I understand what you are saying, however many breeders including me have demonstrated this to be temperature dependent, mealworms cause digestive problems when lizards are kept at lower then optimal temps, otherwise they have no problem digesting them.

Furthermore if this was a case of impaction, not all of the 32 dragons would be affected at the same time, some of them would still try to eat them, but not the case it’s a cold turkey stop.

However I agree with you about the carrots not necessarily being at fault.

Other possibilities need to be investigated.

I keep my worms on laying mash, and I spray them almost everyday, a pro breeder told me this can cause toxic mould? This in combination with potato and carrot peals might be at cause, also when I start a culture in 2in of laying mash, a few months later the mash is replaced by a fine dust (faeces?) sins this is dry I figured simply adding new mash over it will do! But now I think this can be the problem?

In any case I discarded all and started new bins that I will keep very clean and will not spray. I will peal my carrots though! As studies have shown they do harbour pesticides residue.


In the early 80s up till 92-93 I produced 10,000s leopard geckos, chuckwallas and Baja blue lizards on mealworms alone, other then light from window no lights whatsoever just a strip of flex watt, I am by no mean proud of this, I may have contributed to the rack system herpetoculture.

Now days I think these awful racks are a reflection of human greed, they don’t do justice to captive reptiles, hopefully one day laws will forbid them or better yet keepers will shun them, and take there animals from caring breeders.

Anyway I just wanted you to know that feeding mealworms exclusively under good husbandry is not a problem. Of course this was a study I don’t advise mealworms as staple, in fact this study was to show there weakness compared to crickets.

Pleas feel free share other ideas, I always appreciate them.

Rgds

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