Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK so i have been waiting for a shipment of superworms forever now. They arrived the other day, and my beardies were so exited to have fresh insects after the 2 week shortage. My 2 males were eating like pigs, and are still hungry. My 2 females seem to have stopped eating and have runny stool. I have heard that worms in high amounts can impact sometimes. Is there something I can do to help them pass it? I have tried soaking them already, but just the runs, no hard stuff yet. They seem better now then yesterday, more alert and active, but still no appetite. Please help!! Thanks in advance.

doesnt sound like impaction, but may could be. the runny stools are probably caused by feeding alot of greens. if you use iceburg lettuce or even romaine, these will cause runny stools. superworms in high amounts can cause impaction, but more often in younger dragons. adult dragon are usually ok with them, although i do not feed them to mine because they dont properly digest them and when they poop i can see superworm parts that are not fully digested. id stick with large mealworms, a but softer and easier on the dragon.

my biggest concern is why wait 2 weeks on live insects for your dragons?
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Judson
Beach Beardies

0.1. bearded dragon
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*

There was a mix up with the shipping and the guy in town only had small crickets. We were expecting the shipment every day, but ti just never came. In the meantime we fed greens.

It would really help to give an informed opinion if you'd state the age and size of the dragons. Hard for me to guess if impaction is an issue without that info.

Personally I never feed mealworms. Just too much shell to meat ratio. Superworms are a staple for my adult dragons.

I have a lot of experience with impaction in adults unfortunately. It is more often caused by dehydration and low basking temps. than anything else. Reptiles pull all the moisture from the stool when dehydrated and leave a VERY solid block. Then soft stool can get around it at first.

I doubt this is your problem, but if it is you will see the animal with it's vent open tring to pass the solid mass. At this point it is an emergency.

One dragon is an adult and one is a sub adult. I have increased there basking temps and have been soaking them regularly to prevent dehydration. I will just keep my eyes on them for the next couple of days, but they seem to be doing better.