers. Blatta lateralis are eagerly eaten by geckos. They are also fast breeders much faster than lobster roaches and dont climb glass or dig or burrow. If people breed several hundred geckos a year than the cost of a colony is negligible when one 500 dollar gecko can pay the price of a viable colony. We sell several species of feeder animals. When we first started selling dubia roaches 4 years ago they were 2-3 dollars a piece no one who got them was sorry. For further info or to answer in more detail we can be reached at balboa28279@mypacks.net. Please include your name and phone number for a reply. We deal in living things and therefore we must talk to a living thing to make sure the product meshes with the clients need.

Digby Rigby balboa28279@mypacks.net