Question about Mealies (for my Geckos, not my Beardie)

[JessieB]

I have 3 geckos so ordering 1000 mealies is more cost efficient, but I always find that by the time I get down to last ones (maybe 100 or so) their container is disgusting w/ their poop.  But they burrow in it, etc so I don't know if its possible to clean it out??  How do the rest of you get around this or just deal w/ it??  I hate the smell and just the thought of it makes me ill!!  I usually end up wasting the last bit of them because it grosses me out too much.  I was thinking a screen that the poo would fall through, but they wouldn't climb through, but now sure??  Any thoughts?? 

[Ryan75]

What do you keep them in (substrate)?

[ladyknite]

take a small piece of window screening and place in the bottom of your container.  Use packing tape or hot glue (packing tape allows you to easily remove it) to hold it in place.  Mealie poop goes thru the screen, but it's too small for the mealies.

[sinsa]

take a small piece of window screening and place in the bottom of your container.  Use packing tape or hot glue (packing tape allows you to easily remove it) to hold it in place.  Mealie poop goes thru the screen, but it's too small for the mealies.

WOW

That's just AWESOMESAUCE!  Will this work with any feeder?  I know that roaches should be allowed to use their filth as bedding but it's really gross!

[ladyknite]

you can do a little larger screen for the roaches.
For silkworms, I use that craft plastic stuff.  Just all depends on the bug.

If you're using it for bugs such as mealies, supers, crix or roaches, I'd use an actual allumnium, steel or other wire mesh and not the plastic screen stuff.  something about the bugs eating plastic equates giving babies mylicon drops.  Plastic thru the system could be slightly un nerving.

[sinsa]

That great!

Do you mean the cross stitching base that I made tissue boxes out of when I was a kid?  Wonder why they eat that yet not the cardboard of the egg crates.

[sinsa]

This give me a thought.  Making a roach bin using two bins.  The first bin you cut the top and the bottom and put a screen on both holes.  Then just place the cut container inside of the one you left alone and then you don't have to re-tape each time you clean.

[ladyknite]

might work.  but you'll create a space in there that will hold moisture, bacteria and other little nasties if you aren't careful.  The right, and enough ventilation and you should be good.

and they do eat the cardboard egg crates if they're hungry enough.