Phosphorus questions

[Pia]

I have never quite understood the phosphorus or no phosphorus debate. I use a phosphorus free calcium supplement for my lizards (a bearded dragon and a helmeted iquana) because I was under the impression that phosphorus wasn't good, but I never knew why. Can someone explain it to me. Also, in a recent post, eyespy said that mealworms are high in phosphorus and would't be good for a sick dragon. My beardie loves giant mealworms and for awhile would only eat those and veggies but has now started accepting crickets again. Is it possible to feed too many mealworms? I see some calcium supplements contain phosphorus. Do some reptiles need it and others don't? Any info is appreciated.

[eyespy]

Phosphorus is a necessary nutrient as it makes up bone tissue but it's one of the most plentiful minerals around and most animals get way more phosphorus than they need.

Bone tissue's chemical name is dicalcium phosphate, which basically means 2 molecules of calcium for every phosphorus molecule. Their diet needs to come close to being that ratio to avoid calcium deficiency issues. The challenge is that many plant-based foods and almost all animal protein sources have a lot more phosphorus than they do calcium.

That is why it's important to avoid supplements that have phosphorus in them, and to choose foods that have a lot of calcium or can be easily gutloaded. Calcium rich foods like dark leafy greens, mulberry leaves, and prickly pear cactus are great to feed directly to the dragon or to the insects he will be eating.

Yes, it's most definitely possible to feed too many mealworms. They are fatty, low in protein and moisture, and high in phosphorus and hard to digest chitin and exoskeletal proteins. Rather like potato chips, they are loaded with calories and fat with minimal nutrition. Mealworms are the leading cause of food-based impaction in beardies and also a leading cause of fatty liver disease.

I don't feed mealworms to bearded dragons at all. If the dragon who is avoiding crickets is a year or more, it's very natural for their diet to shift to more salads and less insects and that's the healthiest thing for them. Don't worry too very much about an adult beardie refusing prey unless it's a female you are planning to breed. It's both healthy and natural for them not to take many insects once they have reached adulthood.

If the dragon is still in its fast-growing stage, look for softer-bodied worms such as earthworms, silkworms, butterworms or hornworms for better nutrition with fewer risks. Superworms look an awful lot like the giant mealworms but have a higher protein content, lower fat, higher moisture, and lower indigestible exoskeletal proteins and chitins. They are a good choice to be fed once or twice a week, but are still too fatty to be a good daily staple.

[Pia]

Thanks, now I understand. My dragon is two years old and stopped eating crickets about 7 months ago, but like I said, has began eating them again lately. He gets them every other day and vegetables every day. I give giant mealworms twice a week instead of crickets but will switch to superworms. I use calcium twice a week and vitamins once a week. The veggies he prefers are kale, bok choy, thawed frozen peas and green beens, romaine lettuce, parsley, dandelion leaves, clover leaves, brocoli, and spinach. He doesn't like anything that isn't green but I try to sneak in grated carrots and he occasionally takes chopped red grapes. I've had no luck feeding squash or apples. I feed the crickets spincach or romaine and potato and a calcium fortified cricket food. Does this sound balanced or am I missing something or overdosing on something? He is 19" long and weighs 565 grams.

[eyespy]

That's a pretty excellent menu. I'd try working some yellow or orange veggies, especially the winter squashes, into the feeder insects since he doesn't like eating them directly. Feed scraps of all the foods your dragon eats to the crickets to get the well gutloaded, plus you can add a little powdered non-fat milk and/or dry catfood to increase their calcium levels.

If available in your area, snow or snap peas carry a bigger nutritional bang for the buck than green peas which are high in phosphorus. Try not to feed spinach too often because it is so high in oxalic acid. A little bit rotated in and out of his menu is fine, though.

[Big AL]

I put those baby carrots in my cricket cage for their water source. They gobble them up. Mine eat a similar diet to yours with greens and a mix of green been, squash, parsnips, and carrots that I put in the food processor. Occasionally I throw in some tomato from my garden. Like yours mine dont seem to thrilled with fruits.

[Pia]

Thanks for the info guys. I will try all your recommendations.

[eyespy]

Go easy on the tomato, Big Al. The high acid content can kill off the beneficial gut flora in the large intestine and cause bloating and indigestion. A tiny bit makes for a great appetite enhancer, though!