need explanation to why superworms are bad

[mafoo]

my mom and dad thinks that the hard shell is good for the beardies since birds eat gravel off the road to help them digest food, but i know that bearded dragons arent like birds in that sence. right now they both think that i should be feeding superworms as a staple to a 7" beardie and i aint following there advice, but they refuse to buy other foods for him. so what i need is for somebody smart to give a detailed explanation to why superworms are not good for young bearded dragons and why other foods are better for the bearded dragons. just try and make it simple for them but scientific enough so they believe it and think you know what your talking about. the more people that give an explanation the better since its more likely for them to believe 10 people then 2. even just if you could say that you disagree on feeding superworms/mealworms itd help alot but i need atleast one good answer.

 

[Beardednoob]

All bearded dragons are born with a kink in their digestive tract, this kink will not straighten out until the dragon has reached 16+ inches in total length (nose to tail tip). This kink is the same reason not to feed chitinous feeders such as mealworms or superworms to any bearded dragon under 16 inches. It is restrictive and coupled with excessive chitin can cause complications to the dragons health. Unlike some birds bearded dragons do not require roughage of any sort in order to properly digest their food, instead this is achieved with proper temperatures and adequate UV.
Stick to proper sized crickets or feeder roaches, and or soft bodied worms for any dragon under 16 inches and avoid costly (in more then one sense of the word) health issues.

 

[Paradon]

I agree with beardednoob. The superworms have a lot of chitin which could cause intestinal blockage in the bearded under 16 inches.

 

[mafoo]

thank you very much for the reply, i already got some things about superworms put together on word and i showed that to my mom a while ago and she was still unsure if its true but this convinced my mom not to feed them anymore. now its just to see if my dad believes it, another few replys would help just incase they go ask petsmart to see what they think of all this.im sure this will work for them for now but its better to be safe so they dont go and buy another 100 pack of large superworms!

 

[Paradon]

don't got to Petsmart or any other pet stores for help. Often time they don't know what they're talking about. YOu should be getting advice from the people here. they are a lot more knowledgeble because a lot of us have been keeping reptiles for a long time. Trust me on this. :wink:

 

[mafoo]

actualy thats the reason im here, because i dont trust the pet stores with advice at all. my parents are the oposite, but i got you guys to back me up when i need it forums like this are the best thing for reptile owners, i had the same problems with my frogs when i was starting out, but a forum like this helped me through

 

[jelxxx]

I have a really yucky picture I could share of the wad of superworms that my juvenile beardie threw up the day after I fed him them. They were just the small supers too. Permission to gross out?

 

[mafoo]

of course, lets see it so i can tell my parents what will happen if we feed him superworms again!

 

[jelxxx]

Okay... You asked for it! :twisted:

If that doesn't change their minds...

 

[ks85]

you could look up impaction too... thats what happens when they eat sand or insects with hard shell.... it can actually kill your beardie... I saw some dissections that were of the stomach after the lizard died, and it was lumps of the shells of mealworms and lumps of sand/ walnut shell substrate that the beardie couldn't pass.... that might change their mind about it if you show them pictures of what will happen. its kind of gross though good luck!

 

[Jess]

Superworms are Ok for adult beardies, but they are MUCH too big for a baby! You can actually order tiny superworms for younger dragons, but I wouldn't recommend feeding those either until your beardie is a bit bigger... They are delicate little guys at that size/age!

Mealworms aren't nutritious either, they are all fat. It would be like your parents feeding you a diet of solely french fries, and expecting you to be healthy! I mean, it is possible to raise a kid on french fries? Sure, but it will hurt them in the long run. :wink:

If your parents would like to feed a worm-only diet, look up ReptiWorms/Phoenix worms. Those are very healthy, and make a great staple diet!

 

[mafoo]

yea ive been trying to get them to order phoenix worms, but they just refuse. its funny because they wont by phoenix worms yet there so eager to buy mealworms at the pet store just because they say that they are good for the bearded dragons. its absoulutely retarded what these pet stores say and my parents just believe it and here i am trying to keep a healthy beardy. slowly there understanding my point since im finding more info and putting together a sheet on all the bad things pet stores tell us. superworms are out for them now since i told them i wont go near them again and if they want to feed him it, go for it, and they are really grossed out by them so its all good

 

[techdave]

All bearded dragons are born with a kink in their digestive tract, this kink will not straighten out until the dragon has reached 16+ inches in total length (nose to tail tip). This kink is the same reason not to feed chitinous feeders such as mealworms or superworms to any bearded dragon under 16 inches. It is restrictive and coupled with excessive chitin can cause complications to the dragons health. Unlike some birds bearded dragons do not require roughage of any sort in order to properly digest their food, instead this is achieved with proper temperatures and adequate UV.
Stick to proper sized crickets or feeder roaches, and or soft bodied worms for any dragon under 16 inches and avoid costly (in more then one sense of the word) health issues.

Dude, well said.

 

[Beardednoob]

Thanks TechDave

 

[CaptainVimes]

According to quite a good scientist in the reptile field. Superworms have FAR LESS of the chitin than the mealies do, however they still have it, as do crickets (they are actually as hard shelled as mealies) and locusts, in fact from what I can tell, MOST insects have this hard exoskeleton.

Just google chitin and insects or the specific insect that you wish to enquire about and you will find it all.

I am not saying that it makes it OK to feed them, I'm just saying you cannot highly argue about the chitin being indigestible in dragons under 16" when ALL insects have it in varying forms.