Help!! (super worms?)

[New2beardie]

So my son got a beardie for his birthday. I did lots of research before hand. But its amazing how much you don't know until its here. Rex is about 7-8 inches long. We've had him only 4 days so he's still super skittish. I bought superworms they were HUGE. gave them away immediately. I bought those crickets in a can as back up they also were HUGE. Gave those away. Rex wouldn't touch them chopped. I give him small pinheads I gut load and freeze. (I read some where that this was ok) Also this makes it easier for my son to feed him. Rex devours them. We went for a fresh supply and I picked up small supers...can he eat these?

 

[Tabasco]

A few should be ok as a treat, I would get small crickets for his steady diet along with a small fresh salad everyday. Maybe a waxworm or two on the weekend along with one horned worm as a treat for the water content.

 

[New2beardie]

Really? The only horned worms I can find around here are huge!! We only gave him 1super.. I know too many can cause impaction issues with these little guys and hes so tiny. And his measurement includes his tail. It was the first time we fed him live food. It was so much fun watching him chase food! We seperated crickets for him too. Some alive and some to be put in the freezer so My husband can feed him when he pops in for a quick second on his lunch.

 

[Tabasco]

Horn worms are soft, mostly water. Tabasco eats 1" ones no problem, sort of cleans him out.

 

[Hdrydr31]

So my son got a beardie for his birthday. I did lots of research before hand. But its amazing how much you don't know until its here. Rex is about 7-8 inches long. We've had him only 4 days so he's still super skittish. I bought superworms they were HUGE. gave them away immediately. I bought those crickets in a can as back up they also were HUGE. Gave those away. Rex wouldn't touch them chopped. I give him small pinheads I gut load and freeze. (I read some where that this was ok) Also this makes it easier for my son to feed him. Rex devours them. We went for a fresh supply and I picked up small supers...can he eat these?

Yes they can eat supers just not as a staple food item.. As far as food is Live is always Best so avoid the nasty crickets in a can, also I wouldn't freeze them to feed later.. Feeding live allows them to hunt to stay active and by feeding the crickets a gut load of foods they will get the nutrients and moisture that they need..A good way to feed live foods would be to get a dish with sides that are about 1 inch high, if you want to keep feeding crickets taking the back legs off will keep them from jumping.. a tad gross but a doable thing.. You can also feed them dubia roach nymphs the bonus is they don't stink like crickets, they don't jump and they are the top nutritious of bugs.. silkworms, BSFL (calciworms, phoenix worms) hornworms can be bought online in their small phase of life they can be fed ones that seem big but once bitten into they deflate as they are mostly liquid. waxworms and butterworms can be as a treat only.
If you take a look at the links below several of our comments we have put together a ton of info on their care and there is a link on an extensive food item list.

 

[New2beardie]

Thanks guys!! I'm just feeling a bit over whelmed. We try to handle him a bit and he seems to FREAK out whenever we get close, I want my son to be able to bond with him and take him out but I think he still is adjusting to everything. Just so you know my son turned 11 so it's not some toddler grabbing at him, he does slow and steady and always comes in straight forward and not from above, he's been able to pet his back a few times but usually he just runs away and tries climbing up the side of the enclosure, any tips on how to help?

 

[New2beardie]

Yes they can eat supers just not as a staple food item.. As far as food is Live is always Best so avoid the nasty crickets in a can, also I wouldn't freeze them to feed later.. Feeding live allows them to hunt to stay active and by feeding the crickets a gut load of foods they will get the nutrients and moisture that they need..A good way to feed live foods would be to get a dish with sides that are about 1 inch high, if you want to keep feeding crickets taking the back legs off will keep them from jumping.. a tad gross but a doable thing.. You can also feed them dubia roach nymphs the bonus is they don't stink like crickets, they don't jump and they are the top nutritious of bugs.. silkworms, BSFL (calciworms, phoenix worms) hornworms can be bought online in their small phase of life they can be fed ones that seem big but once bitten into they deflate as they are mostly liquid. waxworms and butterworms can be as a treat only.
If you take a look at the links below several of our comments we have put together a ton of info on their care and there is a link on an extensive food item list.

