Worms?

[suz830]

I just got my first leopard gecko... I also have a beardie...

I know in the beardie parent population most agree that mealworms are not a good choice... but would prefer superworms or roaches..

I see here alot of people feed mealworms to the gecko... and I also do because that is what the breeder was feeding her before I got her.

What is the general consensus of the best worm to feed the geckos?

I was probably going to switch her to superworms when she is full grown...
I have heard rumors about the superworms eating through the lizard's belly if not properly chewed.... is this truth or just a myth.

 

[StatikStepz]

Click this link...

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=49135

It is a thread that answers and explains everything you just asked... It was just talked about, about a week or so ago...

Read my posts... I feed mine superworms... always have, and always will... i personally think they are the best as far as vitamins, protein, etc is concerned...

and no, don't pinch the heads or cut them off... this is a myth about them eating thru the stomach and not true... and besides, leo's require LIVE prey... they will not eat dead food.

but yeah, read that thread, it will answer everything you need to know...

 

[StatikStepz]

...And here's a post that i made a while back on a different thread that i looked up for ya thought it might help... (and so i didn't have to type it all out again... lol)

___________________________________

"I feed my juvies that are around 20-25 grams 2 superworms every night, and i dust them with calcium powder every other day. I find that as far as feeders go, superworms can't be touched by any other feeder. Packed full of protein and vitamins perfect for a growing baby that u want to be a nice full size grown leopard gecko. Dubia Roaches and Lobster Roaches are right up there aswell as far as how much protein they have, but i only feed those to them here and there, whenever my buddy hooks me up with some.

When my juvies get to about 35 grams or so, i'll feed them every other day, and either 2 or 3 superworms. As far as protein and all that stuff goes, superworms can't be touched and are by far the best feeder full of all that good stuff!!! lol I have always only fed them superworms, and since doing so, i have noticed how much more healthier they are and they growth rate they show is so much greater than any other!!! Can't go wrong with a super!!!"

 

[suz830]

Thanks... that makes me feel better

I actually breed superworms... and I was starting to get worried about feeding them to my beardie so I wasn't going to breed them anymore after he eats what we have...

but I guess I will start breeding them again

 

[StatikStepz]

Well i know nothing about beardeds... never owned one, just seen em and held em... so as far as what they eat or should be fed, i don't know... I'm just speaking for leopard geckos, lol...

it wouldn't hurt to keep breeding the supers for your geckos tho, because geckos can sometimes have hearty appetites, and the cost of food can rack up quick! lol

 

[Olimpia]

Techinically the best worms for leos are also the best for beardies, and these would be butterworms, silkworms, phoenix worms, and hornworms. These are all far superior in nutrition, but they are also far more expensive!

So you can get those every once in a while for both your animals to spice up their diet, like I'm doing these days. I use a combination, just because I breed mealworms and I had a bin of 500 large supers that lasted about 6 months. Since the supers were so big not all of my leos could eat them, so mealworms were the second best option. This time though I'm going to order small supers and feed those mainly. Whatever worm you use, you're going to see a much healthier gecko than on crickets alone, that is for sure.

And no, that's a riddiculous myth. I've had supers drown in three drops of water, so don't worry about them eating through your gecko's gut. They do, however, bite if your geckos grabs one the wrong way. But don't worry about it! Your leo will learn after one or two times to aim for the head so the worm can't nip.

Superworms are fine for beardies also, along with a couple mealworms. A lot of the big time beardie breeders feed mealworms and crickets along with a diet of greens. We have 2 beardies too and they're growing exponentially on these worms.

 

[StatikStepz]

Techinically the best worms for leos are also the best for beardies, and these would be butterworms, silkworms, phoenix worms, and hornworms. These are all far superior in nutrition, but they are also far more expensive!

I agree with you on the hornworms, and the butterworms... never bought or used or even seen a silkworm or pheonix worm, so i don't know about those... was only thinking about crix, mealies, waxworms, and supers, as to what was the best out of those... didn't take into consideration the worms for rich people, lol...

...but as far as your "everyday" feeders are concerned, that you can get just about anywhere, superworms would be the ones! lol

 

[Olimpia]

Silkworms and pheonix worms are suuuper calcium rich, so they're excelent for an animal that needs a little more calcium. But yes, they are pretty expensive, which is a shame!

But yea, I agree with you, supers are the better of the two "common" worm types.

 

[snakegirl]

if your looking for the Best of all worms i don't think there really is one in my opinion,

Each feeder has its own ups and downs.either to much fat, hard to keep, smells, or whatever it may be. Now i do Love mealworms i breed a ton of them. however i like to give my geckos a well rounded diet of other feeders and switch them up every other time i feed. i use Meal worms all the time with either a mix batch of crickets,waxworms,superworms,silkworms,roaches, or phoenix worms. now you may not have this Large of a breeding group of feeders, start off with something small and only use it as a treat. i find small silkworms and wax worms are the easy feeders to eat...however the hardest to breed! good luck

 

[suz830]

Yeah I have to agree about the superworms... so far they seem to very easy to take care of and breed.... and it seems that the general consensus is that they are great feeders for beardies and geckos... but my gecko is too small for my superworms so we are sticking to mealworms until she gets bigger

I tried breeding silkworms... didn't work...
I bought phoenix worms.... waste of money.... they were tiny and my beardie had no interest in them... No sure if my gecko would like them...

But I did just order hornworms and butterworms fir the first time for both the gecko and the beardie... we will see if they like them!!

I think that is the best thing to do is just offer a variety every once and awhile