Dragon Team Member
Joined: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 2364
Location: Indianapolis, IN
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The following insects are the most commonly used feeders for dragons. There are other feeders out there, and some may be added to the list later. Phosphorus levels are complements of http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html
Note that the ideal Ca:Phos ratio is 2:1, so a ratio of 1:10 means that there is much higher phos than calcium. This is bad, but nearly unavoidable in feeder insects. I offset this as much as possible by dusting EVERY bug I feed to every dragon with pure calcium carbonate (no D3), and I don’t count this as their calcium supplement, as most or all of it will be bound by the phosphorus. The exception to this rule is with silkworms, as noted below.
MEALWORMS
Mealies are probably the most readily available feeder insect. They can be kept at room temp, or in the frig to slow the morphing process. Mealies can cause impaction if too large or too many are fed at once, especially to young dragons. Even adult dragons can become impacted if they gorge themselves on unmolted ones. It’s best to feed molted (white, newly shed, as pictured second from right above), in which case size and number aren’t as critical.
Mealies morph into pupae (far right), little alien-like creatures which can also be fed if your dragon likes them. Pupae morph into beetles, which mate and lay eggs. The whole morphing process can be slowed by keeping them in the frig, but take them out one day per week to feed them.
They are best ordered online in larger quantities so you have enough white ones to feed. Can be ordered in various sizes. Unless you are feeding hatchlings, usually medium mealies are a good size.
Mealies can be fed any healthy fruit, veggie, or greens you feed your dragons. Potatoes, carrots, and apple slices are good staples.
By the way, rumors you’ve heard about mealworms eating their way out of your dragon’s stomach are nonsense. However, they are high in phosphorus (1:25), so they should always be dusted with calcium, so that the phosphorus doesn’t leach calcium out of other good foods that the dragon eats.
SUPERWORMS
This is our staple feeder insect for our subadults and adults. Said to be more digestible than mealworms. Even youngsters can be fed small molted (white) supers. These fast-moving, vigorous bugs will pinch you if you give them a chance. They molt like the mealies, and come out white as shown above. It is best to feed them then. From the white stage they quickly turn a sort of homogenous milky brown (middle worm above), sometimes reddish, but still pretty soft. When feeding unmolted worms to a subadult or adult dragon, I usually limit their intake to 4 to 8 in a sitting.
I find supers to be the easiest bug to keep, and the most reliable. They don’t smell, and don’t morph into aliens or beetles unless they can find a hideaway all by themselves somewhere (like under your dragon’s food dish). They grow very slowly and seem to live forever, if their drawermate doesn’t eat them. I keep several thousand in a Sterilite drawer system on an oatmeal or wheat bran substrate.
Supers can be bought in very small quantities from pet stores (open the container and make sure they’re alive in there), or in larger quantities online or from local bug sellers. They are kept at ROOM TEMPERATURE, but if you want to preserve your white ones longer, they can be refrigerated in the door of the frig for about 12 to 24 hours. They feel slightly deflated when cold, and warm up slowly. White supers dust better with calcium when cold from the frig. Slowing down their movement via temperature is an added benefit, and can keep them from climbing out of the food dish before your dragon has a chance to eat them.
Supers can be fed all the healthy veggies, greens, and fruits you feed your dragons. They like carrots, potatoes, extra greens, etc. Supers are high in phosphorus, with a ratio of 1:18, so always dust them with pure calcium.
SILKWORMS
The picture above shows a silkworm, two silkworm moths mating on the left (the larger is the female), and a silkie moth expressing the brown juice that I once mistook as dried blood in my little dragon’s cage. (Annie figured it out before I died of a heart attack).
Silkies are considered by many to be the healthiest of the worms. They have a very soft exoskeleton. Most dragons can handle silkies that are large, relative to their own size. An added bonus is that silkies are very low in phosphorus (1:2.4), and dust well with calcium and vitamins. They are said to contain other substances that greatly benefit dragons, one of which aids in calcium absorption. For these reasons, I don't necessarily dust all silkies with calcium, and when I do, it counts as a supplement.
Very small silkies should be kept at about 85F. Larger ones can be kept at room temp. Silkies have specific dietary needs which can be cumbersome. In the warmer months, they can be fed mulberry leaves from outside (unsprayed, untreated trees only!), or special chow purchased online. Note that you can switch from chow to leaves, but the silkies will NOT cooperate with a switch from leaves to chow. Once they get a taste of the real thing, they’d rather die than turn back! They can be maintained on carrots for awhile if you run out of chow. Small silkies need to be fed at least once a day, preferably twice. Even as adults they are a high maintenance worm that must be fed daily and worm containers cleaned often to prevent mold and die-off. Worms will also die off if overcrowded. I use open Sterilite containers with no substrate.
