mealworm diet

[inky]

My dragon is 2 months old and my dad bought 50 mealworms for us to feed him a few a day weve only fed him 3 mealworms so far and i heard that mealworms can cause impaction so how often should i feed my dragon the mealworms

 

[KarrieRee]

My dragon is 2 months old and my dad bought 50 mealworms for us to feed him a few a day weve only fed him 3 mealworms so far and i heard that mealworms can cause impaction so how often should i feed my dragon the mealworms

Welcome to the forum -- to be honest I would not feed him any and yes you are right mealworms are not a good worm to feed babies they are more for older dragons like 6 months and up - hes still growing and that includes the intestines and being hes so small they get impacted from the exoskeleton on the meal worms - please find him a staple feeder like crickets I dont like them they stink and are escape artist dubia roaches I recommend those they are easier to keep they dont stink and they are a better nutritional insect or for the baby a good staple feeder along w/ the dubias are BSFL - you can get these from here on this site they are called nutri grubs www.dubiaroaches.com - you want a insect no bigger than the space between the eyes there is a chart on the site please go by that and nutri grubs I would start w/ mediums they are very soft and small and calcium enriched - please dont dust those but you do need to dust your insects - he should be fed 2-3 times per day but you only dust the insects ONCE per day- calcium D3 5 x per week and a vitamin w / beta carotene 2 x per week - are you offering salads? Those should be fed every day even if he doesnt eat but a little this is how he gets most of his moisture if you rinse the greens before serving and BSFL/ nutri grubs are a good salad luere ---- you should have good UVB that is a long tube fixture please no coils and a good clear bright white basking bulb like a Exo Terra Intense basking bulb or a Zoo Med Repti basking bulb - basking surface temps should be 105-110 and those should be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer please no stick ons they are inaccurate for basking temps - if you need more help or suggestions / links for anything please ask
www.dubiaroaches.com - a 10 gallon aquarium or tote is good for keeping roaches in - you can feed them what the dragon eats for veggies most like carrots and squash and fruit I feed mine dubia chow / food and dubia dew for hydration - you want to keep your insects gut loaded meaning good and hydrated -
you can also get BSFL from here www.symtonbsf.com you will need a ceramic or glass dish something w/ height they cant get out of

 

[inky]

Welcome to the forum -- to be honest I would not feed him any and yes you are right mealworms are not a good worm to feed babies they are more for older dragons like 6 months and up - hes still growing and that includes the intestines and being hes so small they get impacted from the exoskeleton on the meal worms - please find him a staple feeder like crickets I dont like them they stink and are escape artist dubia roaches I recommend those they are easier to keep they dont stink and they are a better nutritional insect or for the baby a good staple feeder along w/ the dubias are BSFL - you can get these from here on this site they are called nutri grubs www.dubiaroaches.com - you want a insect no bigger than the space between the eyes there is a chart on the site please go by that and nutri grubs I would start w/ mediums they are very soft and small and calcium enriched - please dont dust those but you do need to dust your insects - he should be fed 2-3 times per day but you only dust the insects ONCE per day- calcium D3 5 x per week and a vitamin w / beta carotene 2 x per week - are you offering salads? Those should be fed every day even if he doesnt eat but a little this is how he gets most of his moisture if you rinse the greens before serving and BSFL/ nutri grubs are a good salad luere ---- you should have good UVB that is a long tube fixture please no coils and a good clear bright white basking bulb like a Exo Terra Intense basking bulb or a Zoo Med Repti basking bulb - basking surface temps should be 105-110 and those should be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer please no stick ons they are inaccurate for basking temps - if you need more help or suggestions / links for anything please ask
www.dubiaroaches.com - a 10 gallon aquarium or tote is good for keeping roaches in - you can feed them what the dragon eats for veggies most like carrots and squash and fruit I feed mine dubia chow / food and dubia dew for hydration - you want to keep your insects gut loaded meaning good and hydrated -
you can also get BSFL from here www.symtonbsf.com you will need a ceramic or glass dish something w/ height they cant get out of

