Reptile & Amphibian Forums

as hard as this is to do, im going to try it any way just so see how they like them? is this a good food to feed them? obviously not as a staple, but i got a sampler just to try it out. their a whole meal so they dont require dusting and all that, but is it a good food for collareds or should it be avoided? would it be good to use with a skinny lizard to put some meat on him. obviously i could use super worms/mealworms, but pinkies have their advantages as well.

Yes pinkies are a larger meal they have their calcium from the skeletal structure, they are also high in fat as well. So no pinkies as a staple as you have said though in my opinion for a skinny lizard I would stay with the basic, crickets, mealworms, with a wax worm as a bonus. I have entertained the idea of introducing pinkies to my gang but just haven't done it. In the wild they will eat other smaller lizards and are opportunists eaters. Keep in mind that they don't eat every day in the wild and depending on the size of their meal won't need to.

I'd stay away from the pinky path just my opinion.

Meal worms and wax worms are not very nutritious for any critter. Better worms are horn worms, silk worms, pheonix worms and butter worms. These are high in protein and calcium, somewhat lower in fat, and will put weight on your thin lizard.

It is unwise to use mealworms and wax worms at all because your lizard can become addicted to them and refuse to eat the more nutritious feeders.

On pinkies, I would not feed a pinky to a thin animal due to the risk of impaction. Some breeders use pinkies to fatten up gravid females, but as a rehabber, I can tell you that there is a much higher risk of impaction in thin and dehydrated lizards in general.

Don't try to fatten him up overnight. It is best to provide a very nutritious diet and feed him all of the better staples that he will eat, and let him gradually gain weight, or you risk impaction and fatty liver disease.

I've had no issue's with worm addiction as I just give them as an occasional change in their regular diet. I'd love to try the other worms but for some reason where I live not many stores carry some of the other worms you mentioned Rosebud.

No, most local pet stores don't. I buy mine in bulk on line. It is soooo much cheaper and you get a huge selection. I buy from
www.mulberryfarms.com

I always get great service and the worms are very healthy. Now I won't buy crix from them. I think the shipping distance might be too great for crix. I buy crix from Flukers. They are only one state away, and I have never gotten a bad shipment from them.

I have so darned many lizards that I have to buy in bulk!

well i can tell you i hated to put the poor little babies in the tank today, but i only bought three so it was only a trial feeding that didnt go to well. i thought my new male who was in the wild, would maybe go for one, but before he found the pinkies he found the supers, and the mealworms that i had in their for him. he did show interest in one, actuallly bit it, but he didnt eat it. hes not skinny, his skin hangs in folds a bit, but he has some mass to him. its more about keeping him healthy. i think he would have eaten them if he was a little hungier. im not buying pinkies again tho for collareds. but because he is a wild cought keeping him healthy is my number one goal and i want to make sure hes eating as much as possible. but no pinkies in the near future.

SAD !
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PHEve / Eve