Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am a new proud mama to a 4mos old 12" Beardie. I have done a lot of research online, but am not sure about one thing....I have read over and over not to feed a Beardie anything bigger than the space between their eyes. I wanted to give her some variety in her diet. A man at a local reptile store said it was ok to give her these large silkworms (1 1/2 - 2 inches)because they are soft-shelled. He fed one to a small gecko to show me, but I am not convinced that it is ok. I have read that silkworms are ok, but I have not read anything mentioning what size compared to the size of your dragon. Maybe I am over reacting, but I would rather be over cautious than have a dead little girl on my hands !!! Any input would be greatly appreciated by me and my little girl !!! thanks

I hatch over 1000 silkworms a week and have been for years now. You'll be fine giving a 1 1/2 - 2" silkworm to a 12" dragon. There are no solid parts in a caterpillar to cause impaction.

Thank you for the reassurance !!! I also posted on fauna and got the same response from a couple others that I respect and trust. I have a few that are more like an inch. I will start with those to get her going.I really appreciate your input, I have seen many of your posts and trust your input. Isabelle thanks you too

being soft bodied, silkworms don't have the impaction risk as large crickets and other hard bodied insects. However, be careful not to feed too many silkworms at once. I would offer just 2-3 silkworms per meal. Bearded dragons can over indulge in silkworms or hornworms and end up regurgitating them.
-----
PHLdyPayne

Silkworms don't have the same issues as Hornworms and don't get nearly as big. Silkworms are not as high in moisture as Hornworms but like all caterpillars have a high moisture content compared to crickets or superworms. So the downside if you feed a dragon a lot of them is they get very loose stools, especially until their digestive system gets used to them.

Otherwise, they're a great feeder and my primary feeder for male dragons. I feed my adults 6 full size per meal.

Thank you all for your input. I gave her two of the smaller of the bunch and boy did she munch those puppies !!! Figured I would go with the smaller ones for the first time. It was really good to see her eat. I just got her on Tuesday and she hadn't eaten, I guess from the stress of being shipped and relocated. I haven't been handling her, except to put her in her Aquarium. I will start handling her a little bit each day until she gets more "at home" and not stressed out. The forums here are great and very helpful. Thank you all once again.....and Isabelle thanks you too