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Hi Folks,
I have posted my views on mealworms on another thread, but rather than hi-jacking Angelo L's thread, I'll post it here again.
The usual story is that they have a hard shell compound called 'Chitin' which makes them difficult to digest & can therefore cause an impaction. I'd be interested in feedback on this attached study by:
Has any one else actually done a scientific breakdown/analysis, as these people have done?
As far as impactions go, I don't believe it is the worm that causes the problem, but rather the husbandry. Improper temps, overfeeding, poor hydration, etc, etc & do believe that this is mostly Myth. To blame the worm just because it happened to have been fed near the time of an impaction taking place, makes it an easy scapegoat, rather than admit their husbandry wasn't quite right, or it may have ingested something large while out of the enclosure & wandering/exploring. Or inside of the enclosure, the use of plastic plants for example, pieces breaking or being pulled off & ingested. But it so much easier to blame the insect than admit human error in husbandry.
More care has to be taken, that a BDs basic needs are being consistently met when using mealworms or supers & in the amount being fed. If you allow a BD to ingest half a pound of them or overfeed a youngster, is that the worms fault? Or your Basking temps are too low for proper digestion, is that the worms fault? If you don't mist or soak your BDs, is that the worms fault? Your BD is not provided with sufficient greens to aid in hydration, is that the worms fault? Loose substrate with too large of particles or Calci-Sand, is that that the Worms fault? Umpteen other possible reasons, is that the worms fault?
Don't just say they are a bad/dangerous feeder. Address the real problem & educate that more care is necessary if the choice is to feed them.
Another quite informational Article on the subject, dispelling many of the Mealworm 'MYTHS' - Click Me.
I am going to issue a Challenge to all the Mealie Bashers. With all the BDs & info out there ...
Can you find me 2 (Two) substantiated instances that mealworms have been 'PROVEN' to be the cause of impaction. By Substantiated/Proven, I mean by a necropsy done by a known expert reptile Veterinarian, Scientist or other actual scientific or expert long term study, not just that someone's brother's nephew's cousin's friend said it happened to their BD, without having it medically proven, by a qualified facility with documentation & just guessing at the cause, because they are an easy scapegoat.
Vets cannot even prove it without cutting it open to see exactly what the cause is. Without such a procedure, they are guessing just as much as anyone else & only going by what the keeper is admitting to.
This is the internet & the era of forums, the information highway, however wrong so much of it is. I truly believe that, this is a 'Classic' example, of one or a group of people's idea or opinion, gone viral. Getting repeated over & over again, causing a snowball effect, that people hear it so often over the years, like a bad 'Gossip' tale, that they think it must be true.
So there it is, a Challenge to all the Mealie Bashers out there. Put some documentation where your typing fingers are ...
If you don't have something solid & documented, to back up your statements or feedback directly related to the attached study itself, please don't bother even replying to this thread.
This is not about choices, personal preference or opinions, I choose not to feed Mealworms for my own reasons. It's about facts & finding fact based, documented reasons why & if there are any. Let's see how many real replies there are .....
I'm always willing to learn & hoping someone will come up with some documentation, if there are any truths to the allegations in question.
I have posted my views on mealworms on another thread, but rather than hi-jacking Angelo L's thread, I'll post it here again.
I often see people ditzing the use of mealworms. But in the years I have been in the hobby, I have yet to see or even read about, one instance of impaction that has been medically or scientifically substantiated & documented, showing mealworms as the actual cause. What I do see, is a lot of threads/posts/caresheets blaming them for problems, so the real culprits are not pursued.Today we have a bazillion feeders at our finger tips. Do I feed Meal Worms? Nope. I use roaches as my staple feeder. Are meal worms a bad feeder? Nope. They aren't the greatest compared to some of the other options available on the market today, but... they are still a popular feeder and you can feed them with confidence to your animals providing your 'Basic Husbandry' is up to par including hydration.
If you are careful with them you shouldn't run into any problems. Remember, animals are just like humans in this case. For example, I can eat quarter pounders till I puke and have good cholesterol levels, my wife can't. Certain dragons are prone to impaction.
Remember those quarter pounders I like? SHOULD I really be eating those? No... But if I'm not hammering down 15 a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then I'm pretty sure they aren't going to be the deciding factor of my demise!
The usual story is that they have a hard shell compound called 'Chitin' which makes them difficult to digest & can therefore cause an impaction. I'd be interested in feedback on this attached study by:
In case you don't care to read the whole document & simply want to check the chart, the column 'ADF' is considered the Chitin, EE=Fat, CP=Protein, Ca=Calcium, P=Phosphorus. The legend for the rest of the abbreviations is a little further down the document.
Has any one else actually done a scientific breakdown/analysis, as these people have done?
As far as impactions go, I don't believe it is the worm that causes the problem, but rather the husbandry. Improper temps, overfeeding, poor hydration, etc, etc & do believe that this is mostly Myth. To blame the worm just because it happened to have been fed near the time of an impaction taking place, makes it an easy scapegoat, rather than admit their husbandry wasn't quite right, or it may have ingested something large while out of the enclosure & wandering/exploring. Or inside of the enclosure, the use of plastic plants for example, pieces breaking or being pulled off & ingested. But it so much easier to blame the insect than admit human error in husbandry.
More care has to be taken, that a BDs basic needs are being consistently met when using mealworms or supers & in the amount being fed. If you allow a BD to ingest half a pound of them or overfeed a youngster, is that the worms fault? Or your Basking temps are too low for proper digestion, is that the worms fault? If you don't mist or soak your BDs, is that the worms fault? Your BD is not provided with sufficient greens to aid in hydration, is that the worms fault? Loose substrate with too large of particles or Calci-Sand, is that that the Worms fault? Umpteen other possible reasons, is that the worms fault?
Don't just say they are a bad/dangerous feeder. Address the real problem & educate that more care is necessary if the choice is to feed them.
Another quite informational Article on the subject, dispelling many of the Mealworm 'MYTHS' - Click Me.
I am going to issue a Challenge to all the Mealie Bashers. With all the BDs & info out there ...
Can you find me 2 (Two) substantiated instances that mealworms have been 'PROVEN' to be the cause of impaction. By Substantiated/Proven, I mean by a necropsy done by a known expert reptile Veterinarian, Scientist or other actual scientific or expert long term study, not just that someone's brother's nephew's cousin's friend said it happened to their BD, without having it medically proven, by a qualified facility with documentation & just guessing at the cause, because they are an easy scapegoat.
Vets cannot even prove it without cutting it open to see exactly what the cause is. Without such a procedure, they are guessing just as much as anyone else & only going by what the keeper is admitting to.
This is the internet & the era of forums, the information highway, however wrong so much of it is. I truly believe that, this is a 'Classic' example, of one or a group of people's idea or opinion, gone viral. Getting repeated over & over again, causing a snowball effect, that people hear it so often over the years, like a bad 'Gossip' tale, that they think it must be true.
So there it is, a Challenge to all the Mealie Bashers out there. Put some documentation where your typing fingers are ...
If you don't have something solid & documented, to back up your statements or feedback directly related to the attached study itself, please don't bother even replying to this thread.
This is not about choices, personal preference or opinions, I choose not to feed Mealworms for my own reasons. It's about facts & finding fact based, documented reasons why & if there are any. Let's see how many real replies there are .....
I'm always willing to learn & hoping someone will come up with some documentation, if there are any truths to the allegations in question.
