OUR STORY
Why We Do It
My husband Jeff and I love all animals- big and small!! They are our greatest passion! To give them even a fraction of the love, respect, and complete happiness they have given us, look out for their well-being, and be their voice when they need one, are the goals we try to reach everyday! And for us be able to contribute to your pets and wild birds happiness and well-being through our vita-mealies®, makes us feel like we are accomplishing some of those goals and doing something vitally important for animals everywhere!! So, we thank you for allowing us to share our vita-mealies® with your critters. And after one taste, they will thank you too!
How Vita-Mealies® were started
We have been dealing with mealworms and mealworm eating animals for more than 25 years! And since our pets are our children, we make sure we only feed them the same types of safe, healthy foods that we feed ourselves! We thought that the mealworms we had been purchasing at the pet store were just that. That is until we found out that juvenile growth hormone raised "Giants", chemically created to be used for fishing, were being sold in the pet stores for pets. I had never even heard of "giant" mealworms for fishing, let alone that they were also being sold for pet consumption. All I knew is that I won't feed my family members chicken that has been raised with a growth hormone, and I sure as heck won't feed my pets a mealworm that has been treated with hormones either!!! So, as quickly as we learned this, we stopped purchasing and began raising our own mealworms. And since we knew everything that went into our mealworms, we had never felt safer feeding mealworms to our pets! But it still didn't feel like it was enough. I had been buying all organic veggies and fruits for us, and decided the mealworms should also be fed 100% organic, so I changed from just wheat bran to USDA certified organic wheat bran and when possible, I made sure to buy only organic veggies and fruits for them. But that still didn't feel like it was enough either. Because no matter how healthy the mealworms were raised, we still always had to supplement them with various recommended vitamins for our various pets we were feeding (ie: reptiles, birds, hamsters etc...) prior to feeding them. Then it hit me!!!!! Why not take a combination of the vitamins and supplements (ie: calcium, protein and Hawaiian spirulina) that are common for all of the mealworm eating critters that we feed and add small amounts of those ingredients in organic form to the organic wheat bran we had been using, and raise our mealworms on that mixture? I don't just mean to gut-load the worms with the mixture shortly before feeding them to the critters for a "quickie vitamin fix" either, because that's really no different than dusting them with the supplements. What I wanted to do was to actually feed the larvae this mixture of organic wheat bran supplement with small amounts of organic vitamins and nutrients as their diet. That way not only would our pets definitely be getting these much needed supplements when they consumed the vitamin enriched mealworms, but the mealworms would also be the healthiest organic live mealie ever! And a healthy vitamin enriched mealworm would in turn be a HAPPY one, and a HEALTHY, and HAPPY mealworm is a yummy mealworm!
And thus, vita-mealies® were born- literally (umm, well- technically, I guess they were hatched)-!!
Who can benefit from Vita-Mealies®
Our vita-mealies are perfect for any protein eating pet that enjoys live insects such as, but not limited to: **PROTEIN-EATING REPTILES, BLUEBIRDS AND OTHER MEALWORM EATING WILD BIRDS, SUGAR GLIDERS, HEDGEHOGS, HAMSTERS, RATTIES AND OTHER RODENTS, DUCKS, CHICKENS, KOI FISH AND OTHER PROTEIN EATING FISH, PET SKUNKS, FROGS AND OTHER AMPHIBIANS, AND MANY MORE, CAN BENEFIT FROM OUR VITA-MEALIES!! The vitamins and nutrients used in the vita-feed mixture we've raised the vita-mealies® on are safe for all mealworm eating critters. While our products are 100% organic, we can only sell them for animal consumption and NOT for human consumption.
We are so sure that vita-mealies are "the perfect mealworm" that we had the vita-mealie® name registered as a trademark!!
How we do it~
Vita-mealies® are grown on a diet consisting of ONLY all organic ingredients during their entire life cycle. This diet includes: Our vita-feed bedding, which is USDA certified organic wheat bran, organic whey protein powder (non-gmo), calcium derived from oyster shells (one of the only forms of purely organic calcium) and the finest organic Hawaiian Spirulina. And, for hydration, we use organic apples of different varieties (ie: Red and Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, etc...) , organic carrots and organic baby leaf lettuces (we also use organic celery when growing our vita-supers). And every now and then, we give them occasional organic orange slices for an added dose of sweetness.
