Eye Width Rule and Chewing

As a quick disclaimer, I'm still playing things safe for the most part and not giving Ardbert anything bigger than the space between his eyes (which is presently a little over an inch), but he generally loves his big boy bugs (i.e. 1" dubia).

It is unfortunate then that he is presently a bit crazy for superworms after (yes, again) going over a month without them and I don't think any local place sells them smaller than large (which are the big 2-2.5 in ones) and while I've got an order in for some mediums (1-1.5", because the ones that were about 1" in my small shipment seem more an appropriate size than the barely visible tiny ones, lol), I am curious if a 14 in long 4 month old juvenile beardie who chews his food very thoroughly (seriously, I've seen him working a large roach his mouth and tongue into a proper bolus once, and he chews even really tiny bugs a bit) can handle the standard large mealworms that are everywhere or if it's still better to wait until he's 16 in long?

If he's a good chewer it's fine IMO.

I have an almost full grown dragon who I had to stop giving superworms to because she doesn't chew at all hardly. And since she doesn't chew she doesn't feel comfortable swallowing them, and they just end up stuck in her beard until she either works them the right way to swallow them whole, or she regurgitates them.
And on the flip side, I have a juvie who has always been a good chewer, she actually straight chomps them into 3rds usually, and the head and tail end fall out of her mouth and she has to pick them up.

So all that's to say, we give guidelines for the average owner, but what it really comes down to is just knowing your dragon.

-Brandon

I agree, all of mine could eat large superworms by the time they were 12", not a large amount though to be safe.

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know, guys! Definitely makes me less stressed about running out of smalls/mediums. :lol: