Pet store confusion?

[ShaneCash]

I went out shopping for food for my BD (collard greens, and different types of squash) Which led me to a local pet store which sell a variety of animals, So when i bought my BD i always went to pet smart and today i decided to go to the local store seeing they have alot more to offer. Well i went and the first thing i went to look for was bearded dragons. So i see a cage labeled "iguana" and noticed a fully grown bearded dragon in it that looked like mine but way older lol, and in the back of the cage where about 4 iguanas, and they also had baby bearded dragons in a display cage that the guy said where a month old, there where about 4 of them right next to a snake! the bad part is they are seperated by plexiglass so it was visible and had what looked like flooring you would use for a hamster, So that made me think the owner probably wasn't knowledgable.
So back to the main point, Im guessing the owners son comes over and asks if i needed help and tell him i have a bearded dragon and what do they carry for them, he tells me about how they have crickets and mealworms and how i should feed my bearded dragon a variety of fruits and greens etc etc. so i ask about the mealworms and the owners comes over seeing he has more knowledge, first i ask about the mealworms and he asks me how long is my bearded dragon and i tell him about 7 inches and is a juvenile, and he goes well he is about 8 months old.... then says yeah they love mealworms and i've been feeding lizards for 25 years.

So now my concern is do you guys think my bearded dragon is 8 months and can/should eat mealworms, i think not, or maybe one on occasions?

 

[Kessed]

I know this website is really anti-meal worm, but I'm not sure I'm convinced...

Because mealworms are one of the easiest things for me to have a colony of, I've been doing alot of reading on the subject. I'm pretty comfortable feeding some (like 3-5) to my 4 month old beardi. They are far smaller than any super worms I've seen. By surface area, they have far less exoskeleton than crickets. Zaxxi bites them in at least half as she chews them up. I have never seen anything more than tiny fragments of shell in her stool. She poops a good sized poop twice a day.

Besides anecdotes, I haven't seen any actual evidence that mealworms cause problems. I would be much more worried about crickets that are too large.

 

[Gail]

No, your dragon is not 8 months. The only way a 8 month old would be 7" is if it is severely stunted. I would guess yours is closer to 3 months. I recommend you don't go back to that pet store, they either don't know or don't care about the wrong way they are housing their reptiles.

As far as mealies go, they can and have caused impaction but in those cases it was inexperienced owners with incorrect husbandry and temps. Mealies have a harder shell then crickets or supers, thats why they can be harder to digest, especially if your temps are to low.

That being said, I feed mealies and always have. My dragon was around 7" when I got him and he has been eating mealies daily and never has bathroom problems. He does get other insects though, mainly dubia but I also have fed small supers and now have silkworms.

Mealies aren't terribly nutritious so I don't feel they are a good staple but there is no reason you can't feed him a few to see how he does.

 

[warhawk]

I feed meal worms to all my reptiles (well not the tortoise) but I also feed crickets and super worms too. Like Gail said meal worms don't have the best nutrition and I think that is why many people are against them but as long as you gut load and dust they will do fine. You will also be feeding more greens as they get older you that will help with nutrition also. I feed adults 80% greens and 20% protein.