Mealworms

Live mealworms for sale in counts of 100 to 10,000. Mealworms are the larvae of the darkling beetle Tenebrio molitor. VCA Animal Hospitals lists them among suitable feeders for both leopard geckos and bearded dragons. Counts up to 10,000 cover big collections and breeders.

Mealworm nutrition

In Mark Finke's published analyses, mealworm larvae measure 61.9% moisture, 18.7% protein and 13.4% fat as fed. That is less fat than superworms at 17.7% or waxworms at 24.9%. A 2015 analysis concluded that properly supplemented lower-fat insects, such as crickets or smaller mealworms, should form the bulk of the diet for most insectivores. Like most feeders, mealworms carry far more phosphorus than calcium, at about 1:17.5, so gut load and dust them before you feed.

How to gut load mealworms

In a 2017 study, two days on a high-calcium cricket feed raised mealworm calcium enough to meet a laboratory rat calcium standard. Serve the gut load diet in a shallow dish, not as bedding. When researchers used a high-calcium diet as bedding for 48 hours, 30.7% of mealworms died. In a dish, deaths fell below 1%. VCA also suggests feeding mealworms fresh greens so the nutrition passes on to your reptile. Our guide on how to gut load feeder insects covers diets and timing.

Mealworms for leopard geckos and bearded dragons

Offer only as many as your reptile eats in one sitting, and remove leftovers. Rotate mealworms with a second staple such as dubia roaches, since every feeder insect has nutrient gaps. See the best feeder insects for leopard geckos and the best feeder insects for bearded dragons for feeding schedules by age.

How to store mealworms

Keep mealworms in the fridge to slow their growth.

Shipping and live arrival

Orders ship sometime between Sunday and Wednesday to the lower 48 states and DC. We may hold an order when heat or cold on the route puts live insects at risk. If any mealworms arrive dead, email photos or video within 1 hour of delivery, and we resend a qualifying order once at no cost. Details are on our shipping page.

Subscribe and save on mealworms

Subscribe and save 15% on deliveries every 1, 2 or 3 months. Subscription deliveries of $35 or more ship free, and you can skip, pause or cancel from your account. Pet stores and breeders buying in bulk can apply for a wholesale account.