W/C earthworms and insects?

[norman]

Just wondering what everyones opinions are on feeding wildcaught earthworms and insects....such as non fuzzy catterpillars and grasshoppers.
Basically im asking what the good points and bad points of feeding such items is and what is good for what kind of lizard. This would not be a staple food but a "treat". Ive heard that beardies and others like earthworms....Is this true?
Im mainly interested in the earthworms as they seem like they would be the safest to feed, But do beardies,leos, or even small monitors like them and is it safe for them?
THANKS
-PETE-

[eyespy]

You have to live in a pretty remote area for wc worms to be safe. There's way too much runoff of chemicals like motor oil, fertilizers, pesticides, landfill ooze, detergents in gray water, etc. in the ground near where people live.

[norman]

ok so what if you bred them yourself? like a worm farm....
thanks
pete

[DavidBeard]

I don't think using w/c insects or any animal would be a good idea, for the reason eyespy mentioned, among others. I also don't think earthworms would be a good idea because even if bred by you, they have a naturally high protozoan count and natural bacteria that I don't think non-European or American species would be able to tolerate.

[eyespy]

I buy my worms from a worm farmer who has special worm beds he uses for feeding birds and reptiles. He's in the US and so that won't help you but maybe there are folks hereabouts who know of a worm farmer closer to you.

http://www.kazarie.com/

[Leo-Land]

I feed my ringneck wc worms. I guess it's safe because I caught the worms in the same place I caught the ringneck, in my back yard! I think they must be pretty safe here because many reptiles are living off them!

[norman]

Im not thinking of using them as a staple...but rather as a treat...say like once a week or something...maybe less. any opinions on that for beardies?

[eyespy]

Beardies love them, they are an excellent source of protein, and I haven't seen any increased levels of protozoa in my fecal samples since I started the occasional worm treat. Just don't go nuts because they are actually too protein-rich for a staple and can cause liver problems.

Leo-Land, I think the safety depends on where you live. Up here in the PA rust-belt we are losing garters like crazy. It's been 3 years since I've seen one in the wild. Between habitat loss and pollution it's been really rough on them.

[Kyle Barker]

They are great, and like eyespy i have found no parasite problems. My beardies love them, and they are a staple for my caecilian. I also feed them to my grandis and savannah. I like WC worms because they are so healthy and full of nutrients.

Kyle