Can Bearded Dragons Eat Superworms? 5 Benefits | Full Guide

Is there any other food tastier than live insects to bearded dragons? Hopefully, You also can’t answer! For your beardie, insects are one of the tastier and healthier foods. When they are in a growing phase, they require more insects than protein for overall growth. But adult or senior beardies don’t need extra insects but plants. 

When you think about various feeding insects, you might think of superworms. The worms are reputed as food for several creators. Super worms are the larvae of darkling beetles known as zophobas morio. Often people consider superworms and mealworms as the same. But they are different.  

So, can bearded dragons eat superworms? If you want to serve the worm to your pet’s diet, ensure its safety and feeding guidelines. 

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Superworms?

Yes, bearded dragons can eat superworms if they can handle the worm. Only sub-adult or adult bearded dragons should eat superworms. In other words, beardies less than four months should not eat superworms. As superworms tend to bite and are hard to digest, baby beardies can’t tolerate the nuisance.  

How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Superworms?

For adult beardies, you can feed them 2 to 3 superworms once or twice a week. Similarly, if your beardie is quite young and can handle the worms, you can provide them more as they need more insects in their diet. The quantity and frequency of consuming insects depend on your beardie’s age. As the worms contain a considerable amount of fat, you should consider the quantity and frequency. However, keep observing your pet’s physical appearance. If your pet dragon is getting obese, you must stop or reduce the quantity.  

5 Benefits of Superworms for Bearded Dragons

1. Moisture Hydrates Your Pet 

Superworms contain more than 50% water content. The moisture level of the worm helps to hydrate your beardie. Like nightcrawlers, superworms are also rich in water. The water level keeps your pet away from dehydration, diarrhea, gut impaction, and other health issues. 

2. Moderate-Protein Aids in Growth 

Like wax worms, superworms contain a moderate level of protein. A protein plays a crucial role in the overall growth of beardies; you can feed a sufficient amount of superworms as per their age. Do remember growing beardies need a lot of protein. But adult beardies don’t need more protein. 

3. Moderate-Fat Helps in Physical Development

If you can maintain the frequency of providing superworms to your pet, their fat aids in physical development. Growing beardies need an adequate amount of fat. Superworms contain 14%-15% fat, so a balanced diet will provide a healthy physique to your pet. 

4. Beardies Enjoy the Chase

Superworms are not like calci worms or mealworms so they are more active than other feeder worms. As beardies like to chase their prey and gobble them after catching them, superworms are a great option. 

Superworms don’t stay in one place. They continuously move and fight with their rivals. So, letting your beardie in hunting its prey is not a bad choice!

5. Bearded Dragon Get to Munch

Supersowms’ exoskeletons are harder than any other worm-like earthworms or calci worms. The harder surface is quite entertaining and a crunchy treat for your beardie. Superworms could be a tasty treat for your pet. 

4 Risks of Feeding Superworms to Bearded Dragons

Apart from a few nutrients, superworms’ adverse effects will bother you. Only moderate feeding and feeding to suitably aged beardies can overcome the risks. So, before feeding the worms, do consider their dark sides also. 

1. A Lot of Phosphorus Causes Calcium Deficiency 

Superworms’ ratio of calcium and phosphorus is not compatible with your pet. It has 13 times more phosphorus than calcium. High levels of phosphorus block calcium absorption into the bloodstream.

As calcium plays a crucial role in developing skeletal structure and bones, beardies face severe issues due to the lack of calcium. It could even lead to metabolic bone disease. Further, calcium deficiency causes paralysis and even leads to death. 

2. Excessive Fat Could Obese Your Beardie

Superworms fat level is nearly 14% to 15%. If you feed the worm to your beardie excessively, it cannot handle the fat level. The pet dragon could gain extra pounds due to excessive fat. But moderate eating will not harm beardies. 

3. Hard Exoskeleton May Lead to Gut Impaction 

As superworms’ shells or exoskeletons are harder than other insects, your beardie could find it difficult to digest. If your pet cannot chew the worms properly, they could face digestive issues and severe problems like gut impaction. 

4. Worms Aggressive Nature Hurts

Superworms are not inactive like other worms. They fight with their enemies through biting! Yes, you read it right. Superworms do bite to survive. 

The small feeder worms tend to bite when you provide the worms to your pet, or your pet tries to eat them. 

For precautions, you can use tweezers and gloves during the serve. Additionally, remember to observe your pet while they eat the aggressive worm. 

How to Feed Superworms to Your Bearded Dragons?

Superworms don’t need extra facilities to be alive. So, there are a few concerns regarding feeding your pet the worms. 

Prefer Small Sized Worms

First, you must search for the best pet-food seller and purchase the worms. Try to buy small-sized worms. Your beardie needs his food as small as the gap between his two eyes. 

Store at an Appropriate Temperature

After getting the feeder worm, keep it within 70°-80° Fahrenheit temperature instead of refrigerating it. They die if you refrigerate. 

If you want to keep the insect for a few weeks, you must feed them some stuff. You can provide the littles with some slices of potato or other veggies. Don’t worry! They eat very little.

When you serve the worms to your beardie, use tweezers to pick them. Otherwise, they could bite you.  

Serve in an Enclosure

You can put the worms in an enclosure and let your pet chase and hunt his prey. Moreover, you can feed them through tweezers one by one. Notably, dust the worms with calcium powder to balance the calcium level. 

Crush or Serve with Supplemental Insects

Some owners get very concerned about the biting. If you are, too, you can crush the worm’s head to get rid of the injury to your pet. 

You can feed superworms with other supplemental insects like cricket. 

Conclusion 

Beardies are mostly picky eaters. Various foods are available in the market, and certain fruits and veggies are also safe for beardies. Though, they are more fond of insects than other foods.

Small worms and insects stuffed with vitamins and minerals could be a good choice. Superworms are also a good treat with some restrictions. The question, can bearded dragons eat superworms? relies on beardies’ age and ability to handle the worm.

If your beardie never eats the worm, you should introduce them gradually. Do train them to beat the worm, and then it will be safer. 

FAQs