Calci worms ok as a staple?

[Lornaloula]

Hi I have been feeding my baby Beardie crickets but he takes sooo long to eat each one that I need other options as a staple, he eats a small amount of cress everyday but sometimes will take an hour to eat 8 crickets which is getting a bit too time consuming, I have started putting calci worms in a bowl for him in the morning with his cress and then at lunch n dinner he's having a few crickets and then if he starts messing around he has a bowl of worms is this ok to do? I've posted on another forum and lots of people have said its fine as they're high in calcium and not as fatty as other worms, just looking for more opinions!
Thanks!

 

[Germ]

Why is an hour too time consuming for you, if he is a slow eater, you do not have to be hovering over him to watch him eat. In fact many BDs will not eat while their keeper watches them, but if we walk away, out of sight, then peak back around the corner, they will often be munching away. It is okay to leave some uneaten crix in the enclosure for later opportunistic snacks during the day, just be sure to remove any uneaten ones approximately an hour or 2 before lights out.

Phoenix (Calci) worms are a good source of Calcium, their Nutritional content varies from chart to chart, but seem to generally be in the same vicinity as a mealworm as far as Fat, more than a cricket & less protein than a cricket. Personally, I would not feed them as their main staple food, even though they contain calcium they still should be dusted. Phoenix\calci\reptiworms (All the same, the maggot\larvae of the Black Soldier Fly) can not be gutloaded like most feeders to increase their nutritional Value. I believe that they would be a great periodic change up alternative to crickets or roaches, but IMHO, not as a staple food.

 

[Lornaloula]

Well with him feeding 3 times a day 3 hours is too long, I have a full time job so 3 hours is a bit difficult to fit in!
I can't leave the crickets in there as they will bite him if he falls asleep not only that he has kitchen roll as his substrate as he's little and the crickets hide underneath sometimes or on his log and they cannot be seen and would end up being left in there overnight and emptying his cage every night would stress him out, ok so I'll carry on what I'm doing half and half

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

That's your problem right there! The kitchen rolls. Take that substrate out. Baby BDs do not need such substrate. Just lay a couple of newspaper sheets flat on the floor of the enclosure; this way the crickets can't hide from him, and he will snap them up in just a few seconds, I promise; trust me on this.