**Meal Worm Danger?**

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ok so Popeye is 3 years old and today i went to the pet store and got him some small meal worms. I put them in his salad bowl and he LOVED them! But than i read that ur suposed to like cut of the head so the worms dont crawl back up him or somthing... i tried that but he wasnt interested in the worms if they were dead... what to do what to do... :?
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Actually the mealworms don't have any nutritional value. You would actually be better off feeding superworms. You don't need to cut the heads off of either worm.
 
Yes, I agree with diamc, super worms are much better nutritionally for your beardie. And the other part of your question is, for lack of better terms, an old wives tail....they don't harm your beardie with or without the heads on :D
 

XxSIMONExX

Member
Original Poster
ok its just that i have seen superworms and they had like pinchers... but if u say its fine ill believe u!
 

Denise Bushnell (RIP)

Juvie Member
Retired Moderator
As the above posters said, Mealworms have very little nutritional value for a Bearded Dragon, due to the fact that the majority of a Mealworm's body is just hard shell...... Superworms, on the other hand, are extremely nutritious, and are an excellent source of protein for your beardie, because they have a greater meat to shell ration than that of a Mealworm. Personally, I think that Superworms are one of the best feeders available, and, unlike crickets, they are easy to keep, and have very few die-offs. Since I changed over to Superworms for my three, they have all gained weight, and seem to be much healthier.

One thing I did want to mention though, just for future reference, for both yourself, and any of our other members reading this thread, is to let you know that, if your beardie is under a year old, and/or is less than 9 inches long , then feeding him Superworms may be problematic for him while he is still so young. Adult beardies generally do very well when switched over to Superworms, however, the youngsters sometimes can have serious digestive problems from them until they are a bit older, and get a bit more size to them.

Unlike crickets, and other soft bodied feeders, Superworms can be a bit hard to digest, and it takes a beardie a longer period of time to digest Superworms than it does other types of feeders. Because of this, if your beardie is under a year old, and/or is less than 9 inches long, then his intestinal tract is not long enough yet for him to completely digest them properly before passing a bowel movement. Also, youngsters who are under a year old frequently have very sharp turns in their intestinal tracts, until they get a bit larger, and closer to their adult size, and those sharp turns can sometimes cause pieces of the worm's hard shell to get hung up in there, which could cause an impaction. Therefore, if you have a younster, who is not yet fully grown, then it would be best to wait until he is very close to being his adult size before starting him on Superworms.

Of course, since your beardie already is an adult, then switching him over to Superworms now would be fine....just start him off on them slowly, and monitor his bowel movements carefully for a few days, to make sure that he isn't passing any pieces of undigested worms in his stool. If he seems to be tolerating them well, with no digestive problems, then you can slowly increase the amount that you're giving him to about 15 worms or so, 2 to 3 times a week. Superworms should not be fed on a daily basis, unless you only give him 5 or 6 each day. They are extremely high in protein, which is good for your beardie, but in moderation, if he is already an adult. Once a beardie reaches adulthood, he should be limited to about 30-35 live feeders a week, regardless of what sort of feeders you're giving him, since too much protein in their diet, once they become adults, can cause kidney and liver problems as they age.

As far as cutting the heads off of the Superworms before feeding them, that is a matter of personal choice. It really isn't necessary, since the stories of Superworms chewing their way out of a beardie's stomach is a bunch of nonsense, and an "Old Wive's Tale"! Once the worm hits the digestive acids in a beardie's stomach, they're going to die whether you cut their heads off or not. However, the heads are nearly completely hard shell, so cutting them off does make the worm somewhat easier for your beardie to digest.

I, myself, prefer to cut the heads off before feeding, simply because I hand feed all three of my little guys, and SUPERS BITE! And not only do they bite, but sometimes they HANG ON when they do, until you shake them off! The biting doesn't seem to bother my beardies, as they scoop them up with their tongues and chew them up before the worms know what hit them, but, since I hand feed, its much easier on MY fingers to just remove the heads before feeding, so I don't need to worry about it! My beardies really don't care, one way or the other! LOL

Also, if you hand feed, and you do cut the heads off of them just before offering them to your beardie, they will still be moving, which should put a stop to his not wanting to eat them because he thinks they're dead. You may think that holding out a headless, wiggling Superworm, oozing worm guts is completely digusting, but it will make you extremely popular with your beardie! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hope you find this information helpful.....
 
Meal worms and superworms can't chew threw your lizard. It will drown in the stomach acid and it can't possibly eat threw bone, fat, and muscle. Also it's not breathing oxygen. So you really don't have to cut off the head. If you really want to test it you can puy the meal worm/superworm in a little bit of water in your palm. Count to 10 or 15 snd open your hand. It wont be moving because it drowned. Now picture that in stomach acid which is breaking it down. The whole thing of meal worms/superworms chew threw your lizard is a MYTH.
 

XxSIMONExX

Member
Original Poster
ok that sounds good I'll switch to superworms! And just to be sure, 3 years old is considered an adult right? :?:
 

Denise Bushnell (RIP)

Juvie Member
Retired Moderator
As Diane stated, above, 3 years old is certainly considered to be an adult, so feeding them to your little guy now should be completely safe!

