In Reply to: Re: mealworms question. posted by Anne on May 26, 2000 at 11:07:24:

I still disagree and say give your gliders more mealworms. I see people saying they only give one or two a week that is pathetic. Crickets are far harder to keep, more prone to escape and the gutloading theory is a lot of rubbish. Why do I think that well I am a Ph.D level molecular biologist as is my husband and we both believe that to our hearts and understand the phusiology a lot better than the professed experts. I rarely tout my education but I DO understand the biology here and my preference is for the mealworms. Crickets take a lot more fight to kill and many gliders get overwhelmed by this. I also know that waxworms in moderation are fine to feed gliders in moderation despite the naysayers. I have done this occasionally for all the time I have had gliders.
I do stand up and say that 3-4 mealworms per day is FINE and healthy for gliders. People who say otherwise are scaremongerers. I see people who have had gliders for less than a week putting up pages with advice. I would say listen to those of us who have had some time to watch our gliders and learn from time and life. By the way Clara whose page you quote also tends to feed many insects. The info quoted also has no units and so is not worth the space it takes on a web page (Grubco's problem not Clara but she should know better to quote bogus info).
Please do not patronise me by quoting old information I have already read.
But of course after only four and a half years keeping seven very healthy gliders I may be wrong.
: Well, mealworms are fatter than crickets. A lot of sources recommend to give them in moderation, and to favor crickets over them if possible. The same way pet shops recommend mealworms over waxworms if fat contents is an issue. I don't think anybody says that they are worse than peanuts. It is true that there is a lot of controversy on diet, and I have seen recommendations for anywhere from 1 or 2 mealworms a week (with other sources of protein in the diet) to 3 to 4 a day. {The version I have seen of the Taronga Zoo diet doesn't show a number of mealworms, but there is mention of a teaspoon of fly pupae - which have a much better protein/fat ratio, (and dog kibbles - which I am sure a lot of people would disagree with)}.
: For a very informative page on nutritional value of feeder insects, see:
: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/facehugger/insect.aspl
: Cricket do seem to win when it comes to protein/fat ratio, with an added bonus of vitamin C.
: I don't think Dawn said anything wrong by advocating "not too many"...
: I don't mean to prove anybody wrong here. Just trying to put things in perspective.
: Factors like how active a glider is and what the rest of his diet is are bound to have an effect on how many mealworms are suitable for him.
: Am I mistaken? I am still in the learning process...
:

Follow Ups:

• Re: mealworms question. Sandy 11:44:47 05/26/2000 (6)
  • Re: mealworms question. Jane 16:41:39 05/26/2000 (5)
    • just a little vent Dawn 20:09:53 05/27/2000 (3)
      • Re: just a little vent Jane 10:45:19 05/28/2000 (2)
        • I'm confident in my vet, zoo, and Bourbon's advice Dawn 14:12:30 05/28/2000 (1)
          • You done now?... Ms. Shell 02:21:47 05/29/2000 (0)
    • Re: mealworms question. Sandy 17:38:16 05/26/2000 (0)