mealworms and beardie

[winfieldblue]

i bought a tub of small 2 - 3cm mealworms, my beardie is 6 inches long, is it ok to feed him 1 or 2 a day? thanx.

 

[Buggsy]

Actually no. Mealworms should never be given to beardies. Their shell has lots of chitin, a protein that is very hard if not impossible for beardies systems to digest. If you do feed him the mealworms, they will block up his digestion tract, aka impaction. This is a very serious condition, esp in small babies such as yours. At his age i would stich to crix and roaches (remember no larger than the space between his eyes) and veggies if he will eat them! As he gets older (16" or longer) you can start with super worms, which rather confusingly look like super large mealworms, but dont be confused, they are an entirly diff species alltogether, and are a good staple when the digestive tract is fully grown!

Worms you can offer as treats include phoenx, silkies, butterworms. The can be pricey, hence treat only really (some people have phoenx as staples i think!) and are much easier to get of the net.

The pot you have there, i would just give to the birds in the garden!

Buggsy

 

[winfieldblue]

lucky i asked, cheers.