Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that you are supposed to do the research before obtaining a Water Dragon or any other Animal/Reptile, which I did do but you tend to go by the advice that was given to you from the person you obtained the reptile from, which is what I did. This is not working so please could I get some advice from someone who knows what they are talking about! I was told and sold crickets {little black ones} and waxworms. The crickets I feed to the WD every day {2-3} and was told to give her waxworms once or twice a week. Now this head strong little individual still has a weeks worth of crickets bounding around in the enclosure so I have been feeding her waxworms on a regular basis and she has been devouring them with pleasure. Now feeling bad that I was told only to feed them to her once or twice a week, I'm desperate to find something similar to give her that will be to her liking and healthy for her. I phoned the store that sold her to me and told them of my dilemma and they told me to try bigger crickets (yellow ones) and maurio worms? Is this right or can you suggest something else/better? She is about 3 months old measuring in at 9 1/2 inches. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

OK so I have now been back to the store where I was advised to remove all the crickets from her enclosure and was handed some King Size Meal worms (Morio Worms) for her to munch on. The first one she tried she devoured but it took her some time to actually work her way through the whole worm. Now she seems to have some of it stuck in her throat. Her neck keeps going up and down then she opens her mouth wide and does like a burping noise. Other than this she seems fine. Still playful and alert and was hoping this would pass. After offering her another worm all day she won't take up the offer, not in the slightest bit interested. I guess I was hoping she would take it and whatever was wrong with her would pass. My question is though, is this normal behaviour? Please pls pls pls pls pls would someone advise me on what to feed her? She is so tame and loving and I want the best for her! I will be taking her to the vet as soon as possible but I don't want him to give me the same information as my local store ..... that there is nothing else that is nutritious or digestible enough for WD's other than crickets and morio worms. I know there must be something else out there that she will enjoy eating and that will actually benefit her without the drama!

I don't recommend the king mealworms, they are just steroid induce mealworms, The Zoophobas are a naturally large mealworm that's more easily digested. Zoophobas are generally refered to as super worms but some places use the term "king mealworms" and "super mealworms" interchangeably, so ask for Zoophobas, and if they give you a blank stare, find an online distributer or another petstore that knows what they are doing.

Thank you for that :-} I spoke to the vet today and he saw no reason to bring her in. He told me that Water Dragons are very strong-willed and hardy creatures and advised me to persevere with the crickets. I was giving her the little black crickets but on the vets advice tried her on the small light brown ones and her first try was a success yayyyyyy :-} He also advised me to keep strong with the mealworms ... so now that I have received ur advice I will be on the lookout for the Zoophobas (hopefully we can get them in the uk). I have read your comments throughout this forum and you seem to know your stuff and I respect any advice you have to give. Thank you again for getting back to me on this one. Believe me I have plenty more questions to ask but I don't want to be a pain in the rear. I will wait at least a week before I post the next one and every week after that ... hehehe just teasin' .... but I do have other questions about enclosures for when they start getting bigger etc. I will wait a while before asking ur opinion on the Exo Terra Flexarium hehehe .... ciao for now :-}

I know in the U.K. they call zophobas "mori" worms. Can you try silkworms? My largest female loves them-the other 2 are ambivalent about them. I have my best success overall with the zophobas morios (kingworms, superworms). If you are an internet shopper, they are available in different sizes on some sites. A large zophoba is pretty much a mouthful for a small CWD, but the smaller ones should be more satisfactory. High grade chicken catfood is also used by several U.S. breeders.
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago