09/04/2025
Reposting this because I'm seeing tons of misinformation again in groups, so I know it's time and the people need it 🙏🏼.
I've seen a number of comments and posts lately asking about Mealworms, so I just wanted to share my take. There's all kinds of things that get repeated in gr0ups, so hopefully this can help address some concerns and some myths. Mealworms get a lot of hâte thrown their way unfairly.
Mealworms are an excellent feeder option. They provide all the nutrients necessary to jumpers, are easy to st0re, convenient to offer to spoods, aff0rdäble, low maintenance, readily available, and easy to portion control with variable sizing.
As a feeder, mealworms are warned against for bearded dragons because of the mealworm's thick exoskeletons (made of chitin). The thick exoskeletons can cause impaction in dragons. A jumper does not eat the exoskeleton of its prey, only the juicy insides. So there isn't the same risk with feeding mealworms to jumpers as there is with feeding mealworms to reptiles/amphibians. I think of mealworms as jumper gogurts.
It's also important to note that size matters. Most pet st0rés do not size their mealworms, but I prefer to get "miniature mealworms" (just young/baby mealworms). I typically am giving the largest mealworms from my "mini" packs to my adults, but small mealworms would also work great. Can an adult jumper (especially a large species like a regal) take down a larger mealworm? Yeah in most cases, but I like going smaller to tip the scale in the jumper's favor to avoid potential injury and also to help avoid overfeeding. Jumpers are also much more likely to strike at a feeder slightly smaller than them, vs slightly larger than them. Since mealworms last months if kept in the fridge, getting the proper size onlíne a few times a year isn't much of a hassle.
Some people crush the heads of mealworms to avoid any chances of them hurting their jumper. I have never done this and feel its unnecessary, but if it makes people more comfortable it also doesn't hurt to do. The only drawback is reduced movement, and having to replace the feeder if the jumper doesn't take it within a day of crushing the head. I just feed a lot of jumpers and don't have time to babysit and make an event out of every feeding. I also like allowing the jumper to take their time with the mealworm. It's okay to leave mealworms unattended with jumpers, as long as they are in a food dish the feeder cannot escape from. Clear food dishes allow the jumper to notice the feeder wiggling from anywhere in the enclosure and keep the feeder from hiding or pupating. 3d printed food dishes are not my favorite because they limit the jumpers ability to notice the feeder and also have layer lines the feeder can use to climb out of the dish. If you need one, I have made the same high quality acrylic food dish for years, and they are being used in hundreds if not thousands of enclosures by now.
Another point that comes up often is jumper preference. "My jumper won't eat mealworms". This can kind of be true. Jumpers will attack fast moving prey (like flies and roaches) much more quickly than they will attack slow moving prey (like mealworms). It's not uncommon for people to overfeed their spoods. This means the jumpers are being offered feeders when they don't necessarily need them yet. A jumper who isn't really hungry will still strike at a fly in their enclosure, whereas a mealworm might be ignored in the food dish for days or even a week. I suspect many of the people who try mealworms without success are either offering ones that are way too large, offering them before the jumper is truly hungry, or not providing enough time for the jumpers to strike at the feeder (possibly because they are afraid to leave the feeder in the enclosure due to prevalent misinformation regarding mealworms). I have used mini mealworms as my main food source for thousands of jumpers over years of bré3díng. I have used them for regius, otiosus, carneus, texanus, pius, audax, and probably some others I can't think of right now. In my experience, very very very rarely will any of these species flat out not eat mealworms of the appropriate size when presented in the correct way.
A few people have reported a mealworm kilIing/eating their Spood. This is usually a misunderstanding or an inaccurate jump to conclusions. Mealworms are detritivores, they eat déad things. If a jumper passes and the owner gets home and finds it being eaten by the mealworm, the mealworm is often blamed for the deäth. I like to ask questions when I see stories like this, and it's almost always revealed that the jumper wasn't acting right or was super skinny and not eating prior to the death. It is possible a mealworm could húrt a jumper (they have supposedly kilIed tarantulas while the T is molting underground and soft), but the thréat is exaggerated. Especially since jumpers molt way faster than T's and are usually up high. Jumpers also can move if necessary within an hour or two of molting, and they usually molt in thick web hammocks that mealworms would have trouble moving through.
I have had people comment on this in the past explaining how they WATCHED the mealworm bite their jumper during a feeding, and the jumper passed shortly after. Every time I ask about the mealworm size (or they included a picture) and the mealworms are way larger than what I am recommending here. Again, size matters. Feeding a mealworm as big or larger than your jumper is absolutely a risk.
I haven't typed all this to claim everyone should use mealworms. I'm only sharing my experience with them, and attempting to shed some light on a lot of the misinformation I see spread around. Other feeders are obviously great options too. Spikes, flies, roaches, crickets, buffalo beetle larvae (lesser mealworms), and wax worms are all viable. Use what works for you, they all have their pros and cóns. I will say that wax worms should not be a standard feeder, as they are very high in fat content. Also, if you are afraid mealworms will hurt your Spood, crickets are equally or even more dängerous. Crickets get around easier and more intentionally than mealworms, and their mandibles and legs are extremely strong. they are also dífficult to contain with a food dish so they end up hiding within an enclosure. I don't like feeders that hide because you can end up with 3+ in an enclosure and your jumper can gorge themselves on them all in a short time. It makes portion control dífficult. Overfeeding causes jumpers lifespan to decrease while increasing the chances of an injury.
Be sure to only feed/offer one mealworm at a time. It is not necessary to put multiples in the food dish.
If you would like to try mini mealworms for your spoods, I highly recommend 0rdéring them. The only pet st0ré that stocks them reliably is Petc0. If you aren't near a Petc0, I have been recommending ABDragons wébsíte for years. They have excellent cústomér service, frée standard shlpping, and very fäir príclng. Recently, I was able to obtain a prom0 c0de. You can use "SuperSpoodJumpers" for some sâvings.
If you are interested in the food dishes I make and mentioned above, feel free to reach out.
