What to do with mealy worm beetles?

[salamandergal]

Hi all,
I have started raising mealy worms for my fire salamanders. Can anyone tell me if they (the sals) eat the beetles, too? I dont know what to do with the adults (beetles).

[Holding2k9]

Hi to answer your question in the simplest way possible is not to keep the beetles.

i once had 2 leopard geckos which i successfully kept for 2 years.
however at 1 point i saw the beetles bite the geckos which came up in large gashes .

my advice is as soon as they are in the pupae stage take them out and kill them .


Yours In Confidence

Tom

[Jennewt]

I've actually read the claim that the beetles are better feeders than the mealworms (lower in fat). However, if the animals refuse to eat them, then they aren't really much use as feeders! You could put them in some wheat bran and raise a next-generation of mealworms. This is particularly useful if you need small ones.

[salamandergal]

Holding and jennewt,
Thank you for the replies.Yes, I was planning to save some for breeding, just not all of them.