[Fleecewife]

Last year someone (sorry, I can't remember who) said that we should rehydrate mealworms during the nesting season, to prevent parent birds forcing hard dry insects down the nestlings' throats.  We have been soaking ours in water for several hours, but they still sound a bit scratchy. 
How long is the best effective soaking time?
We have noticed that the soaked mealworms are much more popular with parents than the dried ones - they are taking several times more soaked worms than dried ones.
Ideally we should be feeding live mealworms but I'm still looking for a regular supplier which doesn't charge the earth.  Can anyone suggest a supplier of live mealworms, and how to store them so they don't turn into beetles?

[Perris]

pet shops that support reptiles have live mealworms.

Have you considered starting a mealworm farm to grow your own? It seems quite easy, though I have not completed a cycle yet (I started one at the end of Feb, and all progressing nicely so far, but no baby mealworms visible yet) so that may be a bit of a premature assessment! But if it does work the numbers of mealworms should multiply about 200 times each generation through this process. Of course it won't be in time for this season if you start now, but maybe something to plan for next year?

[macgro7]

All you need to do is buy some live mealworms and out them in a bucket or gallon bottle of oats (they cant climb even when they turn into adult beetles).
If you dont want to go out atm you can buy some live worms on ebay 
I used to have them when I had exotic frogs and geckos 

[Rupert the bear]

Generally  I make a mealworm paste, grind them then add a little water, have you tried rehydrating the mealworms using hot water ?

[adamhfc]

Try internet reptile its an online shop I get my live food from

[Fleecewife]

Thanks everyone.  I don't think I would need a grow-your-own bucket as the birds only really need live worms at nesting time, and my pond fish don't eat in the winter - way too cold.  The hens also love mealworms but they can scratch up their own bugs.
I had wondered about using hot water Rtb - I'll give it a go meantime.
Thanks adamhfc - great site and I've sent off for some from them, and I'll see how it goes.  I'll try keeping them with oats macgro.  Do they need water too?


I rather fancy keeping a gecko now I have no cats or dogs - do they travel well by car? (we would like to have the odd time away and apart from the fish always take our pets with us) I probably wouldn't be allowed one anyway 

[macgro7]

Geckos do very well when you DONT feed them every day a actually. A weekend away will not harm them at all 

[Fleecewife]

All you need to do is buy some live mealworms and out them in a bucket or gallon bottle of oats (they cant climb even when they turn into adult beetles).
If you dont want to go out atm you can buy some live worms on ebay 
I used to have them when I had exotic frogs and geckos 

macgro!  That was a whopper of a fib!  Mealworms don't climb?  The little b*****$ are climbing out of their sack as soon as it's opened, and when I put them in the feeder for the birds, they are up and over the wall in seconds.  The birds just have to stand underneath with their beaks open and in they fall     Live mealworms are horrible!  I used to feed them to my aunt's birds when I was a child (She did research on how eggs all hatch together - as we all know they cheep away to their mum and sibs before they hatch) and I didn't object then, but now they're all coming at me     I think I'll revert to soaked dried mealworms.


For the gecko, I had a look at how to keep them and thought they might not cope with the cold here, especially during our many power cuts.

[macgro7]

Well I meant they cant climb out of plastic containers.  Unlike locust for example.

[Fleecewife]

Oh it's OK - you're forgiven already because my reaction at the time was hilarious  .  We had a good laugh