We raise our vita-mealies® to a premium 1/2" to 1" Grade A Stage (most are 3/4" when shipped but some can be a mix of between 1/2" to 1"), and then, each order is hand-picked for you when it is time to ship them (not scooped and dumped like the other companies do)!! We ship them in breathable mesh bags with egg crates and newspapers (soy based inks only) so they stay nice and cool during transit (during cool fall and winter months, smaller orders are shipped in reusable food grade containers with a screen lid in their vita-feed bedding to keep them insulated from the cold). AND, our vita-mealies® have never been refrigerated during the growth process in order to slow their growth rate down,/keep them in larval stage. You can be sure that your order of vita-mealies® are super fresh , golden and wiggling when we pick and pack them for you. Once the worms arrive to you, you will need to follow the tips on our care-sheet to get your order ready to store in dormancy. This allows you to keep them successfully in the larval stage and, just as healthy as the day you received them, for up to 3 months!
Our bins are thoroughly cleaned between breeding cycles with a high powered steam-cleaner, and our bedding is constantly sifted and changed as needed to avoid any mold or bacteria growth!
Several of our customers report that their Sugar Gliders Fur is much shinier and their eyes are brighter since changing from regular mealworms to our vita-mealies®. Our very own reptiles, hamsters and finch, as well as all the wild birds and animals that we care for are the healthiest they have ever been since we came up with the vita-feed formula for our vita-mealies®! We've been told by many customers that bluebirds literally line up for them and some even knock on the windows/sliding glass doors with their beaks, begging for more! As the vita-mealie® name grows, so do the comments and testimonials! One customer on Glider Gossip summed it up perfectly by simply saying "Camillie's Vita-mealies ROCK!" We appreciate all the comments and hope that you keep 'em coming! Click HERE to read what others are saying and Click HERE to leave a comment now!! :)
What we sell and where we ship~
We sell all quantities of Vita-mealies® -from 300 count all the way up to 10,000 count!
We have recently added Naturally Dried mealworms and Naturally Dried Supers to our site as well for those times when you may not have live on hand or for those finicky critters that prefer dried (or maybe you just don't like to handle the Live worms- we understand and have gotcha covered).
We can also customize orders to suit your needs. Just email us with what you need and we will do our best to fill it!
We also sell our vita-feed bedding mixture and kits for breeding Darkling Beetles so you can grow your own vita-mealies,, as well as other supplies. Visit frequently as we are adding new items to our site all the time as the Vita-mealie® name grows.
We only ship to the lower 48 states. Sorry, no shipping to The Virgin Islands, Hawaii, or Alaska due to live shipment regulations in these areas as well as the length of time the worms would have to be in transit!
So, give us a try and you'll see-
That your pets will prefer our vita-mealies...
They may even ask for them by name!
www.vita-mealie.weebly.com [email protected]
My husband Jeff and I love all animals- big and small!! They are our greatest passion! To give them even a fraction of the love, respect, and complete happiness they have given us, look out for their well-being, and be their voice when they need one, are the goals we try to reach everyday! And for us be able to contribute to your pets and wild birds happiness and well-being through our vita-mealies®, makes us feel like we are accomplishing some of those goals and doing something vitally important for animals everywhere!! So, we thank you for allowing us to share our vita-mealies® with your critters. And after one taste, they will thank you too!
How Vita-Mealies® were started
We have been dealing with mealworms and mealworm eating animals for more than 25 years! And since our pets are our children, we make sure we only feed them the same types of safe, healthy foods that we feed ourselves! We thought that the mealworms we had been purchasing at the pet store were just that. That is until we found out that juvenile growth hormone raised "Giants", chemically created to be used for fishing, were being sold in the pet stores for pets. I had never even heard of "giant" mealworms for fishing, let alone that they were also being sold for pet consumption. All I knew is that I won't feed my family members chicken that has been raised with a growth hormone, and I sure as heck won't feed my pets a mealworm that has been treated with hormones either!!! So, as quickly as we learned this, we stopped purchasing and began raising our own mealworms. And since we knew everything that went into our mealworms, we had never felt safer feeding mealworms to our pets! But it still didn't feel like it was enough. I had been buying all organic veggies and fruits for us, and decided the mealworms should also be fed 100% organic, so I changed from just wheat bran to USDA certified organic wheat bran and when possible, I made sure to buy only organic veggies and fruits for them. But that still didn't feel like it was enough either. Because no matter how healthy the mealworms were raised, we still always had to supplement them with various recommended vitamins for our various pets we were feeding (ie: reptiles, birds, hamsters etc...) prior to feeding them. Then it hit me!!!!! Why not take a combination of the vitamins and supplements (ie: calcium, protein and Hawaiian spirulina) that are common for all of the mealworm eating critters that we feed and add small amounts of those ingredients in organic form to the organic wheat bran we had been using, and raise our mealworms on that mixture? I don't just mean to gut-load the worms with the mixture shortly before feeding them to the critters for a "quickie vitamin fix" either, because that's really no different than dusting them with the supplements. What I wanted to do was to actually feed the larvae this mixture of organic wheat bran supplement with small amounts of organic vitamins and nutrients as their diet. That way not only would our pets definitely be getting these much needed supplements when they consumed the vitamin enriched mealworms, but the mealworms would also be the healthiest organic live mealie ever! And a healthy vitamin enriched mealworm would in turn be a HAPPY one, and a HEALTHY, and HAPPY mealworm is a yummy mealworm!
