Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a new beardie with a hefty appetite, but all he eats are crickets.....he/she wants no parts of any greens or fruit that i offer. I was wondering if it's ok to be giving him/her some mealies as an alternate from the crickets? If so, how many can i feed at at time & how often? My beardie is about 10"-11"(nose to tail) & weighs over 40 grams, last time weighed. thanks in advance.
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Ciliatus 2.0.0, Auric 0.1.0,
Oedura 0.1.0, AFT 1.1.0,
Viper Tail 1.1.0, Beardie 0.0.1
Happy Herping

None, mealies aren't good for them. They contain too much chitin and are a major impaction risk. Try some roaches or silkworms if you want variety.
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Heart Mountain Herps

Mealies really don't have any 'meat' to them. Small to medium sized silkworms, butterworms, several varieties of roachs, small hornworms and superworms could be offered instead of crickets, for variety.
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PHLdyPayne

Ok....thanks, I see you didn't mention *wax worms*, are they a no-no as well?
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Ciliatus 2.0.0, Auric 0.1.0,
Oedura 0.1.0, AFT 1.1.0,
Viper Tail 1.1.0, Beardie 0.0.1
Happy Herping

Waxworms are like pure fat and are a rare treat for them, they're not especially dangerous or anything just not something you'd want to feed daily unless you're trying to rehab a thin dragon and even then I would definitely mix a small amount of them with a larger amount of something more nutritious.
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Heart Mountain Herps

You are better off just using superworms instead of regular mealworms. Make sure the temps are good for the dragons, and you shouldn't have a problem. My babies are started on mini superworms. You can put a bunch of them in a dish with gutload, and the babies eat them whenever they want. I notice that the dragons grow faster with supers than crickets. Take care, Josh

what's the difference between the 2? they look the same to me? also, are these "superworms" you're talking about live food? when i did a search, alot of them were canned.
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Ciliatus 2.0.0, Auric 0.1.0,
Oedura 0.1.0, AFT 1.1.0,
Viper Tail 1.1.0, Beardie 0.0.1
Happy Herping

Superworms are a different species than the regular and "giant" mealworms. They are live, and you may be able to buy some from a cricket/worm farm. There is another that is labled "mini mealworms". I hear they work well, but I never tried. People use these for baby dragons also. Regular mealworms have caused me more problems(for dragons) than any other feeder. Like in the other posts, roaches, silkworms, and hornworms work really well. Josh

thanks....
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Ciliatus 2.0.0, Auric 0.1.0,
Oedura 0.1.0, AFT 1.1.0,
Viper Tail 1.1.0, Beardie 0.0.1
Happy Herping