Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have recently brought a blue tongued skink,i have been feeding him field crickets,wax worms,mealworms,some vegatables and he has 2 pinkies once a week as a treat.But i have now been advised by the pet shop i got norbert from that feeding him mealworms could be fatal to him.If they are not dead when he swallows them that they could end up eating him from the inside out.I previously owned 2 water dragons and have never heard of this happening.Can anyone help,i have tried feeding him dead mealworms but he takes no intrest if his food is not alive.and as he enjoys his mealworms i dont want to remove them from his diet.

I believe this is a myth. I still havn't heard documented evidence. I wouldn't think mealworms would be the risk anyway. Superworms...now, maybe I could see it with them. But I have kept frogs that eat them whole without chewing for years, and not once have I had a problem. If you are worried, just get some tweezers and pinch off the heads. As well, mealies aren't exactly the most nutritious food item, but they do work well if you are trying to vary the diet.
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Andy Maddox
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Why aren't meal worms nutritious. I use them a lot because they are easy to keep alive. I throw out that sawdust crap they come on and put them in powderized rodent chow. (same thing I feed my crickets) I always thought they were an excellent food item.

As far as the mealworm thing. I'm almost sure that's BS. However, I have heard one second hand story from a trusted source. It told of a garter snake that was force-fed a cricket. The cricket supposedly didn't go all the way down and chewed it's way through the snakes neck later. I'm not so sure i believe that one either.
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Martin Whalin
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Quotes from guys named Carl:

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I also believe this is a myth. I think it started when some people had animals die, and then the mealworms that were left in the cage, started to feed on them (to get some water), initially entering through the mouth, making it look like they were eating their way out.

The only problem I have ever had with mealworms, is giving adult kingworms to panther chameleons. They seem to bite the gums of the chameleons, as the chameleons are trying chew them. This often results in gum infections/mouth rot, etc. Feeding just shed (soft) kingworms eliminates this problem.

Here's a quick experiment for you. Drop a mealworm into some water. How long does it live? How long do you think it could live in stomach acid? Long enough to "chew" its way out? (And that is assuming your skink doesn't chew it to death before swallowing it)

Rodney

I remember a lot of herpers in the old days (late 80s - sheesh!) saying that could happen only if the lizard was small (Anole) and weak (sick or suffering from MBD - metabolic bone disease), so I wouldn't worry about one burrowing out of your skink's belly. I would worry about impaction (constipation) if you fed him Mealworms too much or too often since regular mealworms' exoskeletons are indigestible. I fed Super-mealworms to my tegu and turtles because they are completely digestible and very nutritious.
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"I would worry about impaction (constipation) if you fed him Mealworms too much or too often since regular mealworms' exoskeletons are indigestible. I fed Super-mealworms to my tegu and turtles because they are completely digestible and very nutritious."

Wait a minute. What's the difference between super worms and mealworms? I use super worms and just thought they were big mealworms.
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Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

Superworms and mealworms are not the same species. You are probably thinking of giant mealworms that have been treated with an insect growth regulator to reach a larger than normal size.

They are indeed different in their chitin content, and regular mealworms have a lot more of it.--especially when you consider how many mealworms it takes to make a kingworm! Also, I don't know if you have ever raised the two species, but a kingworm, the same size as a regular mealworm, is much more delicate, softer and moister.

As for nutrient value, they are probably about the same if fed the same diets, minus the chitin and moisture variables.

One more thing, that saw dust you are throwing out, is most likely bran and not sawdust at all. Bran is used by the large insect suppliers because it is very inexpensive. Mealworms do fine on this stuff, but it isn't the greatest for gutloading. I raise all my kingworms/mealworms on chicken lay pellets due to its high calcium content. The only feeders I have ever seen on sawdust (other than rodents) are waxworms. Waxworms grow so incredibly fast, that they would probably all pupate before they were sold, if they were kept on food and not made to go "dormant".

Rodney