[LinzardB]

Hey guys, i'm not sure if any of you have heard of this place, i'm sure some of the breeders have, but maybe some of the first time owners havent.

GRUBCO.COM
http://grubco.netstorekeeper.com/index.cfm?Product_ID=1

I used to get my mealies by the 500 when i had my sugar gliders, and now that i have my new hedgie, i will be buying from them again..

Anyways, the REASON to buy these worms vs. pet store worms is because you simply get the amount of worms you pay for. When you buy 25 worms (which is only .80!) you get 25 big, fat, juicy, healthy worms.. ABSOLUTELY NO DEAD ONES.

I ordered 500 once, and there were NO dead ones. No shells of mealies, no half beetles.. Just good old worms.

Anyways, i will be ordering mine tonight because i forgot to do it with all the excitement of a new little guy.. But they are the BEST>

I usually buy the MIGHT MEALIES which is really big (not as big as super worms though, they are nasty creatures) but they are temp. sold out, so i will be getting the regular mealies in Medium.

 

[Reaper]

I buy from Grubco and have always received top quality healthy worms. You might want to rethink feeding mighty's as they are fed a growth hormone to get that big. Who knows what effect it would have on hedgies. I farm my own and Grubco's mealies are extremely healthy when I buy them.

 

[PixiesExoticHedgies]

Most websites usually warn, NOT to feed the mighty worms or any hormone induced worm to your pets. They are typically farmed for fishing, etc. Not as pet food.

 

[LinzardB]

WOW, i did not know that! Thanks for the info, no one ever said anything on any of the sugar glider forums about that! I did send an email to the company asking how they make them that big, and hopefully they will respond with some good info. I know that they are a pretty trustworthy company. I will be interested in seeing what they have to say.

I will post it here when it comes/

 

[jesirose]

The website makes it sound like they are just big because they're a day or two away from becoming beetles. Where did you guys hear about this growth hormone stuff?

 

[LinzardB]

I just did a little googling, which is my favorite bored past time.. and it seems that they are not feed steroids, but natural horomones, which are a lot less dangerous than synthetic steroids because it is actually the synthetic steriod residue that is considered dangerous. It is enough horomones so that they never change into beetles but instead just keep growing. SOME still turn into beetles because they give as little horomones as needed, but they are generally sterile and will be reproduce if left in a tank together in the proper conditions..

I am still going to wait and see what the people over at grubco say, but if it is infact steriods, i would say go ahead and feed them because the amount of horomones that are in the mealies that your hedgie will ingest is probably no different than the horomones used in the meat that is in the cat food..

 

[Zalea]

The reason most people try to avoid them is because no one is sure what long-term effects an added hormone could have on a hedgehog. Hedgies are prone to cancer so some foods are avoided because too much of things in them are more likely cause cancer. And too much fat in the diet can cause FLD easily. Who knows what too much of an extra hormone could do? It's really just a better-safe-than-sorry type deal for why people recommend against them. It's just as easy to buy the untreated ones as it is to buy the treated, and the hedgie will be just as happy.

 

[Reaper]

Exactly why I don't feed them. It is the unknown future we fear. Besides it is more fun for me to feed several smaller worms than one big one anyway.

 

[LinzardB]

Well, for what it's worth, i did just get an email back from GRUBCO regarding the Mighty Mealies that are in question..

I basically asked what they do to make their Mighty Mealies so large and that I was concerned about steriod/hormone usage and this is the response i got:

We cannot give out that information. We can tell you that our mighty mealys are
perfectly safe for your animals and we do NOT use any type of steroid or hormone
on any of our insects.

I do believe them. THey have been so good to me in the past, and i could understand them not wanting to fully divulge their "trade secret" but if they say they use no hormones, i believe them. I mean, they basically tell you EVERYTHING that goes into those mealies.

 

[Jen]

Thank you so much for providing this link! I've very interested in purchasing from Grubco now. I am, however, a little confused as to how many mealworms you actually receive. One option says 1,000 CT for $6.50. Does anyone know how many mealworms that is?

 

[LizardGirl]

1000 CT (count) is 1000 mealworms. Quite a deal, considering shipping.

 

[Jen]

1000 CT (count) is 1000 mealworms. Quite a deal, considering shipping.

Oh, wow! That's what I had assumed, but then thought otherwise because it shouldn't be that cheap! Thank you, thank you.