# Mealworm Beetles for Bearded Dragons?



## IanF94 (Oct 12, 2008)

I did a quick search and nothing of relevance came up so I'll ask anyway.
Are Mealworm beetles an alright treat for Bearded dragons?
I ask because while soting out the mealworm colony my Bearded dragon who's normally very lazy and doesn't really beg for food came running up when he saw the beetles.
Knowing they were gut-loaded I gave him one and he went crazy for them. Chewing-wise it didn't look any harder for him then munching a cricket.
What do you guys think then? Is it worth giving them to him as a treat or should I avoid doing it in the future?


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## Grond (Jun 17, 2008)

I've often wondered why people don't use them for feeders! 

Can't find any good info on the topic.

I give my chameleons a couple occasionally, and they love them!


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

There was a study I read a few years back on _P. barbata_ where they found that a pretty high proportion of their wild diet consisted of beetles... 

Given that mealworm (and morioworm) beetles are much lower in fat than the meal / morioworms themselves, I'd say that they'd make a much better treat for beardies than the juvenile worms would, especially gutloaded... I don't know about using them as a staple feeder - the fat might be a little bit too high - but as a treat they should be fine.


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