How many phoenix worms should I feed my beardie at one time?

[arpooch]

Hi Everyone,

I have a quick question. I'm thinking about ordering my baby (about 3 inches long without tail) beardie some phoenix worms, but I am not so sure how much to order. On the website, it says that at room temp it they will last for 2-3 weeks. How many should I feed him at one feeding?
How many do you feed yours?

 

[Slave2Scarlett]

Well I ordered some for Scarlett and she usually eats about 10-15 depending on her appetite.. They say u should let them eat as much as they can in 10 minutes but that doesn't work for me b/c Scarlett likes to eat at her own pace..lol So I would start out with maybe 10-15 and see how many it will eat within that 10 minute period (if that works for u) and then put the rest up.. I just have to leave them in Scarlett's bowl and she will eat whenever she wants.. Be careful though b/c they can and will crawl out of the bowl.. Make sure you keep the packing that they come in moist or if it dries out it will kill them.. Hope this helps!

 

[Kaiser]

I haven't had any personal experience with Phoenix Worms, but I do feed my bearded dragon Reptiworms. And I don't think Phoenix worms and Reptiworms are much different in terms of satiety-effects, so I'll put in my two cents:

A baby bearded dragon (which I'm assuming yours is, based on the length) can go through quite a lot of feeders in one feeding. My bearded dragon probably isn't the same age as yours (but it certainly isn't the same length as yours), but he's still between the age identifiers of "baby" and "juvenile." He's always eaten close to 50 feeders per feeding, which last ten minutes, two feedings a day, whether it's crickets or Reptiworms. Young bearded dragons will definitely go through a lot, so I would expect you to go through quite a few Phoenix Worms within the two to three weeks that they can survive.

My bearded dragon goes through 700 (give or take) small Reptiworms in about a week (about 100 a day). But all bearded dragons have different eating habits, eating speeds, and preferences in terms of feeders, and my bearded dragon's age and length is quite different from yours (he's a little over three months old now, and is a foot in length, counting the tail).

I would recommend buying just a few of them at first to see if he even has an appetite for them, find out how much he'll eat within 10-15 minutes, and then if you plan on buying more, base your purchase on however many he'd theoretically go through based on your calculations over two or three weeks.

 

[Slave2Scarlett]

I haven't had any personal experience with Phoenix Worms, but I do feed my bearded dragon Reptiworms. And I don't think Phoenix worms and Reptiworms are much different in terms of satiety-effects, so I'll put in my two cents:

A baby bearded dragon (which I'm assuming yours is, based on the length) can go through quite a lot of feeders in one feeding. My bearded dragon probably isn't the same age as yours (but it certainly isn't the same length as yours), but he's still between the age identifiers of "baby" and "juvenile." He's always eaten close to 50 feeders per feeding, which last ten minutes, two feedings a day, whether it's crickets or Reptiworms. Young bearded dragons will definitely go through a lot, so I would expect you to go through quite a few Phoenix Worms within the two to three weeks that they can survive.

My bearded dragon goes through 700 (give or take) small Reptiworms in about a week (about 100 a day). But all bearded dragons have different eating habits, eating speeds, and preferences in terms of feeders, and my bearded dragon's age and length is quite different from yours (he's a little over three months old now, and is a foot in length, counting the tail).

I would recommend buying just a few of them at first to see if he even has an appetite for them, find out how much he'll eat within 10-15 minutes, and then if you plan on buying more, base your purchase on however many he'd theoretically go through based on your calculations over two or three weeks.

Yeah the Phoenix and Reptiworms are basically the same.. I actually ordered some reptiworms recently.. Are yours turning black? Just curious b/c some of mine are... Scarlett isn't a huge eater.. I think every beardie has different eating habits.. She does like her greens too though...

