Super worms

[julescoffman]

Ok,just wandering what some people have heard or think about super worms that can eat through beardies belly's? I'm only asking because when Si was sick and I took him to reptile specialist she asked if I squeezed or cut the heads off of super worms before I fed them to him.I said no,he chews them up..well she all but yelled at me! So I decided she knows more about this than I do,so I cut the head off and fed him with tongs,they still move for a min after I cut heads off,anyway,did a little project of my own,I cut couple heads off(gross) and put them back in small cup they came in,with the sawdust..swear on my life,after 3days the heads are still alive and eating on the other live worms! So after seeing this with my own eyes,I now pinch the heads of all supers before feeding my boy.

 

[RaidenMarshall]

If I had to sit down and cut of or pinch the head of every single worm I fed Apollo I think I'd end up throwing them at the wall. The same myth I've heard apply to mealworms, and if I had to pinch the head off of them when I feed my geckos I would also throw them against the wall.

My boy has had no problems with them. I've never heard of it actually happening so I'm prone to think its a myth. I've heard of one case where (probably an unchewed worm) caused harm inside of a leopard gecko...but it did by no means bore its way out. Try another experiment and drop them in water and see how long they last. Then imagine that getting chewed up and sitting inside a beardies tummy. I also have seen them get chopped in half in the cup once and all the other worms ate the chopped one from the inside out, so I've yet to see them last long . The ones in my bin also leave each other alone unless one is dead, then its like carcass schmorgesborg in there.

I honestly think someone somewhere had a sicker lizard of some sort that didn't digest and chew their supper well and ended up being ate. Or, someone left the supers or mealworms with their lizard overnight and it ate them.

 

[DanielE]

You may have a point. One may have chewed in instead of out. And if other worms where still out of it it would lead someone to think they came out. But I dont really know its just a thought.

 

[julescoffman]

I never had a problem either,but she scared me lol,but makes since,there belly fluid would finish it off!

 

[Marquez0352]

Lol I just about lost my mind right now! It's a good thing I kept reading on! Yeah supers drown easy too. I think it's just a myth. Not to mention- if that was the case, what do they do in the wild? Lol

 

[Elemental Dragon Lord]

It's an urban legend, there is no validation to that. You may want to find a better vet.

 

[julescoffman]

I have heard it before and researched it,and about 99% of people said can't happen,there's always that 1% that believe anything! I was just wandering everyone's thoughts since she told me that,I didn't mean they eat their way out of belly's,but chew in their belly's,and coming from zoo vet that takes care of all the reptiles at the Columbia zoo(including beardies) you would think she would know better! I didn't believe it,but not gonna lie I was worried for min lol,thanks for easing my mind!! By the way that nasty head I cut off lived till yesterday,so gross..i was just pinching their heads before feeding him,but only started doin that after she said that,and you are right,so time consuming,takes me forever to feed him because he loves his wormies no more pinching heads,he tares them up..thanks again y'all

 

[PatsyB]

I think they chew them up pretty well. Plus their stomach acids would help kill whatever survived the chewing. I've watched Luci chew the head off a super and have it fall in front of him. It moves for a bit and he either eats it or it just dies.

 

[julescoffman]

That one head I cut off to see how long it would live must have been bionic lol..

 

[PatsyB]

Maybe it had something to do with putting it back in the cup where it feeds.

 

[DanielE]

Its the beardie venom that kills them.
#yellowspottedlizard lol

 

[julescoffman]

Lol,it was quite the experiment! But he dead now)

 

[RaidenMarshall]

Well I was just on another forum, and some guy swear up and down he saw this happen to his friend's baby bearded dragon. He said the dragon was fed 3 small supers and half an hour later it was flipping out all over the viv and a superworm burst from its belly. And upon vets inspection, the one superworm was swallowed whole and was eating its way out.

Hmmm...do I believe this? Not entirely. For it to have survived for half an hour is stretching it for me.

 

[PatsyB]

Yeah, I'm not buying it. But just on the safe side I never feed them worms that can be swallowed whole. I fed Dexter phoenix worms once and they came out looking like they did going in! I feed them both the large super worms. Luci tends to bite them in the middle and the head and tail fall off and then he picks them up and chews them real good.

 

[julescoffman]

Si chews his good,sounds like he's eating popcorn lol,I hope something like that never happens,I would die!

 

[drzebra]

I don't buy it at all. Never, ever trust an anecdote.