How to Set Up a Mealworm Habitat

Many pets, including reptiles and amphibians, subsist on a diet that consists primarily of insects. Pet supply stores carry traditional feeder insects like crickets, mealworms and superworms in 10 to 100 count containers, but purchasing these containers on a regular basis can become expensive. Rather than making frequent trips to the pet store for mealworms, consider building a mealworm habitat in your home and raise your own supply. This option is cost effective and you will never run out of mealworms for your pet.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic bin or storage box
  • Wheat bran or dry oatmeal
  • Newspaper
  • Water
  • Apple or potato
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a plastic bin or storage box to use as your mealworm habitat. The size you choose is up to you, but it is unnecessary to use anything taller than 10 inches because the mealworms will be unable to climb the walls and adult beetles will be unlikely to fly out of the cage. For 1,000 mealworms a container measuring approximately 10-by-17-by-6 inches is sufficient.

    • 2

      Fill the plastic container with 2 to 3 inches of bedding. The best bedding for mealworms is wheat bran, but old fashioned, uncooked oatmeal will also do.

    • 3

      Cut several sheets of newspaper to just less than the width of the cage and about half the length and lay them on top of each other over the bedding on one half of the cage. You can lightly spritz the paper with water once a day to provide moisture in the tank and the mealworms will enjoy crawling between the sheets of paper.

    • 4

      Provide your mealworms with a quarter slice of apple or half a small potato. These items will provide moisture for your mealworms without dampening the bedding.

    • 5

      Sift through the bedding once a week to remove dead worms and discarded shells and replenish the bedding as it is eaten.

    • 6

      Keep your mealworm habitat in a warm room with a temperature between 70 and 80 degrees. Warm temperatures help your mealworms develop more quickly into pupae and beetles.