Csn I use Pheonix worms and Silk worms as a staple diet for my Leo's?

[Topaz]

I have two rescues who have digestive issues, long story. In short the female has great difficulty digesting anything with an exoskeleton. The vets I have consulted feel it may be due to being breed and laying 10 eggs when she was very tiny and under weight, as well as having been kept on sand and Calci sand previously.

Anyway I thought I was going to end up loosing her to impaction. With the help of vets and atozgeckos, I managed to pull her through and get her pooping again. One of the big factors seems to have been giving her wax worms and a Silk worm along with all the other home treatments. Since then She has only been allowed to eat small 2 week old crickets and no mealies or super worms, and again she is not pooping regularly.

The research that I have done seems to be saying that Pheonix worms are able to be used as the staple of a reptiles diet. They are a good source of protein, not high in fat, have a good Cal to Phos ratio and have enough Calcium to feed with out needing to dust, as well as no exoskeleton and lots of moisture. Have I understood correctly?

I have not found a nutritional analysis on Silkworms but have read that they are also good for Leos. I know she really liked it, it has no exoskeleton and has lots of moisture. Can they be fed regularly along with the Pheonix worms?

Then I could just give the occasional cricket and or meal worm, hopefully with out a problem.

Anyone's thoughts?

Tisha

 

[BlackIrisReptiles]

I think that those are fantastic feeder items. High calcium levels is a huge plus. I dislike them a little because pheonix worms don't get very big and because silkworms are hard for me to keep alive. But if you can keep them without issue then you leo will only benefit from them.

I also think hornworms are a great feeder insect. They get really HUGE so you would have to ask specifically for small ones, and keep them in the fridge to prevent growth, but they might also be a good adition every once in a while.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I've not used silk worms so I'll let someone else with actual experience comment on them. However, I did order a crap load of pheonix worms and not one of my geckos of any species would eat them. I've heard of others having this issue as well. I've heard some people who have geckos that love them. So, my advice is to order a small amount of them first to see if your leos will even eat them.

 

[chipkali]

My gecko loves phoenix worms, the only issue was that in the beginning the worms would seem to come out mostly whole in his feces. I googled and other people have had that issue as well. I used to poke them all with a pin just before feeding just to help the digestive juices get in and that seemed to help. He's been on them for 2 months or so now and he doesn't have that problem anymore (and I stopped poking them about 6 weeks ago) but if you're concerned about digestion it's something to think about.

 

[kaikara]

mine love silkworms. I have found that they are harder to keep though. You need the specialized food (they can only eat leaves of the mulberry tree and there is a processed food for them to eat). Most of the guides say they can be kept for a week without food but I always have some dying. Plus locally they are pretty expensive for me.

here is some information on the benefit of silkworms though

Benefits of silkworms

As for phoenix worms - I have never been able to get them locally so I have never tried them. But from the nutritional content they seem very healthy. A little more fatty then crickets but not by much but way higher calcium and phosphorus content. I don't think you would have any problem using silk and phoenix worms as your main diet.

Phoenix Worms available at The Silkworm Shop - Phoenix Worm Info