If you have more full grown worms than you need, let them cocoon and morph into moths. The moths do not eat or fly, and can be fed to your dragons also. Note that your dragon will poop out white silkie eggs a day or two later which are very noticeable.
You can also buy eggs in bulk and hatch out a small part of them at a time, while keeping the others in the frig.
Not all dragons like silkies. Some love them; others are indifferent. Still others will eat them eagerly for awhile, and then grow tired of them.
I should mention briefly (as it is covered in other posts) that there is currently a controversy over a possible virus found in silkie populations in the U.S. Please read up on this and use your own judgment.
WAXWORMS
Waxies should be considered dragon candy. They should not be used as a staple insect as they are even higher in fat than the other worms. They are good for putting weight on a gravid female, a slow growing youngster, or a male during breeding season. I feed them occasionally as treats to all but the seriously overweight dragons. They dust well with calcium, and have a Ca:P ratio of 1:7.
Pictured above are the various colors and stages. Worms can be charcoal grey, brown, or yellow. They pupate as shown second from the right, and emerge as moths that DO fly, far right in pic. Dragons love to chase down the moths.
Waxies can be purchased in very small quantities in some pet stores (very expensive though, and check them before you buy), or in larger quantities at much better prices online. They can be kept in the door of the frig for a few weeks, or at room temp. At warmer temps, they will eventually morph into moths. Dead worms should be removed immediately to prevent further loss. I keep mine at room temp in open Sterilite containers in the wood shavings they are sold in.
Most bug sellers say that waxies need not be fed. If keeping them at room temp, I usually feed mine a honey/glycerin/mixed baby cereal mixture (should be pretty dry and crumbly—allow it to sit out overnight to dry). You can also mix wheat bran and honey to a similar dry consistency and crumble it lightly over the worms.
HORNWORMS
These worms can be purchased online. They are quite expensive, so I only buy them once or twice a year for variety. Hornworms are absolutely maintenance free. They arrive in large cups which contain their food. I keep mine near the cages where it is relatively warm. Hornworms grow at an astonishing rate and become quite large at 3 to 4 inches.
They are difficult to handle, with feet that seem to be coated with superglue. When you pick up a hornworm, they curl up their back end and try to stick you with that sharp red spear on their back ends. They also have powerful jaws to try out on you.
Some dragons will trample their best buddy to get to these things; others are afraid of them. I try to feed them at a reasonable size so that the dragons can handle them without too much trouble. Some keepers clip off the spear before feeding.
Hornworms, like silkies, have a soft exoskeleton which contains a lot of dark green goo. Expect your dragon to need a napkin after this meal.
Ca:P ratio is unknown.
ROACHES
DEATHHEAD ROACH (Pic by LisaAnnie)
LOBSTER ROACH (Pic by LisaAnnie)
There are many different types of roaches that are used as feeders. A few include orangehead, wood, hisser, deathhead, and lobster. Many types can climb the sides of their containers. A band of Vaseline around the top of your container will prevent escape. Roaches that do escape will not infest your house, as they are unable to reproduce at room temperature. To breed them, you will need to keep them warm and dry, at about 85F. Old food should be removed from the container to prevent moisture buildup.
Roaches are great to gutload, as they can hold a lot. Some types need a decent amount of protein in their diet to keep them from eating each other.
In an unofficial, small scale experiment run by Kristy (MrHognose) on this site, the hatchlings who ate baby roaches grew the fastest, as compared to silkies (who came in second) and mealies (last). Baby roaches are about as big around as pencil erasers. Roaches are live bearers. Phosphorus content is unknown.
CRICKETS
We will cover crickets briefly, as they are frequently what we all started out feeding our dragons, but are not recommended on this site. Crickets are dirty bugs that eat their own poop, your dragon’s poop, and are known carriers of parasites that can infest your dragons and make them sick. Some cricket suppliers may have parasite-free crickets, but we have not been able to identify those as of yet. Pet shops often have very dirty crickets.
Crickets need extra heat, and clean, dry containers. It is difficult to prevent escape from their container or your dragon’s cage, so you will find them loose in your house. They will also eat on your dragon at night as he sleeps, causing sores and possible routes for infection. Because of this, crickets must be removed from the tank every night before lights go out. Small sections of eggcrates can be used to round them up.
These smelly bugs also cause impaction if your dragon eats one or more that are too large. The length of crickets fed should never be greater than the space between your dragon’s eyes.
Crickets can be fed any healthy food, and must have a water source—cricket water (sold in stores), damp paper towels or sponge, etc. Ca:P ratio is 1:12, so they should be dusted with plain calcium carbonate. |
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