 

[Kaiser]

I haven't had any personal experience with Phoenix Worms, but I do feed my bearded dragon Reptiworms. And I don't think Phoenix worms and Reptiworms are much different in terms of satiety-effects, so I'll put in my two cents:

A baby bearded dragon (which I'm assuming yours is, based on the length) can go through quite a lot of feeders in one feeding. My bearded dragon probably isn't the same age as yours (but it certainly isn't the same length as yours), but he's still between the age identifiers of "baby" and "juvenile." He's always eaten close to 50 feeders per feeding, which last ten minutes, two feedings a day, whether it's crickets or Reptiworms. Young bearded dragons will definitely go through a lot, so I would expect you to go through quite a few Phoenix Worms within the two to three weeks that they can survive.

My bearded dragon goes through 700 (give or take) small Reptiworms in about a week (about 100 a day). But all bearded dragons have different eating habits, eating speeds, and preferences in terms of feeders, and my bearded dragon's age and length is quite different from yours (he's a little over three months old now, and is a foot in length, counting the tail).

I would recommend buying just a few of them at first to see if he even has an appetite for them, find out how much he'll eat within 10-15 minutes, and then if you plan on buying more, base your purchase on however many he'd theoretically go through based on your calculations over two or three weeks.

Yeah the Phoenix and Reptiworms are basically the same.. I actually ordered some reptiworms recently.. Are yours turning black? Just curious b/c some of mine are... Scarlett isn't a huge eater.. I think every beardie has different eating habits.. She does like her greens too though...

Yes, they turn black over time. It's a natural growth process, however, and they can still be fed to your bearded dragon. An excerpt from Reptiworms.com:

...the worms naturally start turning brown/black as they are preparing to change into a fly. This is actually when they have the most calcium. They can still be fed when they turn brown/black and can be fed even when they turn into a fly.

And from Phoenixworm.com:

Turning dark is natural as the worm matures so this is seen more often in the large size. Dark worms actually have the highest levels of calcium. We suggest that you feed any dark worms first while they are still wiggly. Note: Dark, still, worms are trying to pupate but can still be fed. If conditions are just right, you may have a black soldier fly emerge in 10-14 days. Animals LOVE to catch the fly and eat it, too!

Mine usually last quite a while before they turn darker in color, however. If you want to stall them from this process, keep them in the lower temperatures suggested on either of these sites. Otherwise, other than the noted calcium difference, and (from my personal experience) their lower levels of activity, the dark worms are still pretty much the same and can still be fed to your bearded dragon.

And yeah, every bearded dragon has different eating habits, though loss of weight or excessive gaining of weight could be indicators that it's more than just an eating habit.

 

[Slave2Scarlett]

I store mine at about 60F so they will last longer but i did have a few that were really dark... Luckily Scarlett has been gaining weight and growing in length so she's just a picky eater i think.. But i will continue to monitor her weight to make sure she is gaining.. She's also extremely active..

 

[jodyberry]

Seems like these worms are used more for young beardies - is this true? Because even their largest worms are barely an inch long.

Thanks...

 

[Slave2Scarlett]

Seems like these worms are used more for young beardies - is this true? Because even their largest worms are barely an inch long.

Thanks...

Not really b/c they have a bigger meat/shell ratio than crickets so they actually get a little more.. I get the mediums and they are a pretty good size..

 

[jodyberry]

Thanks!!

My issue I also have to watch is cost. We have 3 adult beardies and 2 babies. We might go broke buying Phoenix worms!!

BTW, approx. how many PWs per day do you feed your beardie - and what's the age?


Thanks...

 

[Slave2Scarlett]

Thanks!!

My issue I also have to watch is cost. We have 3 adult beardies and 2 babies. We might go broke buying Phoenix worms!!

BTW, approx. how many PWs per day do you feed your beardie - and what's the age?


Thanks...

I actually started buying the reptiworms which r the same worm just a diff name... www.reptiworms.com they are a little cheaper and they will work with u personally on quanitity... Scarlett is 11 weeks old and she's not a big eater so she will usually eat about 30 of the mediums a day plus a few greens