# mealworm myth



## chocolatecolubrid (Apr 1, 2005)

Wondering what truth there was in the myth about mealworms being able to eat out of lizards stomachs? Surely if this was true mealworms wouldnt be so readily available in petshops? And wouldnt it make them practically indestructable if they could survive stomach acid??


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

I heard the same facts too and was told to go for waxworms.


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## Andyman (May 16, 2005)

Well does this happen in the wild ? :?


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## t-bo (Jan 26, 2005)

I would think that this could only be feasible with a lizard like a Beardie (who needs high temps to digest) who wasnt basking and was ill.. of course normally the mealworm is 'chomped' once on the way down. 

I personally cant see that a mealworm has ever eaten its way out of a lizard (unless maybe it was pretty much dead).. makes you wonder how something like this would have started it if hadnt happened at least once though? 

Lizard eating mealworms aside.. they have very little nutritional value and high chitin content so they arnt a great feeder insect anyway


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

Well i was told that last week for the frills. Have wax worms got more nutritional value?


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## beckys_dad98 (Jan 23, 2006)

wax worms are very nutritional, but high in fat content so should only be given as treats. If you are looking for a good food source use silkworms, they are probably the best... a lil more expensive individually, but you don't need as many,
Steve


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## hullreptilelover (Mar 4, 2006)

Ive heard this one before.... Ive never seen it happen or spoken to someone who has had it happen, Ive give mine them as treats a couple of times a week and have been doing so for years and have never had this happen so personally I dont worry about it. It would be interesting to hear from someone if it has actually happened....


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## pie_man (Oct 1, 2005)

yer thats kinda interestin i dunno how realistic it is though


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

Its never happened to wild birds and some people feed them lives mealies every day in the spring, and the birds feed them to their chicks...never heard any alien-style horror stories about a mealworm bursting out of a chicks stomach and growing into a giant monster with a set of chompers that could smash right through a skull...

I vote for myth :lol: Unless the reptile was ill and unable to digest, then it might be possible.


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## gillsboy (Jun 8, 2005)

yea i think its a load of bull so i say myth


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## crazysnakedude (Jul 1, 2005)

as far as im aware ther is a certain amount of truth to it. mainly to smaller lizards like geckos but to b honest its not worth the risk, not until there is definate truth behind it. just to b on the safe side tho i cut the heads off them (the mealworms not my geckos) b4 giving them to my babies, they stil whiggle abit especially when touched.....strange.


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

Have you seen it happen though or actually known a real case where it has happened? Everyone has heard the myth but no one seems to have known of a case where it happened. :lol:


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## crazysnakedude (Jul 1, 2005)

er....well........no not exactly


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

See this is the thing, no one knows a real-life case where it has happened, its all passed down from an unknown source :lol:


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## chocolatecolubrid (Apr 1, 2005)

Thanks for all the come-back guys. I didnt want to believe it, but one of these things i never wanted to risk incase it was true. Im sure lizards eat worse things than mealworms in the wild!


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2006)

I must admit that about 3 years ago there was a pic put up on reptilecrazy where the mealworm beetle had apparently eaten its way out of a baby beardie but whetyer this was what actually happened or not i dont know.

I just remember the stir that it caused at the time and that from then on everyone that fed mealies then crushed the heads or removed them before feeding


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

Yeah its all a myth and people dont want to risk it just in case... I personally have avoided it and gone for silkworms..


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## hullreptilelover (Mar 4, 2006)

NNY said:


> Yeah its all a myth and people dont want to risk it just in case... I personally have avoided it and gone for silkworms..


Ive never used silkworms, i know they are good for lizards nutritionally but I think they are damn expensive. Ive heard they dont tend to last very long either. Is this true???
With regards to the mealworm myth, the way my beardies chomp them, Im pretty sure they are well and truely dead before they reach the stomach of my lizards anyway. They are well greedy little blighters and the mealies get well and truely chewed!!! YUMMY! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

Ill let you know about waxworms at the end of this week. I just got some and they arent amazingly expensive. But im sure they'll all be eaten by the end of the week so probably wont be able to tell you how quickly they die :lol:


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## Bev (Sep 7, 2005)

mealworms hun mealworms.
no is questioning waxworms, theyre yummy candy to lizards all squishy and soft too.


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

No...he was talking about silkworms so i wrote waxworms cos im stupid :lol: :lol: He was asking how long silkworms lived... and i cant remember which i ordered now... i think waxworms :lol: :lol:


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## leopard_gecko_fanatic (Oct 16, 2005)

so how did the myth come about then if it isnt true and all pet shops i go to ask me what lizard its for i tell them a leopard gecko and they tell me the story and i end up getting crickets !


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