Meal worms, are they good or bad

[Veiled chameleons121]

I normally feed my chameleon wax worms as a treat but have heard veiled chameleons cant digest mealworms so should i feed it to chameleons or not

 

[Bubby]

I've never heard that

 

[jbrough42]

Wax worms and meal worms are quite different. Wax worms are quite fatty and while most chams seem to love them, they are kind of like junk food. They should only be fed in moderation.

Meal worms are not very good feeders. While I've never heard that there is any problem with digesting them (maybe someone else can give better insight on that aspect) they do not have any real nutritional value and your chams tummy would be better filled with something that is better for him/her.

If you want to introduce some variety some great feeders are crickets (of course), dubia roaches, silk worms, and hornworms. There is a multitude of other good feeders, but these are some popular ones. I hope this helps

 

[absolutbill]

The problem that most people think of in relation to meal worms is that their exoskeleton is made of chitin, the same thing your fingernails are made of. While I've never heard of impaction in chameleons due to this, I wouldn't use them as a staple feeder. Instead, when your cham is large enough you can feed him superworms. They are also made of chitin, however their meat to exoskeleton ratio is much better. I feed my crew superworms 1 time a week, and when they were little, I'd feed them mealworms 1 time every 2 weeks as an introduction to a feeder cup.

As a side note, I can remember reading about bearded dragons years ago. The book said that when dragons are small they can only have crickets, and as they grow, a turn in their intestines straightens out more so you can feed them superworms. I don't know how true that is, but I followed the advice in the book and my dragons turn 6 this year.

 

[fluxlizard]

The problem that most people think of in relation to meal worms is that their exoskeleton is made of chitin, the same thing your fingernails are made of. While I've never heard of impaction in chameleons due to this, I wouldn't use them as a staple feeder. Instead, when your cham is large enough you can feed him superworms. They are also made of chitin, however their meat to exoskeleton ratio is much better. I feed my crew superworms 1 time a week, and when they were little, I'd feed them mealworms 1 time every 2 weeks as an introduction to a feeder cup.

As a side note, I can remember reading about bearded dragons years ago. The book said that when dragons are small they can only have crickets, and as they grow, a turn in their intestines straightens out more so you can feed them superworms. I don't know how true that is, but I followed the advice in the book and my dragons turn 6 this year.

Oh geez- where to begin?
I guess with chitin- all insects have exoskeleton made of chitin. Digesting insects is what lizards do. Healthy lizards kept at appropriate per species temperatures (not unnaturally cool in other words) will have no problem digesting mealworms. Waxworms, by the way, are softer bodied but also have a difficult to digest outer skin (according to something I read published years ago). Neither will give a healthy lizard a problem as far as digestion goes.

Bearded dragons- I've produced many thousands over many generations going back to 1994. I've also taken a number of groups of 100 babies over the years and tried feeding them different ways in feeding trials to see what does and doesn't work. The advice you got from that book is a load of baloney. I've raised entire groups on mealworms or superworms from the time they hatched until they were over a foot long without problems. Feeding also consisted of fresh veggies and ground dry pellets- not insects alone. Obviously you don't feed a full sized ready to pupate superworm to a brand new hatchling dragon- but they can eat any appropriately sized food item. How people dream some of this stuff up and then spread it around as fact is beyond me.

As far as nutritional value of mealworms- check my prior posts for more info and links, but basically they are OK, but not great, and are good for variety, not so good for a staple food item. They were found to gutload calcium better than crickets, and a recent post I put up had a link to analysis of them alongside other common feeders- in that analysis they were like crickets in some ways, superworms in others. They aren't worthless or useless. But they are best used as only one part of a varied diet.

Variety is the best way to go, rather than wondering if something is "good" or "bad". Even fat has it's necessary place in a healthy diet...

Also keep in mind how you feed your prey item will have a significant effect on it's nutritional content- not only gutloading, but long term feeding when your prey item is young and growing will have a significant effect.

FWIW I usually offer mealworms about 1x per week.

 

[Tay And A]

I personally do not feed mealworms. Too
Much conflicting info about them. I do however feed Superworms on a weekly basis and have never had a problem with impaction. My Chams get about 10 worms per week

 

[Mijah139]

I think Sandra mentions in her blog that mealworms are a safe feeder, but due to fat content, should not make up more than %20 of the animals diet.

 

[sandrachameleon]

a few mealworms and/or superworms as part of a varied diet are fine. no danger. should be gutloaded to the extent possible, and calcium dusted most times. I suggest keeping under 20% of the total monthly diet.

imho waxworms should be limited to rare treats - high fat, very low nutritional value