Super Worms ARE Super!

Anyone else using superworms as feeders? For me, they're proving to be a better choice than mealworms. True, they are a tad more costly, but for the number of beasties I have they are great. The leopard geckos take them readily, and the two beardies eat them like candy (along with anything else that crawls, flies, or wiggles). For me, they're easier to keep since there's no refrigeration involved. I think the belief that feeding worms like this causes impaction is horse pucky.

You forgot the best one. Super worms live and will eat out of your animals stomach.

If they could survive that stomach acid, they truly ARE super worms!! 

scalyfoot wrote:

Anyone else using superworms as feeders?  For me, they're proving to be a better choice than mealworms.  True, they are a tad more costly, but for the number of beasties I have they are great.  The leopard geckos take them readily, and the two beardies eat them like candy (along with anything else that crawls, flies, or wiggles).  For me, they're easier to keep since there's no refrigeration involved.  I think the belief that feeding worms like this causes impaction is horse pucky.

Be careful with feeding too many superworms, especially to your dragons! Superworms are great supplemental feeders but can cause tons of problems if you use them regularly. To begin with, before anything else, the nutrition make-up is not appropriate for dragons so they would not be getting a healthy diet. I imagine the case is the same with leopard geckos but do not know for sure.

Dragons do have trouble digesting superworms. I cannot tell you how many emails I have gotten from people inquiring about their dragons regurgitating after a large superworm meal. Some dragons can keep them down better but it's still not good for them. Their digestive systems simply aren't designed to handle the tough chitin and large fat amounts.

Now, superworms do make great treats in small quantities as an occasional food so there's no need to cut them out completely as a feeder. They are definitely unhealthy and possibly dangerous as a primary food source though.

Points well taken, Brian, although I can't say that I agree with them all. My error in the post was in not specifying that superworms were not the primary food source. My dragons get dubias, crickets, mealworms, and, as stated, superworms as well as a variety of veggies. I also feed wild-caught insects, and yes, I'm aware of the inherent danger of pesticides and parasites.
My wife checks a fecal sample regularly and gives wormer on a regular basis. So far these dragons are thriving on this regimen.

I think the 'tough chitin' aspect is overrated. Let's remember that quite a few large breeders of geckos, Ron Tremper being a particularly good example, feed only mealworms(gut-loaded) to their stock and have been doing so for years, and that the exoskeleton of all insects is chitinous.
Have we looked at a large dubia, a regular food item for many dragons?? Now there's chitin!
Anyway, that's what I like about this forum--free and open discussion from various points of view.

By the way, I really like 'Lou', the sunburst yellow hypo pictured on your website.