Packing on Phoenix Worms?? Safe to eat??

[nena]

So I just got Chralie some phoenix worms, and i followed the instructions that they came with and it said to put them on a dish and let them dry for a few minutes so the packing comes off them... but i left them there for 30 minutes and there was a lot of the packing still on them, so i got afraid to give them to charlie like that and i haven't tried anymore... is it safe for Charlie to eat some of the packing on the worms? What exactly is this packing made of?? any thoughts???

 

[ChazzChew]

I've heard that it is 'sawdust' but despite that caveat it seems fine, Sullivan eats the worms with the substrate still stuck to them all the time (trying to completely clean each pw is a bit overboard)

 

[munchkins9802]

mine will actually eat around it most of the time, but seems fine when he still eats some of it.

 

[nena]

Yea it is almost impossible to get all lof it off the worms i wanted to put them under water! lolz but yea i guess i will give them to Charlie like that i hope he likes them!

 

[munchkins9802]

Mine loves them as he PREFERS them over the crickets and they are great (even large size) for those caretakers when you are away that wish to not do crickets

 

[keschete]

Completely safe. I dump my phoenix worms and packing on a paper towel and as the buggers try to squirm off, the packing falls off and I put them in a bowl. Then whatever I don't use, I fold the paper towel and pour the rest of worms and packing back in their container.

If you rinse the PW's with water they gain the ability to climb. They can climb up and out of a critter keeper if they are damp. When they are dry they can not climb very far. So don't rinse them.

My dragons haven't been eating their crickets as much lately, so I just ordered 500 Phoenix worms, 500 Super worms and 50 wax worms....and I have 1000 crickets that only the cats seem to want to eat.

 

[DragonsInKansas]

and I have 1000 crickets that only the cats seem to want to eat.

Haha, my dogs LOVE crickets!


I haven't had any problems with my beardies eating the sawdust either. It'll be fine

 

[nena]

Well so I tried the paper towel trick and it was great! most of the packing came off... Charlie seems to really like them but he eats them so fast... im giving him like 35 worms in the mornings and he eats them i under 3 minutes... so if i went with the cricket rule... and kept giving him for 15 minutes... he could probably eat over a 100... in just one sitting... so im still giving him crix, he really likes to chase those... so im doing pw in the mornings cause im always rushing and crix at night so i have time to take them out afterwards... would that be ok? he eats about 40 or 50 crix in 15 minutes... sometimes i give him like 10 worms at night to top off the crix...

 

[falcor33]

ha, i think my falcor is spoiled by the phoenix worms...any worms for that matter...she loves the phoenixes, silkies, and only occasionally waxies. only a few times a week will she get excited for crickets.

I too just bought a ton of crickets, and now they're just sitting there in my closet waiting on the kitties to eat them!! just my luck!!!

she pigs out on her salad all day and gets so excited for her worms when i come home. i think i have a worm-eater on my hands!!!

even when i take her out of her tank, she expects to have a few more worms too as a treat...she sits there and looks at me like...'well, where are they? you know, those squiggly things, put em down for me NOW!!!!' lol

i never expected a reptile would be so much fun and personable
i luvs her

 

[Triage]

they are great (even large size) for those caretakers when you are away that wish to not do crickets

What do you mean? You just throw some of these in the viv and he'll eat on them until you get back? I've been wondering what I was going to do if I had to leave for the weekend. I mean, lights can be timed, but wasn't sure about food. I was thinking I would just throw a bunch of Dubia in and let him find them when he is hungry. I thinking that in the wild, my little Buddie wouldn't be eating dubia from the tip of my tongs. ;-) They must have SOME sort of hunting instinct.

 

[mpal]

I've used phoenix worms a lot. To get most of the packing off the worms, take what you want out of the cups onto a paper towel to initially get some of the packing off, then I put the some of worms in a plastic 9 oz cup of room temp. spring water 3/4 filled. (I use any left over bottles of spring water that my kids leave around the house or have left in their soccer bag from God knows when and didn't drink.)

I stir the worms gently and the packing will fall to the bottom of the cup. Then I remove them right away with a plastic fork (NOT stabbing them with the fork, but scooping/straining them out) onto another paper towel. They come out clean and alive. I feed them to our dragon Spike off the paper towel in a pile. He likes watching me while I do all of this on the floor and can't wait to gobble them up. If he is uninterested in eating at that time, I put them in his feeding dish. FYI: If they are really wet, they will climb out of the dish so don't scoop them out and put them directly into a feeding dish. You need to put them first on a paper towel. I read this idea about a year ago from this website. I have been doing it this way ever since I ordered my first batch. It works GREAT. I hope it helps you.