The crickets in a can WERE NASTY and they smelled AWFUL I opened them noped out and gave them to a friend who has several lizards.

 

[BeardedHippy]

Most insects come in different sizes, if you are going to feed supers to a juvenile beardie they should be small ones not adult sized. Same goes for crickets and dubias, they come in various sizes, get the smaller ones. Your dragon will be big enough for full sized supers at about 9 months, though some people say a year old (it depends on growth rate of your beardie). You will find a full range of sizes online, its the best place to source insects.
Dragons are skittish when they are babies, it takes time for them to get used to you. How you approach them is important, never grab them from above, always scoop them up from underneath. Other than that its just a matter of time and patience.

 

[Cold01]

So my son got a beardie for his birthday. I did lots of research before hand. But its amazing how much you don't know until its here. Rex is about 7-8 inches long. We've had him only 4 days so he's still super skittish. I bought superworms they were HUGE. gave them away immediately. I bought those crickets in a can as back up they also were HUGE. Gave those away. Rex wouldn't touch them chopped. I give him small pinheads I gut load and freeze. (I read some where that this was ok) Also this makes it easier for my son to feed him. Rex devours them. We went for a fresh supply and I picked up small supers...can he eat these?

Super worms are more for adult beardies. I talked to a lot of bearded dragon owners in my area. When they are little they are better off eating meal worms and small crickets. A good size estimator is the distance between their eyes. If the food is bigger than the distance then you should probably wait until Rex is older/bigger. Remember to squash the head on superworm before you feed it to your beardies though. I have heard both sides of the argument that superworm can chew up the insides of your beardies if you don't crush the heads. Also young beardies eat lots of protein but still need to be offered greens and some fruits. I recently found out that beardies eat and like asparagus. My sons beardies will eat a couple tablespoons worth right out of my hand. I also found that my beardies likes active prey (he prefers hopping crickets). I hope this helps.

 

[Cold01]

Thanks guys!! I'm just feeling a bit over whelmed. We try to handle him a bit and he seems to FREAK out whenever we get close, I want my son to be able to bond with him and take him out but I think he still is adjusting to everything. Just so you know my son turned 11 so it's not some toddler grabbing at him, he does slow and steady and always comes in straight forward and not from above, he's been able to pet his back a few times but usually he just runs away and tries climbing up the side of the enclosure, any tips on how to help?

We started with setting our beardie (Ash) on a camouflage bed spread. He blended in so he seemed more calm. We slowly got closer and closer over a 5 minute period. Then we started petting him on his back. Still out in the open. We did this for a couple of minutes even though he was puffing out. We repeated this several times. When we did pick him up we would scoop him up like a pancake with our hands. After doing that for a couple of days he seemed more at ease. We also associated being picked up with eating too. So he now gets excited and wants to be picked up. We have had Ash for about 3 months now going on 4. Now he will hang out on my shoulder for a couple hours a day while I do stuff around the house or while helping my kids with homework. You can socialize with your sons beardies to help speed things up.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Super worms are more for adult beardies. I talked to a lot of bearded dragon owners in my area. When they are little they are better off eating meal worms and small crickets. A good size estimator is the distance between their eyes. If the food is bigger than the distance then you should probably wait until Rex is older/bigger. Remember to squash the head on superworm before you feed it to your beardies though. I have heard both sides of the argument that superworm can chew up the insides of your beardies if you don't crush the heads. Also young beardies eat lots of protein but still need to be offered greens and some fruits. I recently found out that beardies eat and like asparagus. My sons beardies will eat a couple tablespoons worth right out of my hand. I also found that my beardies likes active prey (he prefers hopping crickets). I hope this helps.

I would say to not feed mealworms at all to any size dragon as the amount of chitlin in their exo skeleton is too high for them to digest and pass.. Also you really do not need to squash the head of the superworm it is a myth..the stomach juices kill the bugs and that's if they are not already dead from being chewed up. What is being referenced is there was a beardie that was VERY ill and near death and had a wound the supers were free in the enclosure and one came across the sick dragon and started feeding on the wound..