Ok to feed meal worm beetles to a leo?
- Thread starter P-in-P
- Start date
Ken Bartenfeld
New member
I would wonder about the not being able to kill them, and it still being alive in the stomach and cutting the lining...personally, I would not risk it. Just my 2 cents!
Why wont they be able to kill them? The leo in question is still quite young so the ideal crickets is at the same size as the mealie beetles! And as far as i can see the mealies, crickets and zophobas all have bigger jaws then the beetles.
+ if they don't kill them with some chewing the acid in their stomach will finish it I think.
I was mostly wondering if the shells was to hard for their digestion or if they had something in them that would be bad for a leo...
+ if they don't kill them with some chewing the acid in their stomach will finish it I think.
I was mostly wondering if the shells was to hard for their digestion or if they had something in them that would be bad for a leo...
Ken Bartenfeld
New member
Like I said, I personally wouldn't do it...I fed a roach to pair of amyae I had, and think they the died because the roach was to big, and they pretty much just swallowed it whole. Now, maybe the acids would have killed it...but when I took each of them out, they both had a like pool of blood I think I was told in the stomach, where you could see through it...
Its your geckos, not mine...just saying, drive to your local pet shop and spend $1 ;-)
If you want t o try it, go ahead! I am sure they can digest it, you have to remember what they would eat in the wild again...its not the most perfect condition like we keep them in our care 8)
Its your geckos, not mine...just saying, drive to your local pet shop and spend $1 ;-)
If you want t o try it, go ahead! I am sure they can digest it, you have to remember what they would eat in the wild again...its not the most perfect condition like we keep them in our care 8)
Ken Bartenfeld
New member
I think you mean those black beetles that hatch out mealworms, I am pretty sure I have seen them 100 times at my local reptile store...usually in with some stuff that looks like saw dust. They looks larger then a half inch though...so maybe not!?
Ken Bartenfeld
New member
MMMMmmmmm, or some of that Tai sauce...stir fried! Yea baby yea ;-)
MyNameIsYuri
New member
I throw mine the occasional malformed mealie beetle with no problems. I think Ken is thinking of Zoophobas (superworm) beetles, which are relatively big and put out a chemical defense to boot. I don't think anything (size appropriate) is going to live inside a lizard with a healthy metabolism long enough to do any damage, but beetles of any sort are a heck of a lot of shell for a negligible amount of food. I wouldn't make a habit of it, and I'd probably de-wing them. Again though, this is assuming a well hydrated, metabolically sound lizard.
Ken Bartenfeld
New member
Yea, could be the super worm beetles...not tiny at all...almost fill up those 1oz cups!