feeding Worm question

[shogun607]

OK so i am a new bearded dragon owner just got my first 3 days ago i got a young dragon. Now i been hearing mixed things about feeding meal worms to your dragon. An it seems that alot of people are divided on this one you got some saying never give it to them because of the hard shells and they can get impacted and i see others feeding their dragons and they seem fine and they say its really not that big of a issue. Now i'm just wondering what the deal with this is again i'm new to all this and just wondering as far as i go i know not to even try feeding mine any of these because he is still a young one. I want to change up my dragons diet so there more of a variety for live food and with this whole cricket virus talk going around makes me think about doing different stuff even more. So if anyone could explain this to me and if any one have suggestions of other insects that i could look into let me know.

 

[Dementeddogz]

Id stay away from meals/supers exc at as a juve. A common rule of thumb is to wait until theyre 16" to feed them supers and other hardbodied insects. I used micro /smallersupers for some of the young ones but I wouldnt use it too much or as a staple some get picky and takes awhile to ween them back off. I mix mine up often varying from hornworms, silkworms, supers, dubias, reptiworms, exc depending on age and preference.

 

[ShannyBeard]

Mealworms are just not the best feeder and to me they are a waste of time and money to feed. They aren't really nutritious, they have a hard shell that is difficult for the dragon to digest and sometimes leads to impaction, and it has a bad calcium to phosphorous ratio. I think the ratio is 1:25 for mealworms, while crickets are around 1:12, and we should be feeding 2:1. So you are really making that ratio off by feeding mealworms. That calcium is just too important to sacrifice.

A really easy worm to feed is the black soldier fly larvae, which are called Repti-worms and Phoenix Worms. They can be kept for months at 52 degrees in a small fridge and you can leave them in a dish in their vivs for days at a time. They are naturally high in calcium and do not need to be dusted, too!

 

[Claudiusx]

Sure, you hear about people who feed it and their dragons are fine, but you also hear about people who feed it and their dragons get impacted, paralyzed, and even die from it.

Now with that in mind, even though some dragons do fine on it, is it worth the risk for a sub-par feeder insect at best?

There are much better feeder insects out there, there is no reason to feed mealworms IMO. They are cheap, but not when you factor in the possible trouble they might cause later down the road.

-Brandon

 

[Dementeddogz]

Yes I tend to go through quite a few phoenix worms when hatchling start coming out but their diet is ever changing. I personally have never bothered to purchase meals, I use supers where acceptable, much better nutritional value, more meat.

 

[ShannyBeard]

Silkworms are another really good feeder. We raise them from eggs by the 200 count in a HovaBator incubator. It's so much cheaper and it's not too hard to raise them, you just need to constantly feed them chow. They eat 24/7. The silkworms are high in protein and also contain an enzyme called Serrapeptase, which is a natural anti-inflammatory, and also promotes some other healthy organ functions.

 

[Dementeddogz]

I like silks, and horns. Soft food, nutritious and most any dragon will eat them. They are just a bit pricey to keep around as anything more then the occasional treats, especially with so many dragons. I had thought about breeding silk and reptiworms just out of curiosity. I currently breed superworms, and dubias, as feeds. Reptiwoms seem very easy, and silk seem easier the horns from what i hear,

 

[ShannyBeard]

Kaco, silks are super easy to raise from eggs and it makes them a very affordable feeder choice. Add in Repti-worms and crickets and it's really not costly at all, considering how much they love them!! I was really surprised at how easy they were to raise and they are so clean to keep, too.

 

[Dementeddogz]

Yeah i started to read a few guides on silks, after every horn worm guide scared me away I think ill read up on them a bit more and give it a try So Ill have plenty of variety of food all made by me Supers dubias, reptis, and maybe silkworms

 

[shogun607]

thanks guys for the amazing info really set my mind and i will not use meal worms and look at the other choices you guys have given me. Now i do like the idea of breeding my own food for my dragon probably cheaper and peace of mind knowing its food is raised good. Could one of you guys link me a good guide to breeding/raising silk worms or any other good choices listed here. thanks again

 

[ShannyBeard]

thanks guys for the amazing info really set my mind and i will not use meal worms and look at the other choices you guys have given me. Now i do like the idea of breeding my own food for my dragon probably cheaper and peace of mind knowing its food is raised good. Could one of you guys link me a good guide to breeding/raising silk worms or any other good choices listed here. thanks again

I posted some pictures of my silkworm setup in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=76&t=163229

You can to to http://www.mulberryfarms.com and they have a FAQ on silkworm raising. I recommend using the incubator!