Let's talk about worms...

I try to expose my Beardies (Walter & Opal) a wide variety of foods, both the vegetative and creepy kind. Today I'd like to focus on the latter. I tried to stick to the soft-bodied bugs just because it makes me feel safer. I'll still get the occasional bag/box of crickets just to see my beardies running around, jumping for them, and generally having a good time -- but by and large I stick to worms. This is what I've tended to notice...

Butterworms (Trevo Worms):
Pros: They're cute, easy to store, good size for an adult dragon (not too big or too small). Bright pinkish color attracts attention in lazy or picky feeders.
Cons: Relatively fatty & less nutritious than other options (almost like a treat). Expensive as all heck. Cannot be found locally, must order online.

Phoenix Worms:
Pros: Very high calcium content. Easy to store -- virtually zero maintenance. When a bunnch of 'em are wriggling around in the dish, the beardies love it!
Cons: They're tiny & kind of expensive. Once they get a little older, they stop moving around -- which does nothing to stimulate the appetite. Cannot be found locally, must order online.

Silkworms:
Pros: Very nutritious -- relatively high calcium levels, lots of good enzymes, the granola of bugs. No problem to order 200+, raise, grow, & feed them. The smell of them & the containers, while not exactly pleasing, is akin to fruit jerky left in the sun.
Cons: Kind of pricey unless you're raising them from eggs (something I haven't tried yet). Incubator required for fast growth. Problems in a dish can kill the whole lot of 'em. Cannot be found locally, must order online.

Hornworms:
Pros: They're HUGE!!! You can grow these suckers to 3-4 inches easy. And it only takes a week or so to do it! Relatively nutritious. Bright color and motion make them very appetizing.
Cons: Other than needing a pair of pliers to get 'em to let go of anything? Can easily grow TOO big for some beardies. Incubator required for fastest growth. Kind of expensive, but cheaper the younger you get them. Can be found locally, but are toxic unless fed a special diet. MUCH easier (but more expensive) to order online.

Mealworms/Superworms
Pros: Available at most pet stores. Relatively cheap. Very active in a dish. Easy to breed (from what I've heard).
Cons: Chitinous shell is not digestible -- impaction is a risk. Not very nutritious. Escapees from the dish (if they can hide long enough) can turn into beetles.

Never Tried:
Nightcrawlers / Red Wrigglers
Roaches (just ain't happenin' -- don't bother trying to convince me)
Some other third thing...

I'd like to get your advice on the best soft-bodied feeders for your beardies and maybe where you've had good luck ordering. Price is always an issue in today's economy, so maybe we can all help each other find some good deals!

Wax Worms!! My oldest dragon, Romeo, gets up on his tippy toes and dances when he sees the wax worms coming. Unfortunately these have to be used as a treat, too fatty to use as a regular meal. Romeo is very picky when it comes to eating and he will not touch super worms or mealworms. The phoenix worms are so small that I don't find them worth the price, could be just me. I recently got a new little boy, Mercucio, and he is of course eating those nasty crickets, I gave a couple to Romeo and to my surprise he ate them, he gave up crickets years ago.

I just try to pick up stuff at the local reptile shows, saves on shipping and prices are usually comparable to the on-line stores. Hopefully someone will post the name of a supplier we've all missed that has great product, low low prices and free shipping. We can all hope, right?

Silver

Amen to that last part!

You're right of course, I forgot to mention waxworms. You did a good job of describing them though. My 2 love them as well, but I feed as a treat for the same reasons you mentioned above. I've found that they're good additions after my female laid her eggs to help her put weight back on. Thanks for the input!