Has anyone ever used superworms beetles as staples?

[lurker9090]

I was looking up the nutritional value and from what I saw, the nutritional value is comparable to roach nymphs?

I am asking because I found an old container of super worms i forgot about during a move, they all turned into beetles. I gave some to Chester and he went absolute nuts for them and it had me wondering if anyones tried to use them as staple? I heard their wings r super tough to chew but they seemed extremely fragile. Thoughts?

Source: https://reptifiles.com/feeder-insect-nutrition-facts-chart/

I fed them when they were right before the black colour stage
they looked like this, so their shell didnt look as hard

So if you were to feed at this stage as a staple, would it be okay?

 

[MissSkittles]

I was looking up the nutritional value and from what I saw, the nutritional value is comparable to roach nymphs?

I am asking because I found an old container of super worms i forgot about during a move, they all turned into beetles. I gave some to Chester and he went absolute nuts for them and it had me wondering if anyones tried to use them as staple? I heard their wings r super tough to chew but they seemed extremely fragile. Thoughts?

Source: https://reptifiles.com/feeder-insect-nutrition-facts-chart/

View attachment 357017

I am by no means even close to terribly knowledgeable about our feeders. However, I have raised/bred superworms before and their shells are quite tough. I never gave any of the beetles to any of my animals…not even my bearded dragons. The main concern that I see from the info you give though is the protein being so high. Diets that are heavily dependent upon roaches are said to be a cause of gout in chameleons because of high protein levels. The darkling beetles are so much higher in protein so I would assume that they increase the risk for gout. Maybe as an occasional treat - same as we give superworms they would be ok. I would suggest putting the beetles in a smaller bin with some wheat bran bedding and a piece of egg carton and breed your own superworms. Give them a piece of squash, sweet potato, carrot, bell pepper or other similar fresh food (or bug burger) for nutrition and hydration and in a few weeks you’ll see the bran moving and squirming with teeny almost invisible baby supers.

 

[nightanole]

Not sure about a staple, but yea i use them for very crunchy snacks. In fact it was his favorite, he actually moved to get them vs just being a tongue turret.

 

[MissSkittles]

I forgot to add - the darkling beetles live several months and you will have more superworms than you know what to do with. But…they live a long time too.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

I have not fed Superworm Beetles as a staple food. However I have feed them as a suppliment to many larger chameleon species and most of the larger species have not got a problem making a meal out of them. Superworm Beetles would make a good regular food for species such as Furcifer oustaleti and Furcifer verrucosus and could be occasionally offered. However my Furcifer pardalis were not fond of making a meal out of Superworm Beetles.

What chameleon species are you feeding the Superworm Beetles too?

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[lurker9090]

I have not fed Superworm Beetles as a staple food. However I have feed them as a suppliment to many larger chameleon species and most of the larger species have not got a problem making a meal out of them. Superworm Beetles would make a good regular food for species such as Furcifer oustaleti and Furcifer verrucosus and could be occasionally offered. However my Furcifer pardalis were not fond of making a meal out of Superworm Beetles.

What chameleon species are you feeding the Superworm Beetles too?

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

panther!

 

[jamest0o0]

I think I read that beetles are eaten by chameleons pretty often in the wild. I don’t know if I’d make them a staple, but I raised a bunch in a large tub and I think they make a nice addition to variety. Not picky eaters either. I used my superworm/beetle bin as a garbage disposal pretty much.

 

[MzLaurie]

Well I have had many change to the beetle in the cage but my Cham just ignores them and I rush to kill them as they are so hard I am afraid they will cut his mouth! An injured tongue is not worth it in my opinion. But I also feel that a Cham knows better of what he can and can’t eat so variety gives them supplements they would not generally get. If my Cham rushed to eat then I guess I would let him. But once they are black I would remove them.

 

[elizaann2]

I've learned from Dean that the bulk of a chameleon's natural diet is grasshoppers and if I remember correctly, the second most often eaten bug in the wild is some kind of beetle. I could be wrong though, my memory isn't too good. You could start to breed them and have your own colony of superworms

 

[Chino82]

In the wild almost a quarter of a panther chameleons diet are beetles. If you dust them prior to feeding I don’t see why it couldn’t be a staple. I plan to add darkling beetles to the mix of insects I feed.

 

[Sonny13]

I use them a lot lately, because they’re multiplying themselves. It was more than a year ago since I put superworms in Neo’s enclosure and now I see them everywhere, they have established in her enclosure.

 

[MzLaurie]

Every now and then a few will hatch in the cage. I have never seen any of my chams hunt them. They have a very hard exoskeleton so I imagine the chams know thier mouths might get injuries. plus they give me the creeps, lol