Nature zone beardie bites

[melissa102787]

My beardies LOVE that stuff. Almost as much as wax worms and super worms. I use to feed it to them as occasionally, but now i feed it to them every day with veggies/crickets/fruit. What do you guys think of it? I have read great reviews. How much nutrients are in it? Should i use less powder vitamins? Is it a nutritious prepared food??

Awaiting you comment! Thanks in advance

 

[TamiLynne]

Hi Melissa,

Very little research has been thoroughly conducted on the nutritional requirements of reptiles, & even less on specific reptiles. We're all kind of going on prior knowledge from successful breeders/owners and garnering info from what people who have very healthy dragons have been feeding them. Suffice it to say, in none of my textbooks is there a "food guide pyramid" to bearded dragons. ;D

I must say I've used them in a pinch & my dragon loved them. We're all on board with "fresh is best" but based on what I've read, they aren't all that bad. I would wonder about their Ca/P ratio since it appears several ingredients would affect that number, but if used sparingly in conjunction with a healthy diet, as a "treat" they don't look awful. Moderate protein and actually much lower in fat than most feeders according to the info on http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/thephoenixwormstore/Page?template=comparison

Here's what I found regarding their nutritional content:
Ingredients:
Water, Whey Protein, Soy Protein, Spray Dried Egg Product, Maltodextrin, Sucrose, Fructose, Carrageenan, Locust Bean Gum, Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Wheat Germ Oil, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Calcium Lactate, Potassium Sorbate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Betacarotene, Lycopene, Beet Powder, Propylparaben, Ogliofructose, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, F D & C Red 40, F D & C Blue 1, Sodium Selenite, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12, Menadione Sodium Busulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Calcium Iodate, Biotin.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (min.) 9.0%
Crude Fat (min.) 2.0%
Crude Fiber (max.) 7.0%
Moisture (max.) 78.0%

Dunno if it helps, but I hope it will!

-Tami*