Thank you for the information on lighting.And yes me and my mom/siblings offer him salads every day that include acorn squash,washed collards,bok choy,occasional strawberries,shredded carrots ect.My dad who usually buys his insects that include crickets and 1/4 small dubias from pet smart and at our pet smart they dont sell things like BSFL and nutri grub ill ask my dad to atleast try to order insects and i dust the occasional crickets we feed my guy.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you for the information on lighting.And yes me and my mom/siblings offer him salads every day that include acorn squash,washed collards,bok choy,occasional strawberries,shredded carrots ect.My dad who usually buys his insects that include crickets and 1/4 small dubias from pet smart and at our pet smart they dont sell things like BSFL and nutri grub ill ask my dad to atleast try to order insects and i dust the occasional crickets we feed my guy.

Ok he needs supplements everyday for a baby - you can get insects on line cheaper than at the pet stores - the BSFL / nutri grubs will draw him to the bowl - you will need something like this to keep them in and if you pull the back legs off he crickets your feeding it will keep them in this bowl as well https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d

 

[inky]

Ok he needs supplements everyday for a baby - you can get insects on line cheaper than at the pet stores - the BSFL / nutri grubs will draw him to the bowl - you will need something like this to keep them in and if you pull the back legs off he crickets your feeding it will keep them in this bowl as well Amazon.com

i have a salad bowl/1/2 small superworm bowl and a water bowl i change every day

 

[KarrieRee]

i have a salad bowl/1/2 small superworm bowl and a water bowl i change every day

Is he actually drinking from the water bowl if so that is good - super worms should only be given as treats and that would be 1-3 every other day or so - you dont want him hooked on those worms or he wont eat anything else

 

[inky]

Is he actually drinking from the water bowl if so that is good - super worms should only be given as treats and that would be 1-3 every other day or so - you dont want him hooked on those worms or he wont eat anything else

she goes for a drink about 4 times a day and how often should i feed mealworms we have 100 in the fridge

 

[KarrieRee]

Is he actually drinking from the water bowl if so that is good - super worms should only be given as treats and that would be 1-3 every other day or so - you dont want him hooked on those worms or he wont eat anything else

she goes for a drink about 4 times a day and how often should i feed mealworms we have 100 in the fridge

I wouldn't they can / will cause impaction - she is too young- I don't know how long they will keep in the fridge- if you feed her any at all maybe two and once week you don't want her impacted too many and often will do that

 

[inky]

I wouldn't they can / will cause impaction - she is too young- I don't know how long they will keep in the fridge- if you feed her any at all maybe two and once week you don't want her impacted too many and often will do that

at what age would you say its ok for them to be fed mealworms as a treat and what worms would you recommend that can be found at a local petsmart

 

[KarrieRee]

at what age would you say its ok for them to be fed mealworms as a treat and what worms would you recommend that can be found at a local petsmart

Small super worms small horn worms but those are terribly expensive if they have them-- you can get 12 for $4 from dubia roaches my pet smart sells them for 4 for $10-- meal worms I would wait till he's at least 6 months and then only like 3-4 they are like candy to them horn worms grow really fast but a good hydrating worm

 

[inky]

Small super worms small horn worms but those are terribly expensive if they have them-- you can get 12 for $4 from dubia roaches my pet smart sells them for 4 for $10-- meal worms I would wait till he's at least 6 months and then only like 3-4 they are like candy to them horn worms grow really fast but a good hydrating worm

i heard horn worms even smalls are to big for beardies under 5 months

 

[KarrieRee]

i heard horn worms even smalls are to big for beardies under 5 months

No you can get smalls I don't think PetSmart sells smalls you can look I have been ordering smalls and they have been so small I couldn't even find them in the container- I had to grow the out for my dragons- they are a super soft worm but you do not want them bigger than him+ if ever in doubt post the worm and his head and we can tell you