Feeding Maggots

[Amberbubula]

Hi,
I've had a look around the net and this site but can't seem to find a straight forward answer.

I had left some kitten kibble outside in the rain and forgot about it for about a week (got side tracked when cleaning out the cattery and just decided to leave the cat inside for the duration of the rain). Yesterday when I went to clean up the yard I found it and it had hundreds of maggots in it.

Now, our lizard collection is a black-headed monitor (5 months old), a narrow banded sand swimmer, and a broad banded sand swimmer pair (all 3 approx 3yo).
I told my partner what I had found and he began suggesting feeding maggots to the sand swimmers..

Now, my question is, what are the pit falls to feeding maggots to sand swimmers? Do they pose any health risks? Could the goanna eat them also?
Any info or past experiences with feeding maggots is welcome.

Thanks.

 

[Klaery]

When I kept small lizards I used to feed them with no adverse effect. My old man produced (still does) a LOT of them as he breeds finches.

Are they fine to feed. Yes. Should you feed the ones outside? Well do you really know whats in them? Have they only eaten the cat food? I wouldn't.

 

[Amberbubula]

The ones I found I disposed of (after much dry heaving). It just got us thinking they could have a more varied diet.

Thank you for the reply, that is very helpful. If you don't mind, could you advise me how your dad produces them? Leaves food out or something?

 

[Klaery]

Big wooden box with a mesh front. Light bulb rigged up inside for warmth. Uses a bran/dry milk powder mixed with water for the maggots and just has a continual rotation. If you put them in the fridge they stop developing (he has a separate small fridge for this purpose). It is really quite intensive but he does do it on a large scale.He actually has a slightly different method he has been working on regarding box design. I'll wait and see if it works though (and he may want to write something up about it anyway).

 

[Wild~Touch]

Geckodans website has info on producing maggots

 

[bigguy]

They are a fine food source as long as they are not feeding on meat. Bran, kibble or any other vegetarian diet is fine, but by eating meat they can become rather toxic as food

 

[PythonLegs]

Maggots produce ammonia when they're hungry, and unless the flies they came from are lab bred, they can carry all sorts of diseases and parasites..theres also instances of uneaten maggots eating their way to freedom.

So..no, I dont use them.