GliderCENTRAL

large mealworms concern

Posted By: snowbabygliders

large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 07:44 PM

i saw a post or thread that didnt give me the option to respond. I just wanted to let the community know it is my opinion to stick with medium regular mealworms. the large ones have hormones given to them to make them large and not pupate. thye are mainly best used for bait when fishing and not safe for our gliders or any animals to eat. kristy
Posted By: Trigger

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 07:50 PM

Are you talking about the giant or mighty mealies? These are the ones I have heard are treated.
The regular mealies , tiny, small, medium & large are OK, these are not treated.
Posted By: snowbabygliders

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 07:57 PM

just be careful on the large(read the fine print in other words;)), depends on the company but the giants/mighty for sure are treated and to steer clear of them for feeding our suggies.
Posted By: nancy1202

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 08:36 PM

Mealworms for bait are raised/fed differently than mealworms raised for feeding exotics. I now farm my own mealworms, but also have a bin of mighty mealies from Grubco in my fridge. I have no problem with giving my gliders an occasional mighty, with assurance from Grubco that they are safe. It does depend on the supplier and how they are raised. These mighties WILL pupate if I leave the bin out too long for the weekly feeding.
Posted By: snowbabygliders

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 08:42 PM

Originally Posted By: nancy1202
Mealworms for bait are raised/fed differently than mealworms raised for feeding exotics. I now farm my own mealworms, but also have a bin of mighty mealies from Grubco in my fridge. I have no problem with giving my gliders an occasional mighty, with assurance from Grubco that they are safe. It does depend on the supplier and how they are raised. These mighties WILL pupate if I leave them out too long while feeding them.

not necessarily true. i order from nyworms.com what is considered safe from one company wanting their customers to buy( a common salesperson may say something to get you to buy) i do not have experience with that company so i cant say yay or nay just that i'd rather be safe than sorry is all. thats something we must think about IMO. i also started my own farm last night with 15,000 sent to me lol. i was trying to state that mighties/kings are produced that way by addding hormones. so my question would be how come our mediums dont get to that size if they are not introduced to hormones then? kristy:)
Posted By: Cora

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 08:43 PM

yes, the mighties morph into aliens then beetles. Yes I feed them and have for years.
Posted By: snowbabygliders

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 08:46 PM

how come our mediums dont get to be mighties or are they a different species? kristy
i also didnt mean mealworms raised specifically for bait....i get mine from a mealworm farm that does have the kings/mighties available but also the regular mediums for our exotic pets and i was meaning the kings/mighties are basically only safe for bait and not our animals. This is coming from years of herp experience lol. just a concern and a question id like answered all with good intentions. kristy:)
Posted By: Trigger

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 08:49 PM

I have fed the mighties too from Grubco and supers, and mealies, & waxies. All my guys are fine.
You do need to be aware of what you get from which company. I know Grubco says theirs are raised for feeders and are safe. Some people like I think Wormman state on the site that their giants are for fishing not feeding.
Posted By: snowbabygliders

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 08:53 PM

yes on nyworms.com thye also state the kings are made by adding in hormones and are best used for bait, all the others are for pets. This is boggling my mind lol:) kristy
Posted By: Cora

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/19/09 08:53 PM

I only buy from Grubco or Armstrongs Cricket Farm (For Mealies). smile
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/30/09 08:29 PM

What about Superworms.. are they given hormones too?
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/30/09 08:41 PM

Yes, it is true that they give mighty mealies hormones. It is supposed to still be safe to feed your animals though. I chose not to feed them. It is a personal choice. There is an article from suncoast that discusses this http://www.sugar-gliders.com/glidervet-55.htm
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: large mealworms concern - 04/30/09 08:43 PM

I believe superworms are a different beetle then mealworms. I don't feed them either though just because they freak me out. lol I've also been bitten by one before.
Posted By: sugarlope

Re: large mealworms concern - 05/01/09 05:03 AM

Originally Posted By: slwhite14
What about Superworms.. are they given hormones too?


As Julie said, superworms are the larval stage of a different species of darkling beetle than the mealworms, so no, they are not fed hormones (as far as I know).

It depends on the site that you look at, whether hormone fed mealworms are safe to feed or not. Some bug companies say they are and some bug companies say they are for bait use only and not a safe feeder choice.
Posted By: snowbabygliders

Re: large mealworms concern - 07/29/09 07:39 PM

Originally Posted By: partyofsix
Yes, it is true that they give mighty mealies hormones. It is supposed to still be safe to feed your animals though. I chose not to feed them. It is a personal choice. There is an article from suncoast that discusses this http://www.sugar-gliders.com/glidervet-55.htm


bringing up an older thread but i feel its important. I just talked to my wholesaler that sells the giants/mighties.(another mealworm company besides the nyworms i listed above) he stated that any company that says they are not hormone injected are out for a sale. Think about it, a lot of companies will do anything to make a sale. giants are hormone injected he said. He runs a well-known very large nationwide bug company. He told me its impossible no matter what you feed to get giants or mighties without a juvenile hormone. How else do they natuarally get that large, they dont, no matter how much you and I or a company gutloads a mealie, its gonna get to large state then pupate.

They have hormones i strongly believe to be true. Larges and smaller ones are all ok. Supers dont have hormones as they are a different beattle. Giants and mighties do. This is what I have been told and believe me, he'd want to make a sale to me if he could. He knows that being dishonest in his sales could cause issues.

I am concerned still that people are feeding hormone injected mealies by the advice of a companies sales dept. that they are "safe" and not realizing it. No matter what the hormone is(even if a company feels it is safe), I still find it concerning as any hormones given to our gliders could not be safe. ASK this. do they give them juvenile growth hormones or use the word steroids. Also i feel its best to be safe than sorry. Id love to hear a vets perspective on so-called "safe" hormones for animals??? I dont feel any hormones given to an animal whether stated safe or not or given to us for that matter is healthy and completely safe. Just looking out for our beloved gliders out there with still much concern.

worried Kristy
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: large mealworms concern - 07/30/09 02:13 AM

Hormones are in TONS of things we eat every day and don't even think about. We're starting to see the effects in children reaching puberty earlier and earlier, hence the growing push for organic foods now, especially meat and dairy.

I don't feed mighties, or giants, or whatever they want to call these hormone bugs. I think it's unnatural and weird, and I'd rather hand out 4-5 of something to my glider than just 1-2 at treat time. But, I'm also not convinced that it does huge amounts of damage necessarily either...it's simply unknown at this point. I lean toward the "better safe than sorry" perspective, but I make my own choice and respect everyone else's as well.
Posted By: josefine

Re: large mealworms concern - 07/30/09 02:34 AM

what are the side effects? i have fed the superworms,of which i bought from nyworms. i have no idea if these have been injected w/hormones.
talk @ ya L8R
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: large mealworms concern - 07/30/09 03:13 PM

Superworms are ok josefine. They are a different beetle entirely, that's why they are so big. The "mighty" and "giant" mealworms are the ones that have been injected with hormones to keep them from pupating. The side effects of feeding these hormone injected worms to gliders and other critters hasn't been researched - side effects are unknown.
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