Mealworms- the truth must come out!

[wood_nymph]

hey everyone, i'm sure lots of your have heard that mealworms can eat their way out of animals stomachs. i know mealies aren't a great food source in terms of their nutrional value and since their shells aren't too easy to digest. i've heard of animals passing them whole because the couldn't digest the shell, but i would think that the stomach juices would still kill them preventing them eating their way out.

anyone with real life experinces with the mealworm fable? anyone with evidence to back up that they can't?

 

[nuthn2do]

Yes i have seen internal injuries to reptiles and young birds from mealworms. Reptiles mainly impaction from chitin and baby birds can suffer crop damage. A reptile vet i've questioned about this has also advised the same. Freshly moulted with crushed heads is safest.

 

[Just_Joshin]

Or buy those new cooked mealies in a can, lol. Did anyone else see those at the reptile show?? You could buy mealworms that were in a can and had been oven roasted. Quite funny if you ask me.

 

[Wrasse]

Or buy those new cooked mealies in a can, lol. Did anyone else see those at the reptile show?? You could buy mealworms that were in a can and had been oven roasted. Quite funny if you ask me.

Great with BBQ sauce.

 

[euan]

I'm still not convinced I have only seen it in dead animals. I have never seen it in living animals. I have used mealworms for many many years and did nothing but feed them whole with no de-heading etc...
I lean slightly towards the urban myth side of the arguement, but will beleive if someone can prove it to me.
With millions and millions of herps being fed mealworms around the world surely there would be more evidence if it was truely a problem ???
By the way stir fried mealworms are excellent, truthfully

 

[mysnakesau]

I am not sure I beleive that this can happen. However I have heard that when too many are left to stay in the enclosure that they can find their way onto your pets back and start biting your pet. Mealworms have their mandibles so it is important to supervise mealie meals, put them in a bowl they can't get out of. I don't about all animals but I know bearded dragons crush their food before swallowing but as already mentioned the shells can cause intestinal blockages so should only be a once month treat.

 

[Hetty]

I used to give them to my chickens. They went nuts for them, pecking and clucking. It was pretty funny to watch.

I didn't know they could do any harm, the pet shop sold them for chickens. If I'd known at the time they could cause the chickens harm I wouldn't have fed them mealworms. But yeah, they never had any problems.

 

[hugsta]

It can and does happen, mainly with juveniles and hatchies, not with adults, or at least I haven't heard or seen it with them. Mealworms, if not killed when eaten can and will eat their way out. It is not the sort of thing that happens often, but it can happen. Also crickets will attack sleeping animals if too many are put into an enclosure. Once again, not common, but does happen.

The way I look at it is why risk your animals. There is no real benfit to feeding mealies to young animals, just feed them appropriately sized woodies and crix till they are older. JMO

 

[Serpant_Lady]

Also crickets will attack sleeping animals if too many are put into an enclosure.

REALLY??!! What do you mean by attack?? Because one of our beardies just lets them crawl all over her and hide under her. She is a bit of a fraidy cat actually...

 

[nuthn2do]

REALLY??!! What do you mean by attack?? Because one of our beardies just lets them crawl all over her and hide under her. She is a bit of a fraidy cat actually...

Seriously don't leave crix in with beardies. They will nibble on skin if the food supply gets low

 

[john121]

Seriously don't leave crix in with beardies. They will nibble on skin if the food supply gets low

lol - those crickets steal the beardie pellets from the dish... Its really quite annoying... I feed my bearded dragons on mealworms atm cause I am waiting on a container of crickets at the local petshop to come in.....
I feed them through tweezers and they crush them up before swallowing - so unless they can survive being crushed all over..... head and all...........

 

[hugsta]

Thanks nuthn2do, they will happily nibble on sleeping dragons etc when they get hungry.

 

[hugsta]

lol - those crickets steal the beardie pellets from the dish... Its really quite annoying... I feed my bearded dragons on mealworms atm cause I am waiting on a container of crickets at the local petshop to come in.....
I feed them through tweezers and they crush them up before swallowing - so unless they can survive being crushed all over..... head and all...........

If they are crushed, then there is no problem. It is when they are not crushed is when it can may cause a problem. As for crickets, as long as there is something in the enclosure for them to eat, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[john121]

well i always leave in like cucumber and carrot pieces but nope - the crickets like the beardie pellets.

I always crush the heads anyway cause I jst got into tht routine.

 

[tfor2]

You could buy mealworms that were in a can and had been oven roasted. Quite funny if you ask me.

MMMM Crunchie.....Might taste like chicken that way.....

 

[wood_nymph]

so myth confirmed/plusible lol

 

[shnimpon]

Busted

 

[dragon_tail]

ive seen it, infact i went into a friends store one morning and we saw one of the water dragon hatchies was dead.....well it was almost dead, once we examined it, as we called over a friend who knows more than most people about situations like this...we waitied and watched the little fella- trying to give him water with a pipette. holding him on his back to examine him we noticed a tiny pinhole in his gut.... it looked jet black, then we saw it move! it was a mealie, and it too was half dead......

gross story, im sorry to tell it, but it does happen, not too often, but then again- since that day (at age 16, 10 years ago) i havent fed whole meal worms, and generally dont feed mealies much at all.

 

[Stealth_Raptor]

Eh... myth can be busted. Go take a mealie and drop it in water. It will die instantly. I have seen this myth over and over again, and they are just stories -- no pictures proving the truth of it.

 

[Chris1]

gee dragon tail, till u said that i thought it was a myth,....

then again mine chew theirs so well they dont resemble worms by the time they get swallowed,...