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bedding ideas for raising worms...not a new keeper question ;)

Tenor Goddess

Tenor Goddess

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Greetings all!

I've been raising my on Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and Zophobas morio for the past 3 years now.

I have been keeping them on various beddings to see what cleans best and such from shaved aspen to flour to washed playground sand.

Here's a question for ya.....
Given we often like to offer beddings they can ingest as well, does it seem like a logical thing to offer something like Vita-sand so if/when the worms eat the calcium carbonate, THEY are digesting it, so that would offer more calcium for the reptiles eating them?
Just something I was pondering about. The calcium sands out there are a huge controversy of some saying it is a horrible risk while others state they've used them for years with zero issues (I don't keep my reptiles on sand just for my personal fear of impaction though). So if it seems viable that this would offer more calcium since the worms would be breaking it down (assuming they CAN break it down). Thoughts? Feedback?

Kindest regards,

Amanda Rose
 
Despite thier exoskeleton being composed of a complex carbohydrate (chitin), it seems that a variety of invertebrates are prone to molting issues when an access of calcium is provided in their diet. I've noted it most frequently with crickets, buts its also been observed in some species of roach. Perhaps calcium ions play some fundamental role in how the molting process is carried out... I'm really not sure, but I would have to push for the "better to be safe than sorry" route and say avoid high calcium supplementation in your worm gutload. Besides, you can actually purchase pure calcium carbonate at a fairly reasonable price and simply add it to the gutload if you really wanted to (and it would be substantialy cheaper than the overpriced calcium-based sands) ;)

I would actually consider putting more emphasis on foods that are more benficial for both the herps and the insects - things with a complex of amino acids for example like bee pollen and superfoods like spirulina algae are absolutely fantastic gutload supplements.

If your looking to invest in a large scale gutload at an economical/wholesale price, I would look into something like Chick Starter that can be purchased at farm and fleet style stores, or Tractor Supply at very reasonable prices in bulk. If you wanted to go a step further for your own herps for a small batch of bugs that will be fed within a couple of days, you could always add a dash of some kind of multivitamin supplement, calcium citrate, bee pollen, and/or spirulina algae. Although, as mentioned earlier, avoid an extreme excess of calcium in the diet. I prefer to keep my cal : phos ratio in the bug diet around 50:50 or slightly lower, and compensate through dusting as the instructions on supplementation bottles recommend = )

The whole key to gutloading is providing herps with nutrients they would not normally obtain - insectivores still need certain vitamins, minerals, and other macro/micronutrients that would typically be derived from grains and plants. They obtain these from the insects they consume that have eaten these things in the wild. Although, gutloading is most vital within 48 hours of feeding to the herp... Sand simply lacks anything essential that can be given to the things that eat them, its just going to be a substrate they will burrow in with some calcium added. I'd use a good quality grain based gutload, with a few addititves, and use quality vegetables and greens as a moisture source to get the full benefit of gutloading your worms = )
 
I always keep my mealworms on wheat bran. Since it's cheap, odorless, and seems to keep the worms happy, I never thought to change it. I get 40 lbs for about $10 I think. That 40 lbs lasts forever too. I've given away a ton, used a bunch and still look like I have a full bag.
 
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