There are lots of varieties of isopods, even the hard shelled rolly polly type owns (Armadillidium spp.) aren't any harder than other feeders. Pepper makes quick work of them and will wait for them to come out to be picked off when I water his setup. There are many species available and they are rather simple to culture.... but probaly much slower than roaches/BSFL/morio worms.
A medium sized silkworm will be about 2in long and is a lot of protein cf a medium sized cricket
A 30mm long silkworm is 0.5g = 2-3 medium crickets (12x MED = 3g)
A 40mm long silkworm is 1.3g = 5-6 medium crickets
a 2 inch long silkworm is 1.8g
a large silkworm about 3in is 2.3g = 8 - 10 medium crickets
Being wild-caught, Butterworms likely provide nutrients absent from commercially-reared insects. They also exceed all other typical feeder insects in calcium content (please see Introduction, above), with only silkworms and phoenix worms approaching them in this regard (some find silkworms to be delicate, and phoenix worms are quite small, but both are also worth investigating).
The Butterworm’s protein content of 16.2% is on par with that of crickets, phoenix worms and waxworms, and below that provided by silkworms and roaches. Fat content stands at 5.21%, which is less than (considerably so, in many cases) that of all other commonly-used feeders.
There has been discussion about this in the past that didn't really come to a solid conclusion but lead me to stop offering them as a feeder on a regular basis although they are probably fine as part of a varied diet as are most things with moderation. https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=203509&start=30
There has been discussion about this in the past that didn't really come to a solid conclusion but lead me to stop offering them as a feeder on a regular basis although they are probably fine as part of a varied diet as are most things with moderation. https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=203509&start=30
I''d be inclined to believe the data that is published by someone who is not trying to sell them. They wont have an vested interest and are less likely to tell porkies.
I've a good pocket assayers' scale (weighs +/- 0.05g) and I did a comparison at one stage that you might find helpful to work out how many of different sizes silkworms to buy as an alternative insect protein source for your bearded dragon , see below
There has been discussion about this in the past that didn't really come to a solid conclusion but lead me to stop offering them as a feeder on a regular basis although they are probably fine as part of a varied diet as are most things with moderation. https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=203509&start=30
I''d be inclined to believe the data that is published by someone who is not trying to sell them. They wont have an vested interest and are less likely to tell porkies.
That first link is about as accurate as it gets. The author is a researcher who has many publications in the field of insectivores nutrition and insect nutritional content. I’ve corresponded with him on numerous occasions, starting with this exact topic.
The second link doesn’t cite its source at all, but the data stating that butterworms have a low fat content goes back to the vendors which was provided to them by the chillean exporters, regardless of what site the data is found on. That data is also inaccurate. Mathematically the values do not pass a basic test (fat+protein+ash+moisture = 100%). Even without a vested interest in these bugs that data has been spread around the internet a lot. It is in this forum and numerous others; all without any corroboration or with sources that all basically go back to vendors selling the bugs.
Physiologically butterworms do not posses the means to have such a high calcium content, unlike isopods and black soldierfly larvae. Insect larvae that do not need to eat for long periods of time, tend to be high in fat to meet their energy needs.