And thus, vita-mealies® were born- literally (umm, well- technically, I guess they were hatched)-!!
Who can benefit from Vita-Mealies®
Our vita-mealies are perfect for any protein eating pet that enjoys live insects such as, but not limited to: **PROTEIN-EATING REPTILES, BLUEBIRDS AND OTHER MEALWORM EATING WILD BIRDS, SUGAR GLIDERS, HEDGEHOGS, HAMSTERS, RATTIES AND OTHER RODENTS, DUCKS, CHICKENS, KOI FISH AND OTHER PROTEIN EATING FISH, PET SKUNKS, FROGS AND OTHER AMPHIBIANS, AND MANY MORE, CAN BENEFIT FROM OUR VITA-MEALIES!! The vitamins and nutrients used in the vita-feed mixture we've raised the vita-mealies® on are safe for all mealworm eating critters. While our products are 100% organic, we can only sell them for animal consumption and NOT for human consumption.
We are so sure that vita-mealies are "the perfect mealworm" that we had the vita-mealie® name registered as a trademark!!
How we do it~
Vita-mealies® are grown on a diet consisting of ONLY all organic ingredients during their entire life cycle. This diet includes: Our vita-feed bedding, which is USDA certified organic wheat bran, organic whey protein powder (non-gmo), calcium derived from oyster shells (one of the only forms of purely organic calcium) and the finest organic Hawaiian Spirulina. And, for hydration, we use organic apples of different varieties (ie: Red and Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, etc...) , organic carrots and organic baby leaf lettuces (we also use organic celery when growing our vita-supers). And every now and then, we give them occasional organic orange slices for an added dose of sweetness.
We raise our vita-mealies® to a premium 1/2" to 1" Grade A Stage (most are 3/4" when shipped but some can be a mix of between 1/2" to 1"), and then, each order is hand-picked for you when it is time to ship them (not scooped and dumped like the other companies do)!! We ship them in breathable mesh bags with egg crates and newspapers (soy based inks only) so they stay nice and cool during transit (during cool fall and winter months, smaller orders are shipped in reusable food grade containers with a screen lid in their vita-feed bedding to keep them insulated from the cold). AND, our vita-mealies® have never been refrigerated during the growth process in order to slow their growth rate down,/keep them in larval stage. You can be sure that your order of vita-mealies® are super fresh , golden and wiggling when we pick and pack them for you. Once the worms arrive to you, you will need to follow the tips on our care-sheet to get your order ready to store in dormancy. This allows you to keep them successfully in the larval stage and, just as healthy as the day you received them, for up to 3 months!
Our bins are thoroughly cleaned between breeding cycles with a high powered steam-cleaner, and our bedding is constantly sifted and changed as needed to avoid any mold or bacteria growth!
Several of our customers report that their Sugar Gliders Fur is much shinier and their eyes are brighter since changing from regular mealworms to our vita-mealies®. Our very own reptiles, hamsters and finch, as well as all the wild birds and animals that we care for are the healthiest they have ever been since we came up with the vita-feed formula for our vita-mealies®! We've been told by many customers that bluebirds literally line up for them and some even knock on the windows/sliding glass doors with their beaks, begging for more! As the vita-mealie® name grows, so do the comments and testimonials! One customer on Glider Gossip summed it up perfectly by simply saying "Camillie's Vita-mealies ROCK!" We appreciate all the comments and hope that you keep 'em coming! Click HERE to read what others are saying and Click HERE to leave a comment now!! :)
What we sell and where we ship~
We sell all quantities of Vita-mealies® -from 300 count all the way up to 10,000 count!
We have recently added Naturally Dried mealworms and Naturally Dried Supers to our site as well for those times when you may not have live on hand or for those finicky critters that prefer dried (or maybe you just don't like to handle the Live worms- we understand and have gotcha covered).
We can also customize orders to suit your needs. Just email us with what you need and we will do our best to fill it!
We also sell our vita-feed bedding mixture and kits for breeding Darkling Beetles so you can grow your own vita-mealies,, as well as other supplies. Visit frequently as we are adding new items to our site all the time as the Vita-mealie® name grows.
We only ship to the lower 48 states. Sorry, no shipping to The Virgin Islands, Hawaii, or Alaska due to live shipment regulations in these areas as well as the length of time the worms would have to be in transit!
So, give us a try and you'll see-
That your pets will prefer our vita-mealies...
They may even ask for them by name!
www.vita-mealie.weebly.com [email protected]
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