One thing I should caution you about, however, is to make sure that you're actually getting Superworms when you buy them at the Pet Store. Unfortunately, I've found that some Pet
Stores, around here, sometime try to pass off Mealworms as Superworms, since they both look pretty much the same, and the Superworms are much more expensive. There is absolutely no comparison between them, as far as nutrition is concerned. Mealworms do not normally get as large as Superworms, and those which are sold as "Giant Mealworms" are actually treated with a growth hormone to make them grow that large, which is definitely NOT good for your beardie!

An easy way to tell whether or not you're actually getting Superworms is to take note of the containers that they bring out to you at the counter, since they are usually kept in the back somewhere, as opposed to out where you can select the container yourself. If the container that they bring out to you feels cold, then you ARE NOT getting Superworms!

Mealworms need to be kept under refrigeration, so that the worms remain dormant until you're ready to feed them, as they will die off fairly quickly if they do not remain in a dormant state. Superworms, on the other hand, should never be kept in the refrigerator, and will die off in several hours if they are not kept at room temperature. So if the container that they bring out to you is cold to the touch, then you ARE NOT getting Superworms! It's a real shame that some Pet Stores do this, but it does happen, so if you're dealing with a Pet Shop that you don't patronize on a regular basis, then its best to be aware of the difference, so that you know what your little guy is actually eating!

Superworms are extremely easy to keep, and, unlike crickets, have very few die-offs if they're cared for properly. If you purchase one of those plastic "Kritter Keepers" that they sell in pet stores, that have the neon colored tops on them with ventilation holes in them, in a medium size, you can generally maintain 100 to 200 worms in there on a daily basis. The only care required for them is to keep a good bedding in there, that takes up about 3/4 of the container. Uncooked oatmeal, such as you buy in the supermarket is an excellent bedding for them, and is fairly inexpensive. The bedding only needs to be changed when you notice that the layer on the bottom appears to be a powder, and no longer looks like the original oatmeal that you put in there. The powdery layer on the bottom is the worm's waste, so once you see a lot of that, then the bedding should be changed out for fresh, to make sure that your beardie gets the optimum nutrition from the worms. Other than that, the only care necessary is to put in several pieces of sliced apple, every other day, as a source of moisture for the worms. I usually use a whole apple, and place the slices on the top of the bedding. The only thing I would caution you about, is to make sure that you remove the slices of apple, and replace them with fresh slices, at least every other day. If you leave the original slices in any longer than that, they will start to become moldly, and will contaminate the bedding underneath them. If the worms eat the moldy bedding, and you feed them to your beardie, it could make him very sick, so be sure to change out the apples at least every other day! Other than that, no additional care is required, other than to make sure that the container is kept somewhere cool, where they get adequate air, rather than under the lights near your beardie's tank.

Superworms are a great source of protein for your little guy, and are pretty much "the perfect feeder", providing that you give them proper care. They are a bit more expensive than other feeders (I pay $3.99 for a container of 25), but they are well worth the money because of their ease of care, the fact that you will have very few die-offs, and the excellent nutrition that they provide. I think that you'll be very pleased with the changes that you see in your beardie's weight and overall health, once you begin to feed them on a regular basis!

I home you find this information helpful , and if you have any questions about feeding or care, please feel free to ask, and I'll be happy to help, if I can!
 
Just an FYI - I had a vet tell me to crush or cut off the heads of the supperworms due to them chewing through the stomach or intestines if the dragon does not crush the heads while eating them. I should have asked her more about this because I always considered it an old wives tale as well. I was shocked to hear that from a vet.

My Beardies love em. I only give them each 2 or 3 a day. But now that I have to crush the heads or cut off the heads - I am turned off as that totally freaks me out. My son has no problem doing it for me but I have to pick them up to hand feed to my Beardies & that alone is gross.

So my question to all you expert bearded dragon owners (to those who feed their beardies live supper worms); did anyone ever experience any problems with feeding their beardies live supperworms? I know I was giving my beardies the supper worms for at least a few months without any problems.
 
I have been feeding my beardie superworms for a while now along with crickets. And I have spoken to numerous "specialty" vets as well as reptile breeders and they all agree that it is a bunch of BS about them eating through the stomach :D

The beardie chomps them up then like the person above mentioned they go into the stomach and the stomach acid does a good job on dissolving them
 
Smeagol358":21w5xywg said:
Meal worms and superworms can't chew threw your lizard. It will drown in the stomach acid and it can't possibly eat threw bone, fat, and muscle. Also it's not breathing oxygen. So you really don't have to cut off the head. If you really want to test it you can puy the meal worm/superworm in a little bit of water in your palm. Count to 10 or 15 snd open your hand. It wont be moving because it drowned. Now picture that in stomach acid which is breaking it down. The whole thing of meal worms/superworms chew threw your lizard is a MYTH.

As I said superworms/mealworms can NOT chew threw your lizard. It's a MYTH!
 

Trogdorpheus

Juvie Member
Rather than spending like, 12 dollars on one of those "kritter keeper" things... get a plastic shoe box thing from Walmart or something for like... 80 cents, and cut out ventilation in the top and cover with a bit of screening.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,680
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom