Whole Phoenix Worms in Poo.

[Cassandhamoudi]

Hi all,
My beardie has been battling with coccidia basically since I brought him home. In the past two weeks he has not been digesting his meals at all. He gets 20-25 phoenix worms three times a day. They just come out whole, and quite a lot of them too. I have not found anything online that connects this to coccidia. The only explanation I've seen has to do with temperatures, but I know his temps are fine and he is basking enough. Does anyone know of any other explanation or remedy for this. I've been giving Acidophiliz daily and stopped his meds. I did an at home fecal test and didn't see any coccidia,though I am not an expert. Any help would be appreciated. THANKS!

 

[sebby757]

Is he strictly eating super worms? That's a lot of superworms a day as well!You should try feeding dubia roaches, they are much more nutritional!

 

[XiDiS]

Is he strictly eating super worms? That's a lot of superworms a day as well!You should try feeding dubia roaches, they are much more nutritional!

PHOENIX worms......

 

[AHBD]

Hi there.... this happens quite often, especially with bigger dragons. How big is your dragon ? The Phoenix worms are O.K. for babies and some larger adults, but there seem to be a lot of threads on this subject....it seems that many larger dragons don't bother to chew them and somehow they survive the digestive acid and come out whole and alive. You need to switch to another insect for now because he is not receiving any nutrition at all when they pass through him. If your dragon is over 13 -14" he can eat medium superworms [ 3-4 at a time ] hornworms, silks, crickets + dubia. Just another side point, be careful not to medicate for a long period of time or over + over. This can lead to worse problems than the actual parasite. Give him a break even if he still has the coccidia to make sure he's eating + digesting well.

 

[Cassandhamoudi]

He is 11 inches right now from head to tail. He does gobble the worms up without really chewing them. I like getting the phoenix worms because they are easy to order online and a good nutritional staple. Do you have any suggestions for a staple and where I can order online? Also, would there be any signs to look for if there is damage from over medicating. I don't think this is the case, but just for reference.

 

[XiDiS]

If you can stomach having them (some people have issues) Dubia roaches are GREAT feeders. They are easy to keep and feed.

 

[daner923]

Alternatively, you can poke each phoenix worm with a pin so that he is sure to digest them even if he doesn't chew.

 

[Dr. Phoenix]

Gulping down Phoenix Worms whole usually occurs when a beardie is excited and there are many worms served at one time. The key is to slow down the feeding response to ensure chewing. Try serving only a few worms at a time so teeth will puncture the worms (or hand feed the worms instead of serving in a bowl). Another way to ensure full digestion is to "pin" the prey before serving which is what frog hobbyists routinely do before feeding. Just prick the worms with a needle before serving and digestive juices will be able to do their job.

Craig Sheppard, Ph.D.
President, Insect Science Resource LLC
Emeritus, University of Georgia
http://www.phoenixworm.com

 

[AHBD]

So he is still pretty young. You can try the method that Andrew + Dr. Sheppard mentioned.....I think that you could also cut some in half and put them on top of some uncut ones, there will still be wiggling to attract and the beardie will probably gobble them all up.

 

[Cassandhamoudi]

Thank you!

 

[Mustashio]

He is 11 inches right now from head to tail. He does gobble the worms up without really chewing them. I like getting the phoenix worms because they are easy to order online and a good nutritional staple. Do you have any suggestions for a staple and where I can order online? Also, would there be any signs to look for if there is damage from over medicating. I don't think this is the case, but just for reference.

I have gotten excellent service and great worms from Mulberry Farms. I order my Phoenix worms from phoenixworms.com but the other worms I get from Mulberry Farms. My adult beardie, Mustashio, is 16 months, 471g and 17inches and he LOVES hornworms, silkworms and butterworms. He will eat medium superworms too, but hornworms are his favorite. Personally, hornworms kinda creep me out. They are like big sticky footed caterpillars, and when you grab them they spin their body around and try to grab you. They don't bite but they are intimidatingly aggressive! They get huge, but are soft bodied, so you never have to worry about impaction. In fact, they also have a high water content and tend to "squirt" when Tashi bites into them! They are easy to take care of, and they come with enough food to grow up to 4 inches long, but you can feed them to your beardie at any "growth" point. (Don't freak about the 4inch size! I did initially too, but they are fine) Here's a pic of Tashi and his big juicy favorite hornworms!



Silkworms are a great staple too, but are a little more pesky to take care of. They too come with "chow" to grow, but you have to clean the container out often and watch for humidity. They stick together a lot too. They are a good #2 pick in my opinion.

Butterworms are also nice and soft bodied and are bright orange which can be appealing to your beardie. Not the best for nutrition as they are a little more fatty but still a good staple. They keep in the refrigerator so not a lot of maintanence which is nice.

Superworms are creepy to me too, like little centipedes, but I like that they are sold in different sizes. They are quick and the dragons like the chase! Super easy to keep. All you have to do is fill the container with bran or oatmeal and throw in a couple carrots every few days and youre good to go. They last a long time too at room temperature.

Hope this helps. I have also ordered worms from lindasgonebuggy.com and that was an okay experience too, except they shipped to my house instead of staying at the post office. (I live in MN and it is cold here--and still snowing in April!!--so usually they hold the box at the post office to prevent die off) Good luck with your worms!