Can Bearded Dragons Eat Superworms?

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Superworms?
4 min read
16 September 2023

Beardie owners should avoid feeding superworms to their beardie dragons as a primary food source. Superworms contain high amounts of fat that may contribute to obesity in reptiles. Furthermore, their hard exoskeleton may cause gut impaction or distention issues and they contain more phosphorus than calcium than is necessary - thus throwing off their necessary mineral balance ratio. beardeddragon.cyou

They are high in fat

Beardies in the wild feed on an assortment of insects and vegetables for sustenance, providing their bodies with essential protein as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. Feeding insects together can also provide an enjoyable way to bond with your beardie!

Be mindful that superworms contain high amounts of fat; you should feed them only to your beardie in moderation to avoid gut impaction, which could prove fatal due to undigested bone debris accumulating inside its digestive system and impacting on their nervous system.

Baby beardies should also not be fed superworms as their delicate digestive systems may become compromised from eating such hard exoskeletons. Adult beardies and older juveniles should only consume these insects as a special treat; additionally, you must always gut-load superworms prior to feeding them to your reptile in order to avoid an unhealthy amount of phosphorus that can lead to early obesity or muscular issues.

They have a hard exoskeleton

Bearded dragons require a diet rich in vegetables, leafy greens and crickets as a source of high-quality proteins and fats to digest their food properly and maintain energy levels. Superworms make an ideal addition to their diet as they contain both proteins and fats; however, baby dragons should avoid receiving too many because this could result in digestive issues.

Baby dragons do not have digestive systems strong enough to digest superworms safely; however, older juveniles may consume up to two worms at each feeding.

Superworms contain more phosphorus than calcium, which may prevent new calcium absorption by the body and lead to metabolic bone disease. Therefore, they should only be fed as treats once every seven days for young dragons.

They can cause gut impaction

Beardie owners who enjoy feeding their reptiles superworms (Zophobas morio), should take caution with how frequently and in how much. Beardies' hard exoskeletons may cause gut impaction with this feeder insect leading to uncomfortable gas and bloating in both stomach and intestines.

Additionally, worms contain more phosphorus than calcium and can contribute to metabolic bone disease by depleting existing calcium reserves while blocking new calcium absorption. Therefore it's recommended that beardies receive no more than one feeding of superworms per week.

When feeding superworms to your beardie, always ensure to crush their heads before offering. Otherwise, these parasites could choke your beardie and cause serious health complications. Also take caution not to feed young beardies with difficulty digesting these worms.

They can be toxic

Superworms can make an excellent addition to the diet of beardies, but should only be given in moderation as their slippery exoskeletons can lead to digestive upset and gut impaction. To minimize risk, gut-load them 24 hours prior to giving them to your reptile; this involves feeding nutritional vegetable scraps as well as dusting them with calcium supplement for best results.

Remember that superworms are high in fat, and should only be fed once weekly as treats. Regular consumption can lead to obesity in beardies, leading to serious health complications like metabolic bone disease. Furthermore, their high content of phosphorus inhibits calcium absorption into your reptile's system; to mitigate this issue it's recommended gut-loading them with calcium supplements before giving them to your pet. Please visit here https://beardeddragon.cyou/  for more information.

In case you have found a mistake in the text, please send a message to the author by selecting the mistake and pressing Ctrl-Enter.
Rima Akter 2
Joined: 7 months ago
Comments (0)

    No comments yet

You must be logged in to comment.

Sign In / Sign Up