Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am looking into using phoenix worms as a part of my beardies diet. ive read theyre supposed to be really good for them and can be used as a staple. i dont plan on using them as a staple, but it would be easier to use them instead of crickets. they will of course still get their veggies and the occasional fruit. has anyone tried these and if so what do you think?
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0.2.1 Leopard Geckos
1.0 Butter Cornsnake
2 dogs(dachund/minpin mix & blue heeler/pitbull mix)
1 quarter horse

I'm not impressed with them. Even the large are too small to be anything more than a treat. Some dragons also do not digest them well. They come out looking as they went in. You could consider superworms as a replacement for crickets.

i was thinking the phoenix worms more for the younger ones bc of their size. i can easily get superworms for adults, but i thought theyd be good for the days i cant mess with the crickets since i dont like leaving them in with the younger lizards. i usually take my younger ones out to feed but its hard to do every day...thanks for the reply. i like getting other peoples opinions on what works and what they use.
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0.2.1 Leopard Geckos
1.0 Butter Cornsnake
2 dogs(dachund/minpin mix & blue heeler/pitbull mix)
1 quarter horse

I've used them as a treat. They're like wax worms in appearance, just less fatty and squishy (wax worms are higher in fat). Theyre fine to use, but I found are much more expensive than crickets or supers

kristen

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4.2 Bearded dragons (Lee,Stumpy,Blackie,Spazz,Lynn,Charlotte)
1 Egyptian Uromastyx (Niles)
1 Iguana (Gia)

phoenix works are great for young dragons but are too small even when using the large size, for adult bearded dragons. However, there are plenty of other good feeders available now which can be offered more as a staple than just plain old crickets.

Crickets are great as the old standby feeder insect, as long as they are well gut loaded and dusted regularly to balance them fully and increase calcium ratio.

Instead of crickets, superworms (though these are best for dragons that are at last 12" long due to impaction risk), silkworms, butterworms, horn worms (note that horn worms can get quite large but smaller ones can be feed to younger dragons), some species of cockroaches. I believe a variety of insects should be offered, just as a variety of greens should be offered, when possible. However not all these feeder insects are available in all areas and online ordering can get expensive with shipping etc. But this should give you a good list of healthy feeder insects to offer your dragons when you need a break from crickets.
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PHLdyPayne

I have moved to supers for my beardie simply because they keep easier and longer. They are simple to gut load, but I wonder about the water content in them.

Phoenix worms are supposed to be high in calcium, but its not difficult to dust your feeders. I often mist my supers to get calcium dust to stick to them.

My beardie loves roaches... turkistans are a good replacement for crickets (they are SOO fast!) and false death heads are good bigger meals.

I really suggest trying roaches out if your lizard will eat them.