Is Vivvi big enough to eat phoenix worms yet?

[mcampopiano]

Hey guys, I tried to use the search thing first but didn't find and answer.
Vivvi is about 10in, and I was wondering if she's big enough to start eating phoenix worms as a staple? (or even as a treat) and also how many should she eat?
and how do you store them,
+ and how fast do they grow into those waspish looking bugs? Thanks in advance!

 

[bonz152]

When I got my dragon he was about 8 inches and eating medium phoenix worms. I think that even hatchlings can eat them, but I'm no expert. Either way, by 10 inches, to my knowledge, PW are a great staple. My dragon is now about 10 1/2 inches and eats about 50-60 medium PW a day plus maybe 15-20 crickets on most days. It took him about a week to start eating them and still rarely eats them while i'm watching, but they disappear as the day goes on. I put them in a small glass bowl in the morning so that the worms can't climb out. I don't do anything to take care of them. I buy 1000 at a time. They come in 2 containers with 500 each. I put one container in a wine cooler at about 55 degrees and I leave the other container next to the viv to feed. I've never seen them turn to a fly (although before he started eating them as well as he is now I did see many turn black but never to flies), so from my experience, I'd say at room temp they last at least a couple of weeks. At 55 degrees they last much longer.

At this point I think that it would be okay for me to just feed PW but my dragon seems to like chasing down his crickets so I do those as well. It's fun for me to watch him chase them down as well.

 

[mcampopiano]

Wow! I'm only giving vivvi around twenty crickets a day, plus salad. I was hoping to just move from crickets to worms...

 

[Toyguy]

Should be able to handle Phoenix worms easily - they are relatively small and soft-skinned. You might not like them as much as they are going to be very expensive if you're intending to use them as your staple feeder.

 

[bonz152]

I find that the cost of Phoenix worms isn't TOO much worse than crickets since I don't buy crickets in bulk but instead by the 100 at my local pet store. So I pay about $12-$14 every week for crickets (about $50 per month). For Phoenix worms I buy them by the 1000 for about $40 (so probably about $60 per month). I think that you can get Repti worms (same as Phoenix worms) in bigger bulk (5000) for even cheaper per worm. If you keep them at 55degrees (wine cooler, or basement, or in a cooler....etc) so that they last a long time, then it may not be all that much more expensive, depending on where you get your crickets. If you buy your crickets in bulk online then this argument probably doesn't really hold up much, since they are much cheaper online in bulk.

Again, I'm feeding crickets mostly just for variety and because he seems to like chasing them down and I like watching him chase them down. I'll probably phase them out over time. I was hoping to just do worms also, for the most part.

 

[mcampopiano]

Is one worm equal to one cricket? Like, if I switched from 20 crickets to 20 worms a day, would that be an equal amount of food?

 

[mcampopiano]

Also thanks for all the help!

 

[bonz152]

I've wondered the same thing and actually posted that same question but have yet to get a "for sure" answer. I've seen people say that each worm equals a couple of crickets but I haven't seen that for sure. It seems like they would be worth more since they have more calcium and fat...etc. but I'm not sure. Let me know if you find a definite answer to that one as I'm wondering the same thing.

 

[mcampopiano]

I just hope they are at least equivalent, cause they are better for them I think and I hate the Dang crickets!!!! I'm okay with having some for her to Chase, but is like to move off using them as a staple.

 

[bonz152]

I totally agree. I've heard that they are a great staple, so no worries!

 

[mcampopiano]

Last question I guess is a good place to store them? I don't have a wine cooler or a cool basement, so is a fridge too cold for them?

 

[lauraj1055]

Yes, they will die in the fridge..

www.reptiworms.com is cheaper than the phoenix worms, and if you put in the code bearded20, you get 20% off your order...

but if you don't have a place to keep them at 55 degree, I wouldn't order a ton at a time.. if they are kept at room temperture, they turn black rather quickly (which you can still feed when they are black) but then the next step is flies.. beardies can still eat them as flies, but they are much harder to catch lol

 

[mcampopiano]

Yes, they will die in the fridge..

http://www.reptiworms.com is cheaper than the phoenix worms, and if you put in the code bearded20, you get 20% off your order...

but if you don't have a place to keep them at 55 degree, I wouldn't order a ton at a time.. if they are kept at room temperture, they turn black rather quickly (which you can still feed when they are black) but then the next step is flies.. beardies can still eat them as flies, but they are much harder to catch lol

Thanks! I actually already ordered the sample 100 from that site, and I did use the bearded20 code cause I saw that on another post.
I'm going to go out tonight and see if I can find a small fridge that I can adjust the temp to 55-60...wish me luck!

 

[bonz152]

We use a wine cooler since we already had it. But I know other people use coolers and small fridges set to 50-60 degrees. Just so you know, it took my beardie a week or longer to start eating his worms (loves them now) and still refuses to eat the black ones. So i keep them in the fridge until ready to use to minimize the black ones.

 

[mcampopiano]

Thanks for all the help guys! I'll keep you all updated on how she takes to them and everything.