Worms Eating Through Gecko

[blizzard]

I know that there has been plenty of posts about this subject. I've been feeding my geckos superworms for awhile now with no problems. But just the other when I went to purchase my superworms, the guy told me that I should cut the heads off the worms because they'll eat through the geckos stomach. He seemed very informative and that's why I have a concern because my leos love them. He said that he has a few of them himself and that he has breed so he knows a lot about them. He told me that he has actually seen dead geckos due to this happening.

My leos are two years old and fat. (fyi)

Serious posts are preferred. What do you guys think?

 

[larry26]

I dont really think that it is possible for two reasons. First leo ususally chomp one the head of their food so it dies and second if it doesnt die then the acids in the geckos stomach would definatly kill it.

 

[JordanAng420]

Oh no, not this again...:main_rolleyes:

Superworms, giant mealworms, and mealworms all generally die with the first few "crunches"...however, if that somehow doesn't do the trick, the stomach acids finish them off pretty quickly. Nothing can survive long enough to do any kind of damage to the intestinal tract.

The guy that sold you the superworms may have had geckos that died, but it wasn't from the superworms eating through the gecko.

 

[dunderpate]

I pop their heads with those long tweezers that you can buy. Their bodies still wingle enough to attract Leos attention. I don't let them get too big. My Leo has projetiled them out a couple times before,bitten inside? don't know for sure, but not worth risking. Since then i started popping their heads, he turns 8 this month.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

LMAO......ok lets put this in human terms. you eat a raw oyster. it doesn't attach to your stomach wall why? because we have acids that digest the animal. same concept with other animals.

 

[Blizzard Lizard]

A super bit my leos face once! Not pretty. But there was no blood. Just a little pinch.

 

[Gregg M]

I pop their heads with those long tweezers that you can buy. Their bodies still wingle enough to attract Leos attention. I don't let them get too big. My Leo has projetiled them out a couple times before,bitten inside? don't know for sure, but not worth risking. Since then i started popping their heads, he turns 8 this month.

This is so rediculously silly I almost didnt post... There is no risk what so ever of a super worm eating through or causing injury to your leo...

First of all, super worms are not predatory insect larva... This mean the will not eat live flesh...

A bite from a super worm is nothing more than a pinch and is not strong enough to chew through the living flesh of reptiles and mammals...

Leopard geckos and other reptiles have evolved to consume insects... Most of which have large spikes, spines, stingers, and pedipalps... You honestly think a tiny pinch from a super worm can hurt your leo???

Out of the hundreds and hundreds of leos and other reptiles I have produced, not one of them has ever been injured, killed, or eaten by super worms or meal worms...

This topic is so silly and it is a bit fustrating to see how uneducated and ignorant reptile keepers and those who sell them can actually be...

 

[Dan K.]

it's a myth, hokes, fibs and lies. I have fed all my leo's super's for a LONG time with no issue!

 

[dunderpate]

Out of the hundreds and hundreds of leos and other reptiles I have produced, not one of them has ever been injured, killed, or eaten by super worms or meal worms

Were not talking about mealworms Greg. Far as i know breeders feed geckos mealworms and crickets because of convinience.

This is so rediculously silly I almost didnt post... There is no risk what so ever of a super worm eating through or causing injury to your leo

Ever see how big those bastard superworms can get? it's freaky. Do you know for a fact that a LARGE superworm can't do damage on the inside or outside of your gecko? What about if your Leo bites the wrong end first, meaning tail first which frequently happens. If you choose not to pop their heads, or chop them off that worm is frantically trying to escape the jaws of your Leo, i know cause I watch him eat and as that worm is squirming around it's doing anything to escape, at times it's been known to bite the eye or lens or any other area sensitve to "pinches" or "bites", i know cause it's happend to mine. Until the head is gone that bastard worm is still alive.

Leopard geckos and other reptiles have evolved to consume insects... Most of which have large spikes, spines, stingers, and pedipalps

Greg what kind of insects would those be and who's insane enough to feed them that?

This topic is so silly and it is a bit fustrating to see how uneducated and ignorant reptile keepers and those who sell them can actually be

I base my experience on longevity. Like i said ive had my gecko 8 years. Im not a breeder im contributing to a forum based on "MY" experience. So no Greg it's not "silly" check out a lot of posts on here, people just dont know, so people ask, and then people reply. Posted before or not.

I respect your opinions Greg, as I do for all who post on here, but unless you are a Herp Veteranarian and a knower of all things Geckos, im sticking with the "FACT" that Superworms can do damage, even as small as a tear which could lead to infection, and so on. We're not talking mealworms. Or spiky, stinging insects which are not part of a regular Leopard gecko diet.

 

[Khrysty]

Greg what kind of insects would those be and who's insane enough to feed them that?

Greg is talking about the insects that Leos eat in the wild, not the feeders we give them in captivity. They didn't evolve for cushy captive lives, they evolved to eat anything they could find--including some pretty scary looking bugs.

