Lets start a topic on the best companys to order feeders fro

[DragonMomSandy]

Erica
That would be 16 inches from tip of snout to tip of tail. Hatchies through juvi below 16 inches have a slight bend in their digestive tract. Feeders like mealies that have mostly chitonous shells don't digest properly and the remnants of the shells can build up at that spot in the intestines. Supers actually have a slightly softer shell and way more meat (protein) than mealies, but here again, remnants that are undigested can get lodged at that bend. Once they reach a full body length (snout to tail) of 16 inches, the body itself from snout to vent is large enough/long enough for that bend to have straightened and should not cause this problem.

The roaches that look more like a cricket are the Turks (Turkistan) also called red runners. They have a longer, slender body. Forewarning: Turks and lobs can and do climb(I've read that they can't, but I recall a post about Turks escaping and getting in with the OPs dubia, resulting in hybrids)! And, they are sneaky little beggers! You have to make sure your bins are excape proof (try the tape trick).

Nena, as long as Charlie is at least 16 inches the Supers are fine. Doing silks and horns for variety helps too and the silks are loaded with protein. Just so you know though, if you feed mostly soft bodied worms, the poo will be softer and possibly a little runny. You should look into the dubias, they look more like a beetle (well, at least the nymphs up to 1 inch do, the big ones are quite creepy) but they are a super food for dragons.

 

[jetsguy]

does it make a difference to the impaction issue what size the supers are in relation to your beardie

 

[DragonMomSandy]

Yes and no. With younger dragons that are just reaching that 16 inch size range, you want to start out with smaller supers and give only a few no more than 2 to 3 times a week. Anytime you offer new feeders, give their bodies/digestive system a chance to adjust to them. Once they are doing well with the small supers, you can increase to the larger size and more frequent feedings. Sub-dult and adult dragons generally do not have any trouble digesting large supers. The main thing is to wait until the dragon is at least 16 inches before offering supers of any size. Also keep in mind that using Supers as a staple, with appropraitely sized dragons also packs on weight. It's always important to offer a good variety of healthy feeders. Plus, dragons can get a little spoiled on supers and snub other feeders. Apparently they must be quite tasty! EEWW! LOL

And again, please, avoid the meal worms. Especially for dragons that are hatchie to juvi/sub adult. I don't even give them to my adults because they do not offer enough nutritionally to be worth spending the money on.

 

[Litakat]

I like Great Lakes Hornworm for my hornworms and supers too. I like getting Charmander some hornworms for a treat and usually stock up on some supers as well since my dubia colony still goes from stages of lots of good sized roaches to not so many. You can also order different sizes of superworms from him which is really nice. The large size really is large. My brother ordered some with me and we were both impressed. I normally order the smaller size for Char and he seems to be able to handle them just fine.

 

[LinustheLizard]

I just wanted to give Greatlakeshornworms.com props for their products. I ordered 250 supers and 2 12-15 count hornworm cups. Well, not only were all the worms healthy, the overages on both kinds of worms were very generous!. I will definitely order from them again!