okay to feed phoenix, supers and freeze dried crickets?

[VeggieLoven]

okay so this is the third time my alec has gotten parasites from crickets so i really want to get away from them. he currently eats phoenix worms and I'm starting him on supers (he's over a year old and I think he is over 16 inches long but he wont sit still for me to measure him) i also got some freeze died crickets that i plan to dust for his vitamins. he also gets greens and squash daily. is this a good diet for a one year old beardy? can freeze dried crickets have parasites?

 

[JenFid]

Phoenix worms and supers are good staples for adults - the supers are pretty high in fat though so you should only feed a few of those. I'd double check your dragon's length since they need to be at least 16 inches to be able to digest the supers properly. Try measuring when he's asleep maybe?

The freeze dried crickets shouldn't have parasites, I would only give those as an occasional treat though, I'm not 100% certain how nutritious they are. My boy loves freeze dried silk worm eggs...they smell horrendous though, lol!

 

[brittani299]

Freeze dried crickets are missing a lot of the nutrients of live ones. You also cant gut load dead ones.

 

[Lenewen]

supers are perfectly fine for feeding, my year and year and a half old dragons eat them as a staple. They don't have a super hard exoskeleton like mealworms. I feed them to my juvies all the time and they love them, just make sure juvies get the small ones. Sprinkle some calcium powder on them first and be sure to gutload them by feeding them bran or chopped potato.

I also suggest phoenixworms, small dubia roaches (they LOVE them) or small hornworms. I've never tried silkworm eggs, I might give that a shot with my next clutch.

 

[brittani299]

Just be careful with superworms. Your beardie should be at least 16 inches long before you feed them. Beardies have a knot in their stomachs that doesnt come out until they are 16 inches long. Superworms can get stuck in that knot.

 

[Lenewen]

Beardies have a knot in their stomachs that doesnt come out until they are 16 inches long. Superworms can get stuck in that knot.

I'd love to see some sources on the existence of this knot.

 

[brittani299]

I am not saying that the knot is there it not. Personally I feed my 12 inch male superworms sometimes. He has never had a problem digesting them. It is just the exoskeleton that can sometimes be a problem. I have had mealworms cause impact ion to my female before. I am also not saying that mealworms will always cause impaction. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't. But I tend to follow popular belief and don't like to feed my under 16 inch beardies superworms.

 

[VeggieLoven]

thats i measured him he is 16 inches exactly i gave him like two supers to try and today he is all black bearded this might also be because he is getting deworming drugs too im not sure

 

[Lenewen]

Yes, deworming drugs can put stress on their system. Are you giving a probiotic? Perhaps he was just stressed in general at that moment in time.

Look, as far as the supers go, it's an urban legend. Ive been trying to get that across to people because superworms are one of their favorite staple diets.

I don't like what mealies did to my geckos' poop so I don't feed it. Simple. And I never fed mealies to my dragons. Personal choice. But superworms are not the same worm and their exoskeleton is not nearly as hard and crunchy. I have never seen crunchy poop from beardies consuming superworms regardless of their size. My water dragon also has no problems digesting them. Superworms look aggressive, I think people assume they can cause damage. They cannot, I assure you.

And those who go as far as to say they can eat through their stomachs need to go back to biology class. Even if the worm survived the chomping, the stomach acids would kill it in a matter of minutes. It's laughable, really :lol:

To argue that you don't feed them for the reasons listed is a personal choice and you should absolutely explain your reasonings behind it. But when you make an outright claim like that which sounds like it could be true, you have to back it up. Otherwise, people believe false info and spread it, and controversy is the ending result. Bottom line: It's not true. End of story.

 

[brittani299]

Well you are the only person saying that on here..... I also feed superworms as a staple for my female because she won't eat anything else

 

[Lenewen]

We blog on here to find answers, not to jump on the bandwagon. If you want a healthy pet, Id take the things you read on here without sources with a grain of salt.

 

[brittani299]

Sure..... Has this site helped you save your pet? Was your pet close to death without this site? You don't always need resources to have answers. It is called learning from experience. I am sad that you have to act this way. I will take what you say " with a grain of salt"

 

[Lenewen]

Actually yes I saved a beardie, I received false information about Baytril on here but a moderator luckily intervened and gave me correct dosing instructions with solid facts to back them up.

You wouldn't have to defend yourself like this if you had scientific proof, or the very least a dead beardie with superworm impaction. Chillax 8) Welcome to blogging, here we exchange conversations about common issues to better our beardie friends.

 

[brittani299]

You are soooo rude!!!!!

 

[Lenewen]

I hardly find my request for sources to be rude. I rather think it's smart to want documentation on the subject to investigate a false claim.

Remember, we once thought the world was flat! People like me were scoffed at back then. But no matter, I will continue my quest for knowledge on the subject and I will ask difficult questions. If you can't answer them, that's okay. But you have to accept that sometimes there is no answer, and that sometimes, someone on this blog just might be wrong. Heck, that person could be me, but no one has yet given me any sources. I started my own thread on the subject and no one can come up with anything that proves supers kill lizards via impaction. No one. I think that's definitely something to look into. Sorry if my questions bother you.