Wild Insects

[Misomisomiso]

Wondering why wild beardies can eat wild insects but it's dangerous for my domesticated beardie to. I don't have pesticides around here, so parasites are what I assume to be the greatest concern, though how do wild beardies deal with these?

My beardie ate a wild hornworm (DOESNT FEED ON TOMATO PLANTS AS I LIVE IN THE DESERT) before I could get to it and now reading up on the matter has me terrified for her safety.

 

[kingofnobbys]

In the outback of Australia where their native range is , they are very unlikely to encounter wild insects that have eaten baits, or poisoned insects.

In Australian towns and cities in their native range , the wild lizards build up a tolerance for the common herbicides and insecticides used by urban dwellers and farmers , in that only wild lizards who can tolerate these poisons survive ingesting them and pass this abillity onto their offspring.

Captive bred lizards never develop any tolerance and are genetically inferior to wild specimens , most because of inbreading by the "industry" overseas because AU cut off all legal means of exporting native reptiles overseas .

So if you are anywhere but Australia , NOT WORTH THE RISK - don't catch wild insects to use a food for your pet dragon - likely to end badly if you do.

If your dragon ate a wild horn worm that has been feeding on leaves full of toxins this could at the very least make your dragon very sick.
You need to take a specimen of the leaves the horn worm was on and another horn worm to your vet and get the dragon checked .