Think about this........

You always hear about crickets being more better than mealworms as far a nutrients.But if you were to regularly feed not just gutload mealworms properly that they would be just as healthy for them?

Huh????

lost me as well?.?.? sorry for not seeing it, had a long day at work.

Uhhhhhhhhh??!!??

I THINK you are trying to say well gutloaded mealworms are just as good as cricket... I think.

For the most part, this is true. There is the issue of meat to shell ratio, which is better in a cricket no matter how much you gutload the worm. There are other differences as well.

It's commonly accepted that you can have perfectly healthy geckos raised on mealworms.

Originally Posted by A_Kendergirl

Uhhhhhhhhh??!!??

I THINK you are trying to say well gutloaded mealworms are just as good as cricket... I think.
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thats it!!! sorry guys its a monday and Science was so boring and long today as well as my other classes

I find the best is to offer my geckos a variety... I use mealies as the main core of thier diet, maybe 60-70 percent, I supplement with crickets and the occasional super as well. My gravid female might even get a waxie if they ask nicely

I don't think gutloading mealworms will make them come even close to being as nutritious as crickets. Mealworms will always be twice as fattening as crickets. And while you can raise animals entirely on mealworm diets alone, it's not healthy for them.

I would think that each insect would digest differently too. For example, I am allergic to milk, my wife is not. Does that make sense? I have cats that digest the same food we feed them differently, two do not have problems with the food while the third does. IAMS dog food is supposed to be great for dogs, but some dogs cannot properly dogest the corn that is in it while others thrive on IAMS. Just a thought, sorry to butt in.

Originally Posted by Junkyard

I would think that each insect would digest differently too. For example, I am allergic to milk, my wife is not. Does that make sense? I have cats that digest the same food we feed them differently, two do not have problems with the food while the third does. IAMS dog food is supposed to be great for dogs, but some dogs cannot properly dogest the corn that is in it while others thrive on IAMS. Just a thought, sorry to butt in.

That's very true! It's why different species of bugs have different nutritional values even when they've been fed the same food. Some insects are more evolved to digest plant tissue while others aren't nearly as efficient.

I totally agree with Xelda - variety is the spice of life. But crickets totally sketch me out and I hate keeping them (roaches are fine with me) so my guys only get crickets every couple weeks - last time at least 4 of them got stuck to some duct tape in my pet supply room and it was awful! My critters get everything else regularly and like Junkyard pointed out, I agree that each type of prey seems to offer something different due to different metabolic rates and digestive action. Additionally, different geckos prefer different things and I assume they know what they need. Some of mine won't readily eat superworms and a few won't touch waxies. (and no, my geckos are not addicted to wax worms )

As for feeding mealworms and gutloading them...those terms seem synonymous to me. I think my mealies are as packed full of good vitamins and good stuff as they could be. I DO have to say that the mealworms that I've bred myself look SO much plumper, brighter, and just healthier than the ones I get in bulk...but that just may be because they've never been in the fridge!