 

[Gregg M]

Ok, my first post may have been a bit harsh and out of line so I will give you proper info here without ummmm personality... LOL

Were not talking about mealworms Greg. Far as i know breeders feed geckos mealworms and crickets because of convinience.

With your experience you should know this but I will say it anyway... The myth actually started with meal worms, not super worms so it is all related here...

Ever see how big those bastard superworms can get? it's freaky. Do you know for a fact that a LARGE superworm can't do damage on the inside or outside of your gecko?

Ummm Yeah I have seen how big they get... I feed them to all of my leos including juviniles... Like I said I know for a fact that a super worm can not harm your gecko in any way...

What about if your Leo bites the wrong end first, meaning tail first which frequently happens.

You are right, it does happen all the time... It does not only take a crunch of the head to kill the super worm... Mid body bites are more than enough to kill a super worm... Besides that some of my leos eat them in one gulp... If they are alive as they go down, they are dead when the get to the stomach...

If you choose not to pop their heads, or chop them off that worm is frantically trying to escape the jaws of your Leo, i know cause I watch him eat and as that worm is squirming around it's doing anything to escape, at times it's been known to bite the eye or lens or any other area sensitve to "pinches" or "bites", i know cause it's happend to mine. Until the head is gone that bastard worm is still alive.

Yes, the worm will try to escape... That is the flight or fight reaction that just about every living multicelled organism has evolved...

Here is a cool defence to protect eyes from fighting prey items that reptiles, mammals, birds, and even some fish have... They are called eye lids... On top of that, lots of lizards have a clearish nictitating membrane also known as the third eyelid...

Greg what kind of insects would those be and who's insane enough to feed them that?

Most insects have lines of defence in order to keep from being eaten... Most reptiles have evolved to bypass these defences... Most insects including crickets, roaches and beetles have spiked or spined legs and bodies... In the wild, leos have also been known to regularly eat arachnids like spiders, scorpions, and solfugids... As you should know these have spines, stings, claws, and very strong mouth parts...

I base my experience on longevity. Like i said ive had my gecko 8 years. Im not a breeder im contributing to a forum based on "MY" experience. So no Greg it's not "silly" check out a lot of posts on here, people just dont know, so people ask, and then people reply. Posted before or not.

It is silly to say that your leo can be harmed or even killed by a super worm when the FACT is there has never been a case of it happening... The many years of experience between lots of breeders here and the scientific proof stacks well above the silly myth...

I respect your opinions Greg, as I do for all who post on here, but unless you are a Herp Veteranarian and a knower of all things Geckos, im sticking with the "FACT" that Superworms can do damage, even as small as a tear which could lead to infection, and so on. We're not talking mealworms. Or spiky, stinging insects which are not part of a regular Leopard gecko diet.

I am no herp vet but I have been keeping, caring for, feeding, and breeding reptiles for close to 20 years... If you want, you can PM me and I can get even deeper into my exerience and contributions to the herp hobby...

The fact is super worms do not cause damage... My point is, leos eat way more offensive critters than a beetle larva with mouth parts not strong enough to do damage to living reptilian tissue...

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

im sticking with the "FACT" that Superworms can do damage, even as small as a tear which could lead to infection, and so on. We're not talking mealworms. Or spiky, stinging insects which are not part of a regular Leopard gecko diet.

ok if you want to talk facts then we will go with the facts. Male leopard geckos bite females during mating. In the most violent cases of mating all wounds are superficial and not life threatening. I think that something is insectivorous would have some sharper teeth to help them hold on to prey and decent enough jaw muscles to crush through the exoskeleton of their prey animals.

Now going back to Superworms. Even if a gecko does take the superworm at the wrong end and it bites the gecko you're stating that the bite from a superworm is more serious then a bite from the same species? I find that very hard to believe. i have been been bitten by a Super and a Leo. The leo left more dmg then the super did.

The supers mandible is built for eating fibrous plant material not flesh. It's pretty much just simple anatomy and physics. I don't want the pressure would be measure in with animals that small but i think the gecko wins the pressure per area that the jaws produce.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

Oh not to mention the fact that a Vet Tech already responded i think that would give me Medical assurance that my gecko is safe from the superworm.

 

[Gregg M]

This statement bugs me a bit too... No pun intended...

Far as i know breeders feed geckos mealworms and crickets because of convinience.

Actually breeders (myself being one of them) use cricket, meal worms, super worms, roaches, and other insects to keep them healthy, not to mention, ALIVE in captivity... Being able to buy insects in huge numbers is convient to begin with wether they are meal worms, crickets, super worms, roaches, or other commercially available insects... Honestly I do not see how the convinience of feeding meal worms and crickets has anything to do with the MYTH that super worms can harm your leo...

 

[clear]

To the op, ask the guy to show proof and when he cant call him out on it and never trust what he says again.

 

[CHAMpion]

Yeah this is just a dumb rumor, I have several reptile that eat a TON of supers and I've never head a problem and i'm 99.99999999% sure I never will