Quick Question (poll)

[WALTER]

Just a quick question. Would you use small super worms in the place of mealworms if you could get them that size? It's just that mealworms pupate much quicker and don't last nearly as long as a super worm. Any left over super worms would just grow to the adult size and can still be fed off compared to the mealworm.
Just looking for some feed back on this
Thanks.

[Steve]

Not sure if i would fully switch over. I don't beleive the nutrional value of the 2 is the same. You might wanna check out which is better for your herp and go from there.

[sSNAKESs.com]

Superworms are also alot harder to digest for your animals, so if your using mealies as a staple say for leo's then i dont think using supers to replace them would be best for there digestive tract???

[eyespy]

Actually, superworms contain far less chitin than mealworms and are therefore more "bioavailable" than mealworms unless you only feed freshly molted worms. They are lower in fat and much higher in calcium. Plus they have such low phosphorus that it's almost impossible to measure. Here is a nutrition comparison.

http://www.iwrc-online.org/rehab/calphos.html

I personally don't like mealworms for herps because of the rotten calcium:phosphorus ratio and the high chitin levels. Superworms are a better choice nutritionally and also a lower impaction risk.

[eyespy]

hee hee, guess I should type calcium to phosphorus to avoid unintentional smilies. :D

[Dragons & Balls]

We feed all our lizards Superworms(beardies, leos, blizzards, collards, cresteds) and never had a problem with them... they only eat 2-3 superworms at a time but would eat 10 mealworms because there so much smaller... so u would think it would save u money....

[RachelS.]

I've read in the Reptiles magazine that superworms have less chitan than large mealworms so it might be best just to use supers because they are esy for your reptile(s) to digest. In my experience zoophobas seem to hold the most nutrience and last longer than any refrigerated mealworms. Plus they don't pupate as fast as regular mealworms. Sometimes one or two supers will get out os the feeding bowl, but it isn't that big of a deal. They're pretty easy to spot on newspaper or paper towel substrate... or something similar :). I hope this helps!

[ReptiZone]

All I know is that my leo eats 10-16 meal worms every 3 days and to day he stoped at 6 super worms and he had to fast for a week cause I was low on cahs B4 picking up 50 super I think next month I am gona buy 100 super worms and that should do the month.

[CyberGhost]

Could you breed your own super worms?

[WALTER]

Yes you can but they are more work then the mealworm. I do breed a few.