How many superworms and how often

[sharbear3]

Dobby is 4 years old and almost 2 feet in length and quite heavy (about as big as they can get). I can't keep up with crickets very often so he's been weened off of them and eats a sizeable amount of greens everyday with occasional treats like raspberries (his absolute favorite), celery leaves, cilantro, etc... However, I gave him 2 superworms the other day and he loved them. Since these are easier for me to get and keep for awhile, I would like these to be his main source of protein. I wanted to know how many I should give him and how often. Also, should I dust them everytime or can I dust his greens instead of the worms? Please keep in mind that he can take down 25 large crickets in no time. I want to make sure I do not give him too many insects because I remember reading that once they get older, their diets need to consist of greens as the majority and insects occasionally. Here's a pic. Excuse the mess. He decided to run through his poop today and have some fun and has yet to get his bath.

 

[Delshara]

Awww, he's cute!

I think it is, 30 - 50 feeders a week for an adult which you could schedule however you want. I was reading on the forums about how people give their beardies a few insects a day with salad available all day, or have all-greens days and all-feeders days. Just as long as one keeps to the limit.

I dust Nero's supers but the calcium doesn't stick really well to them. I'm sure you could just dust greens instead.

 

[sharbear3]

How often should a 4 year old get the calcium supplement?

 

[jbowers]

Saying 30-50 feeders a week seems pretty odd considering the huge size difference between a superworm and a cricket. I too would like to hear how many of various types of insects, such as supers, you should feed to an adult.

 

[peera]

I give mine each 10 supers every other day, so one week they get 30, the next they get 40. It seems to work for us. They're just slightly on the tubby side but not even close to fat, and they still eat their greens like good little kids. The only thing I hate about keeping them is when I open the tote and find them eating each other. *shudder* I know it's just a sign I need to throw fresh veggies in there and it's my own fault, but ugh. I can't wait to get my roaches.

Oh, and a 4 year old should be getting calcium 4-5x a week, and multivitamins 2x. Out of mine only Ms Priss will eat it off her veggies though, so this can be a bit of a challenge.

 

[sharbear3]

Yeah, he eats quite a bit so I know that if he's hungry, he will eat the greens dusted or not. I'm just shocked that I'm supposed to give him so many per week. I know several people who only give crickets once every 2 weeks to their adults because that's what was suggested. I did do some reading over the weekend and several sources stated their diets should be 50/50 green and protein up to 70/30.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Peera,I thought that a 4 year old should get calcium only 1-2 times a week, vits once weekly. I do agree with the 30 first week, 40 second week. Just want to keep an eye on the fatty tissues. You will Love the roaches
Janie.

 

[peera]

*shrug* I use the beautiful dragons chart for calcium/vitamins.
Age or health status of Beardie Multi vitamin Calcium
Less than a year old 4 - 5 x 7 x
1 - 2 years old 3 - 4 x 5 - 6 x
Over 2 years old 2 - 3 x 4 - 5 x
Pre-breeding or gravid 2 - 3 x 5 - 6 x
Sick or emaciated and less than a year old 3 - 4 x 5 - 6 x

I know I'll love the roaches, I'm really looking forward to them and getting rid of the evil crickets, I'm just getting frustrated because the boyfriend is making me keep them in the greenhouse and I have no idea how I'm supposed to keep them the right temps without hovering constantly... Maybe when they get here and he sees they're not that scary he'll let up...

 

[Okiemavis]

I found little chart comparing nutritional values of common foods.
http://www.ghann.com/insect_care.cfm

Nice to see the numbers