Mealworms?

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DanielleGia920

Hatchling Member
I've had my bearded dragon for about 6 weeks now and noticed she is getting bored with Phoenix worms. (She is fed Phoenix worms, crickets and salad daily) She has nearly doubled in size and is 11 inches now. We've tried horn worms, which she seems to love, but they are so big and grow so fast I'm scared she's going to choke on them. Woman at pet store suggested mealworms as an additional treat, I fed her a several over the past two days and she went nuts for them. But now I've read they are horrible to give and cause impaction because they have a very hard chitin. So of course now I'm panicked even though she's had a normal bowel movement yesterday and this morning. While rubbing her belly I did notice a couple hard "lines" that I've never noticed before. Could these just be her ribs or could they be worms? I attached a picture, which isn't the best, but if you look closely you can see a couple "lines" on the side of her that start near the spines and run towards the inner belly.
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When checking for impaction what side of her body should I be checking?

What else can I give her for some variety? I can't find silkies anywhere, hornworms seem so big and I believe she is too little for supers. She does get waxworks every now and then but I know they're high in fat so I don't give them often. I know Dubias are good but the ones at the pet store seem so big and wide. If ordering online should I get small or medium? She is 4-5 months old and 11inches.

As aslways, Thanks for your help and advise!

Danielle
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi Danelle....those are her ribs, lots of beardies look lumpy like that at times. A few mealworms here + there for a healthy dragon is not a problem. I've used them off + on for 25 years, even had a colony of them for 5 years. All the hype about how bad they are is generally aimed toward very tiny baby beardies or against feeding a whole bunch at a time. In moderation they're O.K, and you can gutload them [ feed the mealworms veggies ] before feeding them to your dragon. Dust them with calcium powder for sue.

BTW, do you not like crickets or dubia roaches ?
 

ulintze29

Member
Hi Danielle. I wouldn't get too worried over having fed her several meal worms. If she hasn't had any bowel movements yet, let her soak in a warm "bath" for a little bit. This usually helps them pass a bowel movement if they are having trouble.

I've always used dubia roaches as the staple diet (for protein, that is). I would highly suggest going the dubia route. For your beardie, I would say the small size (1/2"-5/8") would be best. To save money over the long run, you can even breed your own roaches! Dubia colonies grow like crazy once they are established. When I very first began breeding dubia, I started with about 70 females and 20 males. At the 6 month mark, I nearly had 9000 total dubia of all sizes. I have so many over the years, I have no idea what to do with all of them. I'm not sure where you are located, but send me a PM and I'll send you some dubia for nothing (like I said, I have WAY too many lol).
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
There you go, free dubias....can't beat that ! BTW, if she poo'd yesterday + today she's not impacted.
 

DanielleGia920

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Oh my that's very nice of you but dont trouble yourself. I ordered 100 small on amazon. Hopefully she likes them. Thank you again for the offer!

Thanks so much guys!

Danielle
 

DanielleGia920

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
One more question, does anyone know about how long it takes for a bearded dragon to completely digest live food, from the time it's eaten to excretion. Is it about 48 to 72 hours?
 

ulintze29

Member
I really can't say for sure, as it would vary depending on what was consumed, when they ate, if they had plenty of basking time after eating, etc. My guess would be anywhere in the 24-48 hour range.
 

DanielleGia920

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Thanks AHBD! I'm not crazy about the crickets because of the smell but I do feed them to her everyday. Usually in the morning I make her salad and give her a bowl of Phoenix worms. In the afternoon she gets crickets and then some more crickets in the evening. She just isn't as interested in the Phoenix worms like she used to be so I was looking into another feeder to give her some more variety. I'll try the Dubai, I just have to get over the whole "roach" thing. It will probably be easier using dubais since they don't smell. I refuse to buy bulk crickets because I can't stand the smell, so I literally go to the pet store every single day which is beyond inconvenient! Hopefully she likes them! Could I feed her micro Supers? They are superworms that are under 1 inch?

Thanks everyone for your help!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
No rel need for micro supers over mealworms. The nutrition content is not that different. Neither of them is good to be used as a staple but can be part of the diet.

Crickets in bulk don't smell if you set them up in a medium plastic tote with lots of climbing areas and you get them from a company that has healthy crickets . I order from Great Lakes hornworm and/or Millbrook. If you order the 1/2" , they will last a long time.
 
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