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 #1466096


JohnA
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 Supperworm bettles for food

I had been considering starting to breed Supperworms for extra treats for my larger beardies and was wondering. Is the beetle form ok to feed larger beardies? Is there any nutritional value increase other than them being a bit more of a challenge to get? I mean perhaps theres a nutrient benefit to feeding full grown beetles instead. Just curious if any one had some answers that would be great.
Peace out
John
10/03/07  12:47pm

 #1578085


Reptile Masta
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   Message To: JohnA   In reference to Message Id: 1466096


 Supperworm bettles for food

ok well i don’t kno why any1 isn’t answerin any messages around here but yea....ive been breading superworms for a year now n the beetles make stinkies out of their butt if u mess with them at all....its a defense mechanism....n i can’t imagine a beardie wantin to taste that lol....but not only that the beatles exoskeleton is extremely hard and has way more chitin than u would find in a normal superworm shell plus the meat to shell ratio is even lower.....no nutritional value watsoever
01/14/08  02:18am

 #1585318


DragonPaw
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   Message To: Reptile Masta   In reference to Message Id: 1578085


 Supperworm bettles for food

Quote:

the beatles exoskeleton is extremely hard and has way more chitin than u would find in a normal superworm shell plus the meat to shell ratio is even lower.....no nutritional value watsoever



Where did you get this information? Did you actually do a test to find out, or are you just guessing? I really doubt that this is accurate. As long as they are well fed, I am sure that superworm beetles are more nutritional than mealworms (mealworms have the chitinous shell and lack of nutrients). The newly hatched beetles also have softer exoskeletons so would make a better meal than beetles with hardened exoskeletons; but really, you can still feed reptiles the beetles with hardened shells without a problem.

Actually, despite the beetles’ defense mechanism, reptiles will happily eat them. I am quite sure that a bearded dragon (with their huge appetites) will gladly eat a superworm beetle. But since not much is known about the beetles’ nutritional value, I would only offer them as an occasional food.
01/19/08  01:16pm

 #1588478


Reptile Masta
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   Message To: DragonPaw   In reference to Message Id: 1585318


 Supperworm bettles for food

i actually kno wut i’m talkin about lol....but yea the chitin is wut makes up their shells and is wut covers their whole body so it definitely is more....i weighed it lol i sound like a nerd....but yea when my wooley worms....the things that eat the dead crickets....eat the dead superworm beetles the shell is the only thing left over n is pretty much about 2/3 of the beetle....imagine a beardie tryin to poop that out haha....n ive found it on a website....not sure which one can’t remember but i kno its a fact
01/21/08  04:30pm


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