Big mealie = impaction? True or False?

[Alliemac]

I've been looking online for research comparing the chitin levels between mealies and supers but I can't find anything detailed. Anyone have a link or info?

I'm just curious to see how different the levels are. I find this stuff fascinating.

 

[leoman777]

if the mealworm is too big then duhhh!!!! its just using common sence like nigel said and if they do manage to swallow it they will just digest it

 

[henward]

another note
if you look at the poo that comes out of lizards eating mealworms, they are actually very digested. theycannot fully digest it
but partially yes.
its like humans, we can partially digest some things ... maybe 70%, 80% or more. but doesnt mean its completey digestion or it doesnt mean we can digest it in the sense where we utilise thecomponents in that material as nutrients.

 

[Alusdra]

Sadly there is very little research out there on the different nutrients that various insect feeders have. http://nagonline.net/ is a good site- it's the one that the AZA uses (American Zoological Association, the accreditation institution for zoos). You can wander around there for days, probably.

As for beardies- I've seen them impacted with perfect temps- in that case it was probably the fact that she refused to eat veggies of any sort and was only eating mealies. Which is not a healthy diet for a bearded dragon, obviously.

 

[Lovey]

I'm new to all this but what I did witness is that when the belly temp is around 90F my leos passed live mealies in their stool and those mealies were "crawling" around in the terrarium... ewww....

After I upped the belly temp to 95-97F it never happened again.

What?! For real? Are you sure it wasn't a regurg? Cuz that's disgusting haha.

 

[htadothk]

What?! For real? Are you sure it wasn't a regurg? Cuz that's disgusting haha.

Nope I saw it crawling out of the stool. The stool shaped like a mealie too @@

 

[JordanAng420]

I'm new to all this but what I did witness is that when the belly temp is around 90F my leos passed live mealies in their stool and those mealies were "crawling" around in the terrarium... ewww....

After I upped the belly temp to 95-97F it never happened again.

This kind of supports the "mealworms can eat through the stomach of your gecko" theory...it's physically impossible for a mealworm, any mealworm, to survive the process of digestion, lack of oxygen, stomach acids, and then suddenly find it's way out the end of a leopard gecko...alive. :main_lipsrsealed:

Roundworms are visible in both regurgitation and feces...so maybe...

 

[Mel&Keith]

There's actually a pretty simple explanation for worms crawling around in the stool. When Leos eat they tend to get excited and spill worms. The worms crawl around and hide in the tank then gravitate to feces and feed on them.

Or... They eat too many worms at one time or worms that are too big and regurgitate them immediately. Sometimes misidentify regurgitation as stool.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Since it is so big and in the geckos stomach...they will just throw it up before impaction ever could happen. Also worms are digestible...unlike sand

 

[mindgamer8907]

If I may, I haven't done any research on beardies so I'll keep that thought brief: Like humans, beardies are made to eat both plant matter and animals, in this case insects. I also know that humans can become severely constipated (sometimes requiring emergency dissimpaction via hand or other item) from diets too high in protein and too low in fiber. Likewise, the beardie that was refusing to eat anything but mealies (high in protein, like most insects) was probably not impacted only from the shells but also from the protein "clog." Higher temps would solve this by keeping digestion going properly.

As for mealies and leos: I'm sorry to discredit your story (especially if it is true) but mealies die alarmingly quick in wet environments, There are a few scenarios that would explain it perfectly and maintain the natural biological functions that occur in your gecko.
Also, the idea of a gecko getting impacted from a big mealie seems to fit along the lines of "something else was at work." I'd guess, A: low temps. , B: shedding mealie C: Dehydrated Gecko D: Shedding other prey item (cricket etc) E: "Big Mealie" F: Any combo of these My money is on F, if any one of these things is wrong it's possible the other problems have occurred and contributed to the problem.

Also, even if there isn't a "rule of thumb" for prey size in the wild, it doesn't mean we who should try to keep our geckos in the most favorable conditions can't or shouldn't be wary of feeding say a full grown male dubia to a 25 g Leo. Even if the leo can get it down, if it has to regurgitate, it's better that the gecko have the least chance of error in this. I won't even argue the "space between the eyes" is prime, except maybe for hatchlings. I'd say, the size of the head is about the maximum size a feeder should be anyway, though I may make an exception for geckos around 40 + grams and big dubias. I think about it, I've seen a female take down a gerbil pinky that was just bigger than her whole head and she got it down with little effort. I've seen 11 gram geckos take on 6-7 large crickets (each larger than his head) and waddle away happy as a clam (a fat clam). And I've seen my 15 gram gecko eat upwards of 25 mealies in a day. They are definitely tough little animals, but I don't think we need to test it, the head is most decidedly a good size (crickets are generally about the size of a large baby's head or a juvie's head and they can eat those no problem). Good convo. lets keep rollin.

 

[Lpac]

Ive fed super worms to young juvies and they pooped while they were eating them because it wouldn't fit in their stomachs

 

[Kotori]

just wondering, would it be safe to feed a 50-60g leopard gecko a adult male dubia? the ratio in my colony is approaching 3:1...males to females.

 

[katie_]

If it were GIANT and it was a hatchling, it is POSSIBLE