Could Superworms be Dangerous? Opinions?

[LadyxMJ]

Story-
So I was talking to my husband about the new gecko coming in, and that she only eats Superworms...
He was telling me how dangerous mealworms and superworms are and just to stick to Crickets and waxworms...

Why you say?

A couple of months ago I purchased mealworms for my gecko. And he refused to eat them... a day later, they bit through the plastic container and I had mealworms all over the room! Gross xP

Concern, Questions and violent reactions-

The concern my husband has is that if the Gecko doesn't digest the SuperWorm correctly, it would eat through my gecko!
:main_thumbsdown:

Is it possible for this to happen?

Any suggestions on fixing the superworm dilemma?


Thanks!:main_thumbsup:

 

[Chewbecca]

NO.
No they will NOT eat through your gecko.
Your gecko kills that super before it hits its stomach.
AND not only that, but their stomach acid would kill them anyway.

Believe me. I have 12 hatchlings who all eat supers, and they have for about a month now.
And they are all alive and well with no threat of being eaten from the inside out.

Wax worms are NEVER a good staple because they provide relatively NO nutritional value what-so-ever.

 

[LadyxMJ]

NO.
No they will NOT eat through your gecko.
Your gecko kills that super before it hits its stomach.
AND not only that, but their stomach acid would kill them anyway.

Believe me. I have 12 hatchlings who all eat supers, and they have for about a month now.
And they are all alive and well with no threat of being eaten from the inside out.

Wax worms are NEVER a good staple because they provide relatively NO nutritional value what-so-ever.

That's what I told him -_-'... at least now I have confirmation to show him that its safe... I guess it freaked him out when they ate through the plastic container...


Should I cut their heads off anyway or just leave it?

How about butter worms or phoenix worms to replace the waxworms?

Thanks Rebecca! =D

 

[LizMarie]

I've never heard of Mealworms eating through plastic but I have heard of Supers eating through plastic. Supers and mealworms are fine! I feed my adult Leo 2-3inch (around there) Supers and she's just fine! Most of the time Leos seems to grab them by the head and chomp down .. then like Chewbecca the stomach acid will finish killing them. All that talk about worms eating through Lizards is a myth!

If your husband wants to be really safe he can always try roaches but I don't think he'd like that, lol. Even though they're greeeeeeeeeeaaaaaat!

You don't need to cut their heads of and I don't know much about Butters and Phoenix worms to help you with that.. but like I said Roaches are really good so are Silkworms!

 

[gitrdone0420]

You are correct to be cautious about supers, but for the wrong reasons. Supers, meal worms, crickets and roaches are all a very nutritious and balanced diet when fed correctly and of course everyone has their preferences. The only thing to worry about is leaving the supers in the cage, if the leo isnt eating it. I found this out the hard way... Supers will NOT eat your leo from the inside out, HOWEVER, if they are left in the cage unsupervised, there is always the possibility of a live feeder chewing/biting the leo. I had this issue with a leo before. I forgot about the super being in the cage, and the next time I looked in there, the super was chewing on my leos tail >.< It chewed a nice big hole, and eventually the tail became necrotic and fell off =/ So, they are a great source of nutrition, just dont leave them unsupervised!

 

[CSMGecko]

I do not use supers because they don't have enough nutritional value in just one worm. One worm is about what a leopard gecko with eat and the shell is so thick that there isn't much good stuff there for the gecko. Also they are very hardy worms and I have heard of them eating the stomach lining in geckos, not through but enough to cause some digestive problems. I stick with giant mealies instead of feeding supers. But I guess it's all up to personal preference and whether you have had problems with supers in the past.

 

[Chewbecca]

They do not eat through the stomach AT ALL.

Where did you hear this? Is there proof?
Published studies?

And if you do not think there is anything under that "thick" shell that is of worth to a gecko, then you haven't seen a gecko bite into one and see the guts squirt out.
They may not be the most nutritional thing on the planet that everyone could feed their leos, but they are good enough to be a staple or part of a leo's diet.

Mealies have less nutritional value than supers do.

I do not use supers because they don't have enough nutritional value in just one worm. One worm is about what a leopard gecko with eat and the shell is so thick that there isn't much good stuff there for the gecko. Also they are very hardy worms and I have heard of them eating the stomach lining in geckos, not through but enough to cause some digestive problems. I stick with giant mealies instead of feeding supers. But I guess it's all up to personal preference and whether you have had problems with supers in the past.

 

[VampyricAngelX]

I feed my geckos and my skink worms as a staple. The female gecko gets mealworms and the occasional small super and she does just fine. My boys and skink love their supers and manage to down them just fine on their own. I do cripple the supers for one of my males, but that's because he's such a dainty eater and supers move too fast for him.

 

[Gonser]

Large superworms are nasty buggers and can inflict a pretty wicked bite on the side of a leo's head! I know, it happened to one of mine.

Supers are great but be sure you use small supers for leos, not those huge gross things. There are a few vendors that now sell small supers. They actually come in assorted sizes, but I sort through them with tongues and choose the right size supers for the size leo I'm feeding. Most leos like supers, but some will just not eat them.

I like that supers will not pupate if group housed, and you can continually gutload them at room temp for max nutrition. They have more fat than crickets so watch your leos don't get too fat on supers.

 

[Gonser]

They have more fat than crickets so watch your leos don't get too fat on supers.

Ooops, sorry. I meant to say supers have more fat than mealies.


NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

Crickets Meal Worms Wax Worms Super Worms Fly Larvae

Moisture, % 69.07 62.44 61.73 59.37 68.18
Fat, % 6.01 12.72 22.19 17.89 7.81
Protein, % 21.32 20.27 15.50 17.41 15.58
Fiber, % 3.2 1.73 7.69 6.80 3.46
Ash 2.17 1.57 1.02 1.20 1.40
Ca, ppm 345 133 283 124 874
P, ppm 4238 3345 2161 2320 2405
CA/P ratio % 0.081 0.040 0.131 0.053 0.363

 

[Allee Toler]

Phoenixworms are a good staple in my opinion, if your leo will eat them. Same with roaches.
Picture taken from Mulberry Farms.

 

[LadyxMJ]

Thanks guys!

I apprecxiate ALL the help I've been given. Ill take everything into consideration. Ill probably stick to mealies, crickets and phoenix worms.

=P

 

[marineman26]

I have been feeding superworms alot myself and they (my leos) all eat them. and as already been said its a complete myth on the supers to eat through a geckos stomach.

 

[CapnRon77]

One worm is about what a leopard gecko (will) eat..

Our leo can easily eat a dozen supers in one sitting - and no, he's not overweight. We were actually concerned in the past that he was too skinny, and the vet told us he was perfect; he said MOST leopard geckos he sees are overweight.