Super worms?

[Toothless37]

So I have a 6.5 month old beardie who is not wanting to eat crickets. I tried bsfl. But they are so small he won't eat them. Oh and dubious are illegal in Canada which is annoying. So I was thinking of switching his diet to super worms. Is this ok for a 17 inch 6.5 month old and if so how many do I feed him a day.
Thanks for your help!

 

[kmwilson042182]

They can eat appropriate sized superworms at 17 inches. Just make sure they are chewing them good. You should try and offer some variety though. I do feel your pain though as I have a very picky eater who latches on to one kind of bug and will only eat that bug for weeks at a time. right now it is butterworms, but in the past it has been supers and before that it was silkworms. Butterworms, hornworms and silkworms may be some other options you might want to check out. They are typically a hit too as most dragons love them. When my guy is on a superworm binge I usually cut him off at about 8 or so. He is 22 inches and nearly 500g now though. He also only wants bugs right now about every third day. Every situation is different and at 6.5 months your dragon will need more bugs than mine. I would not recommend going solely with supers but if you could mix in 1-2 other bugs that would be good. They do get easily addicted to them so..... Just remember variety is key.

 

[Toothless37]

OK thanks! I'll see if I can get some hornworms as well then thank you again for your help.

 

[Jacoby]

It's clear to me now. Thanks!

 

[kingofnobbys]

OK thanks! I'll see if I can get some hornworms as well then thank you again for your help.

I'd reserve the superworms to use as treats , no more than one or two at a time .

You should be able to get silkworms , these are a fabulous feeder and your juvenile dragon should be able to easily handle two LARGE silkworms in a sitting , my similar sized boy loves his silkworms and refuses crickets unless I hand feed them to him. He was a cricket junky until he discovered silkworms , he is now a silkworm junky.
Silkworms are much more nutritious than hornworms.

Compare mass of insects :
A medium sized silkworm will be about 2in long and is a lot of protein cf a medium sized cricket

A 30mm long silkworm is 0.5g = 2-3 medium crickets (12x MED = 3g)
A 40mm long silkworm is 1.3g = 5-6 medium crickets
a 2 inch long silkworm is 1.8g
a large silkworm about 3in is 2.3g = 8 - 10 medium crickets

10 x large white (2nd instar) BSFL = 0.9g ==> each large white BSFL weighs about 0.09g.
:
BSFL (get the 2nd instar versions in the order, the 3rd instar are good too) ,don't need to dust these) , the flies are a great feeder too.

My girl Cleo , who's supposed to be from the same clutch , but I suspect is a few weeks younger than Caesar LOVES her BSFL , but I have to hand feed them to her one at a time , she also likes crickets ( given by hand ) and has also she likes silkworms too.

I'm yet to try my two juvenile dragons on wood roaches (woodies) , I got these for my bluetongues and eastern water skink mainly , and am only giving the tiny baby woodies so to my hatchling G.Dubia gecko (only feeder I have on hand that's small enough other than baby mealworms about 1/2" long).

Can you get locusts in Canada ? worth a try.

 

[kmwilson042182]

I agree with Kingofnobbys that ideally supers should definitely be used as a treat as they are slightly high in fat. Unfortunately everyone's situation is different and a lot of times the dragons don't really cooperate with ideally. If used correctly they can serve an important part of the protein diet for a dragon. Its certainly important not to overfeed them supers as they can get really fat and lazy off them. Just try your best to offer a healthy variety of bugs and veggies. That's the key. Don't only feed them supers. There are many long established folks out there using supers with a lot of success for feeding their dragons.

Kyle

 

[Claudiusx]

I agree with Kyle. Superworms do very will for adding variety to a dragons diet. Just make sure they are appropriately sized like ant other feeder you'd feed.
I've used supers almost exclusively at times for my adults. And my babies all get some as part of their varied protein diets.

-Brandon

 

[Toothless37]

Hey again,
I found a place where I can get crickets and superworms at the same time. So I was wondering if he eats two crickets and then one super worm it will encourage him to eat more crickets. Would this 2:1 ratio be healthy
Thanks!

 

[Toothless37]

Hey again,
I found a place where I can get crickets and superworms at the same time. So I was wondering if he eats two crickets and then one super worm it will encourage him to eat more crickets. Would this 2:1 ratio be healthy
Thanks!

 

[Toothless37]

And as for locusts they are the ones that eat the crops right? The only problem is I live in a farming town which won’t be to happy if they escape. Could anyone send a link as to where I could get them though
Thanks!

 

[CooperDragon]

I wouldn't follow an exact ratio since their appetites change so much. I'd keep supers as an occasional treat but do keep them in rotation with crickets. I don't think Locusts are allowed in Canada either. They are also considered invasive in the US. It's mostly folks in the UK who offer them from what I've seen.