Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I'm trying to find an alternative staple insect to feed my 2yr old male beardie. Basically because crickets stink, and he tends to leave a lot of them in his viv, which makes cleaning out difficult (don't want crickets all over the house!!)

I've asked the question about cutworms, which I will try as a treat insect, however I have recently discovered butterworms.
They are apparently more nutritional then silkworms.(have a higher calcium content and don't need dusting with supplement because of this fact) The silkworms I've tried and Khan loves, but they are quite difficult to obtain on a regular basis, not to mention the cost, and u have to be so careful with them with a regard to upkeep.

If anyone could reccommend anywhere I can a regular supply of butterworms and how to care for them, I would be more than grateful.
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Kat

1 male beardie 'Khan'

Butterworms should still be dusted. It's not the amount of calcium in an insect but the Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio that's important. So unless it's 1.5:1 or better you still need to dust. I know of no live food that is 1.5:1 or better.

They can be obtained from Mulberry Farms.

http://www.mulberryfarms.com/horn2.htm

My only issue with them is that they are irradiated in order to keep them from turning into beetles and reproducing. You'll have to make your own decision on how you feel about this.

I know what you seek since I've done the same in the past too. But it all comes back to the best insects to feed (in my opinion) are Crickets, Silkworms, and Roaches.

Oops. Phoenix worms have a CAH ratio high enough that they don't have to be dusted. But the down side is they are small and many dragons don't seem to completely digest them. In other words they come out looking a lot like they went in. lol.

Personally as i said in your other post about cutworms i would stick with crix and worms are to be fed as treats except silkworms are ok staples.

Personally, I feel it is just as important to feed a variety of insects to bearded dragons as it is to feed a variety of greens/vegetables.

Crickets are considered a stable for dragons mostly because they are the easiest insect to get. Their calcium to phosphorus ratio, unless gut loaded, is no better than silkworms, if not worse. Silkworms have the added bonus of possessing enzymes that actually make it easier for the dragon to absorb calcium, plus other benefits.

Adult bearded dragons shouldn't get many insects on a daily basis anyway, no more than 20% of their daily intake (and this would be for egg laying females, non breeding/egg producing females and males are fine with 10-15% insects per day).

The rest should be vegetables, greens, bit of fruit etc. A few silkworms ontop of a salad (1-3 large, 2-6 medium), adult crickets (about 6 adults), young cockroaches, superworms (2-6), butterworms, pheonix worms (adults probably have a hard time with these ,they are rather small) or hornworms (captive bred, don't use wildcaught, these are toxic because of what they eat in teh wild. Captive breed/farmed are fed a special diet which doesn't have the toxins these worms normally eat in the wild).

phoenix worms are great for baby dragons and small lizards..

I have fed my dragon these worms and they never had troubles digesting them. Being soft bodied they break down fast in the stomach/intestine.
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PHLdyPayne

You're lucky I guess. Of the 3 of my dragons that have eaten them, all have left significant undigested parts. I also know that Oceanfairy's dragon has the same problem.

The shame of it is they really seem to love them. lol.

The calcium to phosphorus ratio according to Beautiful Dragons, of a cricket is 1:12 and a silkworm is 1:2.4.

I have had this happen with waxies in leopard geckos but not with any of my dragons. Then again i only feed them mealies as a treat, they will eat maybe one or 2 waxies every 2 weeks as they don't seem to care for them to much. They love their crix and veggies they eat everyday and the mealies about every other as a treat.