teri <SMG2@psuvm.psu.edu> (05/08/91)
In a previous article halfdome@tc.fluke.COM (Alex Dorchak) writes: >Does anyone out there know how to "raise" a mealworm (is that one word >"mealworm" or two "meal worm"?)? As previously mentioned, these birds are big >and will need a large supply of large sized worms. Does anyone else have any >better ideas? Go to a pet store that knows something about reptiles. They should be able to help you. You might not want to try a chain pet store, people there are usually not all that knowledgable about much besides the price of their puppy-mill dogs (excuse me, a "minor" peeve). I suggest a privately owned store specializing in fish and reptiles. Good Luck, Teri (who untill she gets her own account uses steves)
halfdome@tc.fluke.COM (Alex Dorchak) (05/08/91)
I have a gamebird farm here in western Washington state. One type of pheasant
that I keep is the Himalayan Impeyan. This bird is larger than any of the
common ringneck varirties, and is one of the most beautiful of all pheasants
(birds). Its natural range is mountainous terrain, note the name, at high
elevations (8,000 - 15,000 feet). Their diet seems to be mostly animal compared
to other pheasants which tend to be mostly vegetable eaters. Since I have no
steady supply of "large Grubs" which is supposed ot be their favorite, I have
decided to attempt to raise mealworms :-).
Does anyone out there know how to "raise" a mealworm (is that one word
"mealworm" or two "meal worm"?)? As previously mentioned, these birds are big
and will need a large supply of large sized worms. Does anyone else have any
better ideas?
Thanks in advance
Alex
Dorchak's Fine feathered friends.
--
Alex Dorchak
Domain: halfdome@tc.fluke.COM
Voice : (206) 356-6443
UUCP : {uw-beaver,decwrl,microsof,sun}!fluke!halfdome
USMAIL: John Fluke Mfg. Co. / P.O. Box 9090 / Everett WA 98206-9090helen@argosy.UUCP (Helen Kastner) (05/09/91)
In article <91128.134308SMG2@psuvm.psu.edu> SMG2@psuvm.psu.edu (teri) writes: >In a previous article halfdome@tc.fluke.COM (Alex Dorchak) writes: > >>Does anyone out there know how to "raise" a mealworm (is that one word > >Go to a pet store that knows something about reptiles. They should be able to In addition to pet stores, call or write a zoo; chances are that if they're not raising their own, they will have a supplier you could talk to. BTW, someplace in the back of my mind, I've a recollection of a reptile breeder telling me that mealworms were not particularly nutritious. At least for some lizards. But I can't remember what he suggested as a substitute. hk helen@maspar.com "Pragmatism? Is that all uunet!decwrl!argosy!helen all you have to offer?" Sunnyvale, CA - Tom Stoppard
mdobbins@dvnspc1.Dev.Unisys.COM (Michael Dobbins) (05/10/91)
In article <1991May8.135330.13185@tc.fluke.COM> halfdome@tc.fluke.COM (Alex Dorchak) writes: > >Does anyone out there know how to "raise" a mealworm (is that one word I raised a small quantity for feeding small lizards. I used a cookie tin with holes punched in the top to hold everything. I put in corn meal, oats and an assortment of other ground grains I happened to have around the kitchen. I put in a couple cut pieces of potato (skins, peelings, etc) to provide a moisture source. Replace/add more when they dry out. I added mealworms purchased from the local pet shop. These mealworms eventually matured into beetles, laid eggs, thus producing more mealworms. I would periodically harvest part of the population and kept the culture going for several years. I didn't pay too much attention to the culture, and I don't remember exact times for how long it took to produce the next generation of mealworms. It seems like it took a couple of weeks (a month?) for a mealworm to mature into a beetle. I am not sure how well what I did will scale up to the volume you need to feed large birds, but the principles will be the same and mealworms are easy grow. You will have a ramp-up time to get production to the level you need. I have no idea as to how much space you should allocate to growing mealworms. >"mealworm" or two "meal worm"?)? As previously mentioned, these birds are big Mealworm is the creature, meal worm is when it is eaten :-) >and will need a large supply of large sized worms. Does anyone else have any >better ideas? Have you tried earthworms? Either instead of mealworms or for variety in the diet.
klm@eecs.cs.pdx.edu (Kathy L. McRae) (05/16/91)
In article <1991May8.135330.13185@tc.fluke.COM> halfdome@tc.fluke.COM (Alex Dorchak) writes: > >Does anyone out there know how to "raise" a mealworm (is that one word I found some pupas in a batch of mealworms once and decided to see if I could "grow my own" ;-) It's pretty simple, actually. Find yourself a container thatwill hold the mealworms. They don't really need water, but you need to give them something to eat. Grains that have been made into meal work best, of course---oat meal, corn meal, probably even Malt-O-Meal. Anyway...the mealworms will go through the normal insect cycle. They are first in a larval stage. Eventually, they pupate and lie dormant for about 4-6 weeks.Then, suddenly one day, you'll see beetles in the container. Well, the beetles breed, lay eggs, and (Ta Da!) these hatch into MORE MEALWORMS! I don't know how big these birds are that you want to feed mealworms to, but it seems to me that you'd have to grow mealworms on a mighty big scale if you have a lot of birds. But give it a try. Me...I'd be seein' if they'd eat nightcrawlers. %-) Good luck! Kathy