Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it okay to feed my beardie just mealworms instead of crickets? I haven't started this yet,(I still feed both of them). I feed him greens everyday, and crickets/mealworms every other day.

Thanks

I definitely would not,,, unless you are also feeding RepCal pellets.
Mealworms are not without risk! If feed too many they will cause impaction. The fat ratio is also higher so I have stopped feeding them every day and have gone to every 3 days or so (and still, a limited amount)
Another thing to consider is the size worms and the size dragon. If you have any doubt a worm is too big for a dragon, DO NOT USE IT!.

Once again,, I only use them as a supplement to the Veggies, and RepCal pellets. I do not feel the mealworms are a good enough supply (or balanced supply) of animal fats and proteins to be the sole source of "animal" nutrients.

JMO
Good luck
Joel R

if you go this route use superworms (zoophobas morio not giant mealworms), they have a thinner chitin then the mealies and therefore are much more digestable. But like joel said, along with that you are going to want to use rep cal pellets and not feed the worms daily, they are alright 2-3 times a week and maybe 5-7 worms. your dragon should have a good salad daily along with the repcal pellets if you are going to go this route, at least that is my opinion, the supers would be an addition to the main diet. My adult dragons dont eat crickets anymore, they eat 2-3 times a week silkworms, butterworms, superworms and a daily diet of salad and repcal pellets.
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reiko

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I hear about mealworms, superworms, butterworms, waxworms etc. what is the differance?? I am using waxworms to get my dragons to eat their salad and also feed them RepCal pellets daily. I was just wondering what the differance is of all these 'worms'.

mealworms- Mealworms are the larval form of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor) the worms themselves have a dark chitin and i beleive grow to about half an inch maybe 3/4 an inch long. I dont feed mealies so im not too familiar with size. They also have a giant mealworm which is fed growth hormones to give it its size, its about 3 times the size of the regular mealie.

Superworm- Zoophobas Morio, a large worm that looks much like a mealie but has a thinner chitin, it grows to about 2 inches long. It is the larvae of a beetle much bigger then the Mealworm's Darkling Beetle. Their life cycle can be 6 months or longer. Superworms grow over a period of many months and can live on a substrate of oats and bran, they usually eat their substate, i also feed mine all the greens i feed my dragons which they readily eat.

Butterworm- Just like popcorn, orangeish yellow good looking as far as a worm goes. The Butterworm is the soft-bodied larval stage of the Chilean Moth(Chilecomadia moorei) which is indigenous to the mountains of central Chile. They have the highest calcium content of any feeder out there (from what i know) but can also be a tad fatty for daily consumption, great for treats as a replacement for waxies, my guys get a couple every other day.

Waxworm-The waxworm is the larva of the greater wax moth. They are mostly just fat and have little to no nutritional value and mainly used as treats when it comes to reptiles. the dragons love the moths too if you keep them at room temp, Gobi loves chasing the wax moths...

Silkworm- the larval stage of the Silkworm Moth, a soft bodied high calcium feeder, great for daily feeding. They eat mulberry leaves only, or you can buy an artificial diet for them from the feed supplier. I think they are all around the best feeder all my guys love them. They are a little harder and more expensive to keep but a full grown silkie is pretty large, just a few make a great meal.

hope that this helps some

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reiko

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np