Super Worms?

Beardie name(s)
Oz
Hello! I've had my dragon for around 4 weeks now and I've been regularly feeding him super worms as his main course. He just turned a year old a little less than a week ago so I was searching how many to feed him now but I came across something. There were a few websites that said super worms aren't great for a beardie if they are used as a full-time feeder. I decided to do more research and discovered a few more websites that stated that they are great for beardies and are better than crickets and mealworms! Now I'm just confused! All the sites I visited seemed to be very creditable and trustworthy but they're all condescending, and I know my beardie likes the worms more than crickets, but I don't want to feed him anything that could hurt him! What do I do? Should I change his main course?
 

Rocky2022

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Rocky, Ruby
#following
I feed my four month superworms as treats. I watch her poop like a hawk- she regular. It's due to their shell I believe but I am sure that Rocky basks immediately after eating. I definitely don't use them as a staple but as a treat and she wants them often. I suggest monitoring your beardie for any changes but at the same token, I am a new beardie parent so don't listen to me. I am curious about what others have to say.
Oh my staple is the doubia roaches.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
That's the joy of the internet, and a valuable lesson that even some "experts" haven't learned yet. The lesson is: Your way isn't the only right way.

Personally, superworms have been a staple feeder for my adult dragons for over 20 years now. And it makes up part of the diet of my juvies also.

The main issue with superworms is their fat content, which ends up being too high to use as the sole insect to meet the protein requirement for growing dragons. However IME, it's a decent ratio for adults who are only getting live bugs 2 or 3 times a week, which is standard with my adults.

If being fed to a juvie, keep the fat content in mind and limit the amount. They are a fine worm to mix in for varieties sake. Variety is more important that finding the 1 perfect feeder IMO.

-Brandon
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I agree, I've fed supers as one of the staple insects but mostly after they were over 13-14" at least and right now my 2 boys are 10 yrs. old. They also eat veggies , one definitely likes veg more than the other though but I have made it a regular part of their diet as well. You just don't feed them too many at a time and not every day as adults. My guys are not fat and they can still get around very well.
 

Wonderful Lizard of Oz

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Oz
Thank you guys for helping me out! I also spoke to my small animal veterinarian and his advice was to allow my beardie to keep eating the worms as a staple because he's been having them regularly for this amount of time and is still perfectly healthy (plus he loves them), but sometimes treat him with other insects like crickets and dubai roaches so he gets a mix. I appreciate all the feedback, your advice was super helpful!! 😁
 

Rocky2022

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Rocky, Ruby
Thank you guys for helping me out! I also spoke to my small animal veterinarian and his advice was to allow my beardie to keep eating the worms as a staple because he's been having them regularly for this amount of time and is still perfectly healthy (plus he loves them), but sometimes treat him with other insects like crickets and dubai roaches so he gets a mix. I appreciate all the feedback, your advice was super helpful!! 😁
Thanks. This advice was helpful for me as well.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Hornworms are another great treat.they help hydrate and they go crazy for the soft bodied bugs. BUT BE WARNED if you give them to often they won't want to eat anything else. I've made that mistake a couple of times, its kindda hard to get excited about the other bugs again
 

Rocky2022

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Rocky, Ruby
FYI- Like everyone else, roaches/worms are Rocky's preferred choices (over salad/greens). I was getting concerned because she is barely eating her greens and she was going through her second shed. I know that Rocky loves collards but she consistently begs for the bugs. Something told me to handfeed her the greens. I did and it worked. I thought I would share this advice...Rocky ate her entire bowl of greens two days in a row...with me handfeeding her. While this doesn't help because I continue to spoil Rocky, at least she is eating her greens. Let's pick our battles.:confused: I plan to ease up on the handfeeding by Monday, hoping that Rocky is back into the normal routine.
 
I agree, I've fed supers as one of the staple insects but mostly after they were over 13-14" at least and right now my 2 boys are 10 yrs. old. They also eat veggies , one definitely likes veg more than the other though but I have made it a regular part of their diet as well. You just don't feed them too many at a time and not every day as adults. My guys are not fat and they can still get around very well.
I just ran across this thread as my 11 month old is a REALLY picky eater. Some times will go a few days without eating much at all. I brought home a bunch of Superworms and I've never seen her go after something that quickly. She LOVED them. I did some research and found that some say the calcium to phosphorus ratio is terrible and even after dusting them they don't have the amount of calcium a dragon needs. Has anybody else heard this?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Yes that's the claim but it doesn't seem to affect them , just like we hear conflicting info about the nutritional value of human food. Plus our dragons should be eating at least some greens every week. Be careful not to feed large amounts of the superworms though. The dragons I currently own are 10 years old siblings , I hatched and raised them and they've eaten crickets + superworms all their lives. They can climb , run + jump just fine.
 
Yes that's the claim but it doesn't seem to affect them , just like we hear conflicting info about the nutritional value of human food. Plus our dragons should be eating at least some greens every week. Be careful not to feed large amounts of the superworms though. The dragons I currently own are 10 years old siblings , I hatched and raised them and they've eaten crickets + superworms all their lives. They can climb , run + jump just fine.
Thanks. My beardy won't eat Dubia's, it's hit or miss with BSFL and crickets, but she LOVES the superworms.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Thanks. My beardy won't eat Dubia's, it's hit or miss with BSFL and crickets, but she LOVES the superworms.
Most beardies do love them but it's always good to have other insects on hand. And BTW, I fed them to all of my dragons over the years but not to babies, my babies all ate crickets until they were closer to 12 " long, and then it was only a few of the smaller superworms ones, no longer than an inch. The adults get about 5-7 large supers 2 X a week, plus veggies a few times a week and crickets off + on.
 

fcooper

Hatchling Member
Hello! I've had my dragon for around 4 weeks now and I've been regularly feeding him super worms as his main course. He just turned a year old a little less than a week ago so I was searching how many to feed him now but I came across something. There were a few websites that said super worms aren't great for a beardie if they are used as a full-time feeder. I decided to do more research and discovered a few more websites that stated that they are great for beardies and are better than crickets and mealworms! Now I'm just confused! All the sites I visited seemed to be very creditable and trustworthy but they're all condescending, and I know my beardie likes the worms more than crickets, but I don't want to feed him anything that could hurt him! What do I do? Should I change his main course?
The bad thing about supers is they have a really high-fat content. Using them as a staple can cause obesity which can lead to liver disease. They should really only be used as a treat. Try using bsfl instead. I don't know if anywhere in your area would sell them. I have to order them online but they are pretty much an ideal staple feeder.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
The bad thing about supers is they have a really high-fat content. Using them as a staple can cause obesity which can lead to liver disease. They should really only be used as a treat. Try using bsfl instead. I don't know if anywhere in your area would sell them. I have to order them online but they are pretty much an ideal staple feeder.
Many dragons , including mine, regularly eat superworms and are not obese and are still alive at more than 10 yrs. old. There are obese dragons that are fed too much of any insect including dubias, crickets silk and hornworms. Bsfl are great part of a diet but they also have their drawbacks. Plus they are tiny so cost a lot to feed them as a main staple .
 

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