CHF 3.90
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Ready for dispatch in 1-3 days, delivery time 14 working days
Giant mealworms - Tenebrio molitor
The mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) - mealworms are classic food for soft-feeding birds.
- For birds
- also available in small quantities for reptiles
Giant mealworms are mealworms in which a special breeding method causes the larvae to pupate much later. As a result, the larvae become much larger and almost reach the size of Zophobas. Nutritional values, storage and all other parameters correspond to those of normal mealworms.
We obtain the giant mealworms from a breeder of fishing bait. Substances that may affect the pupation of the animals may have been used in the breeding of the worms.
The mealworm is actually the larva of the mealworm beetle. It hatches from an egg and grows to a size of approx. 25 mm after moulting several times. Finally, the beetle larva pupates, from which another beetle emerges. Mealworms are among the oldest commercially bred food animals. They are relatively easy to breed and are produced in large numbers. Mealworms are actually pests that are mainly known from grain mills, as the larvae prefer to feed on flour or its waste products. As it is not possible to use insecticides in mills, it is difficult to deal with an infestation.
Mealworms are classic food for soft-feeding birds. Hundreds of tonnes of the beetle larvae are produced for this purpose throughout Europe every year. A bird's stomach is well prepared for this type of food. A mealworm consists mainly of a hard, chitinous shell and has few nutrients due to its rather simple diet. However, a reptile's stomach is poorly prepared for these conditions. If too many or only mealworms are fed to reptiles, deficiency symptoms or obesity can occur. It can also be recognised from the animals' faecal residues that mealworms are not digested properly. Feeding mealworms with vegetables or fruit before feeding them only has the effect of a certain vitaminisation, which could also be achieved by pollinating the beetle larvae with a vitamin preparation. The high fat content of mealworms is another reason why the larvae should only be given to reptiles as supplementary food.
For many bird lovers, however, they are the staple food of their favourites and are mainly bred for this purpose.
At temperatures below 10 degrees C. the animals become motionless but are not dead. This can be utilised for storage. At temperatures of 6-8 degrees C. the animals can be stored for several weeks without food.
Order by Sunday evening - delivery on Thursday
Orders received by Sunday evening will be dispatched by A Mail on Wednesday or Thursday.
Please enter a recipient address where the parcel can be delivered.
We accept no responsibility for parcels that are delivered late or collected late.
The live food animals in the shop are only available at this price on Wednesdays - the prices per tin are otherwise CHF 1.00 per tin higher, as we also feed and care for the food animals.
Even with the greatest care, it can happen that feed animals die due to temperature fluctuations or unpredictable events. We accept no liability for this.
5 of 5 reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
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17 May 2026 13:53
The do seem to mature rather quickly
I bought these a few times had some delays with shipping but the items seemed healthy and although they seem to mature quickly my bearded dragon seems happy
13 May 2025 10:52
Je vous le recommande
Arrivés tous en bonne santé
15 October 2021 07:41
All good.
All good.
2 March 2021 11:23
Everything was tip top
Everything was tip top
2 September 2018 18:30
bien emballé ...
bien emballé
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