Superworms

[laswabbie]

There seems to be a lot of nonsense about Superworms out there in the dragonosphere. I've been reading different online sources where "experts" have said:

1. You shouldn't feed Superworms to beardies less than 14" long.
2. It's OK to feed Superworms to juveniles in very limited amounts (3 to 7 per day).
3. It's OK to feed Superworms to juveniles in any amount.

1. You should pinch the heads off before feeding with Superworms because they can eat through the stomach lining if they aren't immediately killed.
2. That is a stupid myth.

1. Feeding too many Superworms can often cause an intestinal blockage that is difficult to overcome.
2. Feeding Superworms is no different from feeding any other live food.

Will some of you on the "home team" please weigh in on these issues?

I'm always in a hurry in the morning and feeding Superworms and dragon salad is quick and easy. In the evenings, I can take my time and feed Falkor individual crickets and dubia roaches in a way that makes him hunt.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Awe yes.....
A big factor on this "debate" is hydration.. You can buy mini superworms for the smaller dragons, however most dragons will bite them in half making that not much of an issue.. NOW you don't want to feed a large superworm to a baby baby dragon as well why risk issues.. Common sense will play a big part. And hopefully owners of dragons will watch their dragons and take it 1 by 1 to make sure that they chew it and it passes without incident. And increasing the # of them given.
They are a great staple however they do have fat in them so feeding them to a growing dragon is just fine moderation is always best.. If your dragon is getting gigantic and fat can't walk without the belly dragging then you need to get them on a diet. lol Adults I give my adults 5-10 a day with Dubia being their staple.
No need to pinch the head off their stomach acids will finish the job the teeth missed..
Full circle here Hydration! if your dragon is well hydrated you shouldn't have impaction issues. If your dragon isn't passing feces then back off on the supers until regular again..
With all live foods moderation and getting to know your beardie and their habits..
Hope that helps

 

[PatsyB]

I agree, a well hydrated dragon shouldn't get impacted by anything, but then it's hard to make sure that your dragon is well hydrated at all times.

Super worms come in all sizes and so the appropriate size should be fed to your beardie. Smalls can be fed to smaller dragons. Like Hdrydr31 said, they do tend to bite them and break them them into pieces. When Luci was about 15" I was feeding him large ones because I had those for my big girl, but I also watched him eat them and made sure that he could handle them. Sure enough he bit them in the middle so that the head and end broke off then he would go back and eat the pieces.

Unless your bearded dragon is in a critical state, there is no way a super worm is going to eat through it's stomach. They chew them real good with their teeth and then the start breaking down immediately with the stomach acid. So that is a myth!

Super worms are a little fatty so they should be alternated with another bug. A dragon can get real fat fast with just eating super worms alone.

 

[Bobbi]

Bayne hadn't really ate for weeks and I offered him supers and he ate 10 of them at one time. I was so happy I grabbed him up and hugged him. I could have built the supers a castle, haha.

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[laswabbie]

Falkor really loves Superworms and I think he would keep eating them until his belly fills up and they hang out of his mouth.

 

[Draeju's_world]

Draeju loves them, too. Whenever i open the bottom drawer of his enclosure where i keep them, he jumps down off his basking rock and climbs the glass trying to get to them. He's a madman.

 

[beeneufe]

A friend came over the other day and lectured me on how bad superworms were and I had to roll my eyes. I alternate with crickets, but I find superworms incredibly easy to keep and they don't die off like crickets do. Unfortunately, dubias are illegal in Canada so I am forced to stick with the damn crickets but superworms make my life a lot easier. I don't know about your beardies, but Artemis chomps them pretty good. I can't see them crawling back out. Her pooping has slowed down so I am trying to lessen the amount and increase the crickets, but she's all around a healthy girl who loves her supers. She even recognizes the container they're in and gets all excited when I bring it out.

 

[RaeAnn]

Omg yes! You can see why all of this mixed info has created a lot of confusion for a newbie like me. Thankfully I have found this site and I see on here so many people have beautiful healthy dragons and they feed supers. So with that being said I plan on trying them out soon and seeing how well my girl likes them. I want her to have variety in her treats.


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[JUNGLE JIM]

I have three dragons and all are different when it comes to superworms. Archer will eat 20-30 everytime I offer them. Sheila will eat 5-6 and Pumpkin won't eat any. She loves her crickets though. I bought some dubias at the reptile show Sunday and they all liked them. They were pricey at $10 per oz. so they won't be getting them often unless I find cheaper prices. They will eat them first before they eat crickets when I offer both at the same time. If you want your dragon to put some weight on superworms are the way to go. I think they should be fed in moderation or your dragon will get fat which isn't good either.