Meal worms?

[Mile_High_Dragons]

I have heard that the meat to shell ratio of mealworms is much higher than crickets. I was wondering, Is it true that feeding an ADULT bearded dragon strictly mealworms (along with greens & calcium of course) can lead to impaction?

What are your thoughts?

Have you tried this before? And what happened?

Is this potentially harmful for beardies?


Thanks everyone!

 

[frillielover17]

I'm not sure about the meat to shell ratio being higher than crickets to tell you the truth. They do have a higher chitin amount than crickets which can make them difficult to digest for some dragons (especially smaller). Nutrition wise they aren't something that should be fed as a staple (or even a treat in my opinion).

I tried feeding them to a dragon years ago only as a treat but the results weren't that great. He had issues digesting them and would regurgitate them but luckily never got impacted. His basking temps were 115 at the highest part of the gradient and he still had problems so I stopped them altogether. I switched to feeding silkworms, hornworms, roaches, and superworms. Occasionally I'd throw in a butterworm or wax worm. Almost any feeder with an exoskeleton can cause impaction if temps are off, if it's too big for the dragon or if the exoskeleton is really hard.

I feel that with so many other healthier feeder options it's just best to use something else as a staple. Hopefully that was helpful.

 

[Matt2979]

I would not suggest feeding strictly meal worms (even in addition to greens). I believe the ratio is more skeleton than meat, when compared to crickets, but I can't say I'm sure on that. As Candice mentioned, they seem to be a little harsh on the digestion for some dragons. I like them as a staple, but only a few at a time, once or twice per week.

If you're looking for something better than crickets, I would suggest roaches. Since I switched, my dragons will not have anything to do with crickets. And roach nymphs definitely have a higher meat to shell ratio. They also live longer, are easier to breed, and don't stink (when kept clean) like crickets!!

 

[Mile_High_Dragons]

Thanks for the info everyone!

Matt: I acquired a small Dubia roach colony from a buddy a few months ago, (about 100 roaches) and I haven't seen them breed on a large enough scale to totally supply me with feeders. What do you suggest?

 

[frillielover17]

I know this was directed at Matt but I also had roaches in the past and would like to give a tip or 2. You can try offering oranges to the roaches if you haven't. It usually will make them get it on like rabbits. Dubia supposedly are a little slower to breed than some of the others. You may want to consider buying a couple more pairs of dubia as well.

 

[Matt2979]

Thanks for the info everyone!

Matt: I acquired a small Dubia roach colony from a buddy a few months ago, (about 100 roaches) and I haven't seen them breed on a large enough scale to totally supply me with feeders. What do you suggest?

Candice beat me to the punch. Unless you had 100 pair of adults, I'd say that you need more roaches. Of course, even then you would have to wait for a while for babies to be born, and then grow. It takes several months from baby to adult.

Personally, I started with about 1000 (with at least 25 pairs of adults) back in Jan. Since then I have ordered 3 more times to beef-up the adults to closer to 100 females (my last order was just med nymphs to tide me over until the babies are bigger). My colonies are just starting to show signs of some really nice growth.

I did not know that oranges would make them breed faster, but I might have to try that! I do know that if you don't keep them warm enough, they will live, but not breed (at least not very much). Make sure that they always have water (preferably the water crystals so they won't drown) and a high-protein diet, and keep them between 85-95 degrees. If you do give them fruits or vegetables, don't leave it in for more than 24 hours.

How do you have your colony set-up? (Container, heat-source, egg crates, substrate, etc?) I'm no pro at this, but I'm sure if I can't help, someone else on here with more experience can.

 

[Matt2979]

I would not suggest feeding strictly meal worms (even in addition to greens). I believe the ratio is more skeleton than meat, when compared to crickets, but I can't say I'm sure on that. As Candice mentioned, they seem to be a little harsh on the digestion for some dragons. I like them as a staple, but only a few at a time, once or twice per week.

If you're looking for something better than crickets, I would suggest roaches. Since I switched, my dragons will not have anything to do with crickets. And roach nymphs definitely have a higher meat to shell ratio. They also live longer, are easier to breed, and don't stink (when kept clean) like crickets!!

I just caught this and wanted to make sure that my typo did not confuse you. I only give mealworms as treats, not as a staple. And as far as the frequency that I mentioned (of a few, once or twice per week), that is not every week. I only buy them every now and then, and feed those numbers while I have some mealworms.