How can I convince my father from buying mealworms?

[Dragonman555]

Ok I'm in a tough situation here I'm 17 years old I don't have a job to pay for my Bearded Dragons food right now so my Dad pays for my Dragons food for now. He just told me he can't afford the crickets anymore so hes going to take Petcos advice and feed him Mealworms instead of crickets! I told him mealworms cause impaction yet he won't believe me because he seen a bowl full of mealworms at petco in a Bearded Dragon tank that were doing just fine so he assumes its going to be okay. I told him about ordering crickets online is cheaper than petco and he won't let me because he doesn't trust ordering stuff from online and argues with me saying the crickets would just arrive all dead. Is there any type of bug that Bearded Dragons can eat instead of crickets that are cheaper? I honestly would pay for this stuff on my own but with this economy I can't get a job to buy crickets! My father thinks hes smarter than me in this situation but he is sooo not because I've done my research I guess its time like these that the son outwits the father?

 

[RandyMarsh]

if he's going to buy from petco just convince him to get superworms instead. They're sold there, and they're better than standard mealworm. Not as ideal as ordering online but in a pinch>?

 

[Brandonforty2]

Tell him that the Beardie is going to die and pet smart only says that to kill your beardie so you can go back and buy another one. The mealworms in the bowl? They don't show the dead beardie that ate some. You can order crickets online much cheaper. I spend 30 bucks with shipping to get 500.

 

[sweetiepie9]

How old is your dragon, that will depend on superworms, as they need to be at least 16" long to digest supers properly and I've never fed supers to a dragon under 9 mo old, again depending on size. And I used to get crickets, 500 at a time for like $25 or less from my pet shop, so they may be able to do that for your dad. You're so right about mealworms, their shell is even harder than supers and very difficult for the dragon to digest. It's too bad that most pet shops feed their babies mealworms, they're usually sold before there are issues & sometimes there aren't but the babies doesn't grow as fast or as well as on crickets. There are alot of websites that will sell crickets but being winter, they might not be delivered in good hands. You could check the For Sale section on this forum to see what's available, too.

The other bugs that are available are all more expensive than crickets, that I know of.

 

[unkempt1]

Please link the study that has shown mealworms will kill a bearded dragon. Are they the best option for a dragon? Definitely not. I recommend roaches when it comes to live food. Will mealworms kill your dragon? With the proper husbandry and hydration, the answer is a resounding NO. Don't believe me? Please, prove me wrong, and without anecdotal evidence. Of course, we still need to know how old your dragon is.

It sucks that your dad has the final say on your dragon's health, but at the end of the day it's up to you to determine what is best for him/her. Are mealworms good for him? Again, not the best. But neither are crickets...

 

[imderanged]

I have had good luck with Super worms (look like giant mealies but they aren't!) with my adult dragon, just make sure your dragon is large enough. I think some Petcos sell Pheonix or Cali-worms too. I have heard good things about them, but I haven't used them as no one near me stocks them.