crickets vs mealworms

monty bl python · 09-04-05, 12:00 AM

i got a baby beardy about a month ago and have been feeding it crickets because i had read that they were higher in nutrition than worms, but today i saw an add in reptile mag. for mini meal worms (Tenebrio obscurus) inwhich they clame ar different than the adverage mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) say that they are more nutritious than crickets.

what i would like to know is has anyone herd of these Tenebrio obscurus, if so are they truly mor nutritious than crickets.

The Gawd · 09-04-05, 12:18 AM

I have not worked yet with these mini meal worms yet, but i do know that your crickets are basically what you feed them, and you should also offer a wide varied diet to your lizards... crickets, meal worms, silk worms, butter worms, wax woms, and lots of good dark leafy geens, a good pre made salad is called spring mix, which you can find at most grocery stores...

Al

monty bl python · 09-04-05, 12:38 AM

i always have a salad in the cage for it and every now offer a superworm or meal worm but primarlly crickets imostly want to see if this is just a lie or if it is worth the investment to stop duying from the petstore and start geting these

The Gawd · 09-04-05, 12:53 AM

What im trying to say is it dosent matter where you get your feeders as long as their bred in a sterile environment, kept clean and you offer a wide varied diet, no animal should just eat one item, thats like saying all the vitamins/minerals you need are in this pill, and this is all you need to eat and digets every day for the rest of your life..... its not right, wide varied diet...

Al

The Gawd · 09-04-05, 12:59 AM

oh and from what i have read on these mini meal worms they are a different species, they are smaller, they are supposed to be better as in their higher in protein and lower in fat, but im not sure as i havnt worked with them yet. and if your interested in ordering of the net or wherever, it is guna be saving you money, just make sure the quality is great and that you offer a wide varied diet...

Al

LdyPayne · 09-04-05, 05:48 PM

Never used them myself but have heard others have used them and their dragons loved them. However, my personal observations, is giving the tiny size, they would have more chitin than mealworms per volumn, whether they have more protien etc per volumn I don't know. To me, if you are going to pay extra for feeders, might as well get silkworms. They are much easier to keep, are easily bred and are excellent food for bearded dragons. Not only that, they grow to a nice size, so you can feed a range of ages, buying small ones for baby bearded dragons, growing more for larger adult dragons etc.

Also, if you let 20 or so silkworms coccoon and breed the moths, you can have a continuous supply, only needing to buy silkworm chow to grow the worms up from eggs.

mettle · 09-04-05, 07:12 PM

I just started feeding small silkworms to my baby beardie today. Wow did he gobble them up! Not to mention silkworms are a lot better and more full of nutrients than a lot of the other feeders out there.

From what I've heard mealworms should only be used on occasion and not as a staple diet. Unless you have a huge batch and can find the 'naked' ones. I've also been told that the beetles they turn into are quickly devoured by adult beardies as a tasty snack.

Crickets are only as good as what you feed them as far as I can tell. And they're annoying.

I personally am going to make silkworms the main staple of my beardie's diet with other bugs as more of an occasional thing. Silks are just so much earier to keep and less trouble than a lot of the other insects imo.