Is eating mealworm beetles bad???

[LZRDGRL]

Oh dear... I was feeding Hugo on the carpet, and while I was giving him roaches and crickets, a stupid stinky mealworm beetle walked by. Hugo licked it up and crunched it happily. Is this bad? :main_cool3: It didn't seem to bother him at all. Don't they taste bad? At least they smell bad...

Has anybody had that happen? I hope they're not toxic.

Chrissy

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Superworm beetles are the bitter ones. My dragon loves mealworm pupae and the occasional beetle. I've never seen any nutritional info on either and only offer as a treat when there is excess.

 

[Dimidiata]

Rango ate one last month, no problems. They seem to love them but im going to take a shot in the dark and say they are probably a tad hard to digest and ive been told on here that their nutrition is crap.

 

[GeckoCrossing]

Yeah, poor nutrition and hard bodied make them hard to digest. Not toxic though

 

[Dimidiata]

I forgot to mention, he gave me one of those half digested poops where you can still see part of the bug, though he was only 4 months old so hugo will probably be better at digesting it. Still he didnt show any issues.

 

[LZRDGRL]

Thank you all! I'm relieved:main_yes: Should vacuum my floor better!! Sometimes when I put on my tights, there's a mealworm beetle crawling on the inside, and I notice it when I'm teaching and cannot scratch!! :main_laugh: In my house, I can't leave clothes lying on the floor anymore

Chrissy

 

[Landen]

Thank you all! I'm relieved:main_yes: Should vacuum my floor better!! Sometimes when I put on my tights, there's a mealworm beetle crawling on the inside, and I notice it when I'm teaching and cannot scratch!! :main_laugh: In my house, I can't leave clothes lying on the floor anymore

Chrissy

you've got feeders free roaming your house?

 

[LZRDGRL]

you've got feeders free roaming your house?

Well, not on purpose, of course, but sometimes a mealworm escapes and becomes a beetle, and then it looks for a dark hiding spot, because my three cats eat EVERYTHING that moves (especially escaping crickets)!! :main_rolleyes: The cats are locked out of the reptile rooms, but the space under the doors allows beetles to crawl through.

Chrissy

 

[im faster]

Yeah, poor nutrition and hard bodied make them hard to digest. Not toxic though

proof?

 

[gothra]

Thank you all! I'm relieved:main_yes: Should vacuum my floor better!! Sometimes when I put on my tights, there's a mealworm beetle crawling on the inside, and I notice it when I'm teaching and cannot scratch!! :main_laugh: In my house, I can't leave clothes lying on the floor anymore

Chrissy

Haha I once had a silkworm clung to my shirt, didn't even notice it until after dark when I get change. Felt something cold and rubbery, and was suprised to find the silkworm sitting on my chest...

 

[RyuuKirin]

you guys have given me the heebie geebies, lol. I hate free-roaming feeders.

That said, Ryuu has eaten a cave cricket, or cave spider, before... I hate those bugs, they are so creepy.

 

[Dimidiata]

lol here in FL theres always free roaming feeders, we have atleast 4 common types of cockroaches, then theirs the crickets and i have found a few silkworms. Ahhh th joys of florida -_-. Until the darned spiders show up.

 

[GeckoCrossing]

proof?

Well in the last 7 years of keeping reptiles and visiting forums I have never heard of a mealworm beetle causing any adverse affects. The worst I've heard is a few undigested legs in the poop.
By toxic I'm referring to something akin to a cat eating a Blue-tailed skink, which are wild in GA. They often need vet attention immediately or will die. Some that don't get treatment will show neurological symptoms such as walking in circles, eyeballs shaking etc. and will be fine after a few days.
No one's going to feed mealworm beetles as a staple. IF there is anything bad in them that shouldn't be eaten it's obviously not 'toxic'