# Chinese water dragon and meal worms



## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

My chinese water dragon only seems to want to eat meal worms, iv'e tried offering different foods such as locusts and earthworms but he shows no interest in either, are meal worms ok to feed a cwd on a day to day basis, if so how many should I be feeding to a 4 month juvenille? 
thanks : victory:


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## ReptileManiaWhittlesea (Sep 1, 2010)

jameskench said:


> My chinese water dragon only seems to want to eat meal worms, iv'e tried offering different foods such as locusts and earthworms but he shows no interest in either, are meal worms ok to feed a cwd on a day to day basis, if so how many should I be feeding to a 4 month juvenille?
> thanks : victory:


Hi,
I have no answer, but was searching the forum before asking _exactly_ the same question!

I have a young pair of these beauties, and they won't look at crickets or locusts, but the bowl of mealworms empties every night!

They also don't appear to eat much, if any, fruit and veg.

I've had them about 2 months now. They are alert and active, and quite hand-tame. there doesn't appear to be any health problems. 

If anyone has any answers, I'd be pleased to hear them!

RMW


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

Thankx for the reply. I thought it was just my CWD that was stupidly fussy and stubborn. Yes i have the same with mine, he dosnt show any signs of ill health he eats good now got nice colours and is pooing in his water alot  he seams fine was just wondering... but thankx for the reply


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## mike w (Dec 1, 2009)

The calcium to Phosphorus ratio in mealworms, is heavily skewed towards phosphorus.You need to ensure that your mealworms are being gutloaded with a appropiate diet. I use to keep a pair of adults some years ago. I fed mine on the black crickets, they wouldn't eat the brown ones, Waxworms, morio mealworms and a insect, if my memory is right, was called Tebos. These can from the Mealworm Company, now called Livefood Direct.They occasionally eat defosted mice as well. Good luck with CWD's, I wish I still had mine. It might be worth looking at one of the many cockroach species that are now avaliable as livefood.
Mike


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## jasont21 (Aug 25, 2010)

i wouldnt feed CWD's mealworms alone. too many will likely cause impaction. have they ever eaten crickets before? mine sometimes get bored of crickets, so i keep mealworms, superworms, waxworms, brown crickets, and locusts, just to give mine a varied diet as they get bored of the same insects really easily. also they get the odd pinky mouse once a month or once every 2 months depending on how much theyve eaten.

oh and with fruit etc.. ive never known mine to take fruit of vedge normally. the only time mine has ever eaten fruit was when i cut mango into the shape of waxworms... and made them wiggle lol.... only way its ever worked and its far too much effort


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

Iv'e tried crickets and locusts, he dont seem very interested in either though :neutral: I tried feeding crickets to him, and he did go for it, and missed but didn't try going after it again, i'll just have to wait and see but he do need feeding and unfortunatly the only thing he will eat it meal worms, so is there a sensible amount that can be given daily to a 4 month juvenille without the risk of impaction till he will take crickets.


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## jasont21 (Aug 25, 2010)

if he only eats meal worms, then theres gna be a risk either way. and feeding wise, depends on how big ur cwd is i suppose. might be worth just seeing how hungry he is, offer a few and see how many he eates over a few mins


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## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

How long do you wait before you give in and put mealworms in ? 

My advice (and I am sure you will ignore this) firstly take out ALL livefood out of the tank. Don't feed him at all for 4 days at least. Then try a couple of crickets or a couple of hoppers, making sure they are not too big. Leave the room. If they are not eaten in a few hours, take them out and leave him for a couple of days. If he is healthy then this is nothing for a water dragon to go without food. BUT if you continue to just feed mealworms then he will not be as healthy as he should be in the long term. 

Be brave and give it a go for his sake.


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

Well I offered him a few crickets today and he took down 3 but no more after that. Its difficult to take all livefood out when they can hide under the substrate and in the plants, but for what I no theres only a couple of locust going about which he has no interest in. I'll have to wait then and see if he will start taking crickets more regularly, but thanks for the advice.


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## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

jameskench said:


> Well I offered him a few crickets today and he took down 3 but no more after that. Its difficult to take all livefood out when they can hide under the substrate and in the plants, but for what I no theres only a couple of locust going about which he has no interest in. I'll have to wait then and see if he will start taking crickets more regularly, but thanks for the advice.


So you have no idea how many crickets he is eating ? You can't watch him all day. Having crickets in the tank all the time is a recipe for disaster. There is no point in me explaining why.

I was right in my prediction that my advice would be ignored ! Your loss.


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

I said I had seen him eat 3. I feed him one using tongs, which he took. After that he wouldn't, so I then put 4 more in a ceramic bowl (removing the crickets back legs to stop them escaping) with calcium powder and I had come back to see he has eaten two of them, he had eaten one more today from the tongs, but won't take it again a second time.


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## ReptileManiaWhittlesea (Sep 1, 2010)

Blaptica said:


> I was right in my prediction that my advice would be ignored ! Your loss.


Hey, ease up!

I'm trying it. I cleaned out all the viv last night, and they're now on starvation ration - no food at all for the next few days. Then I'll try them with a couple of crickets and report back.

RMW


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## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

Can you see why if you bother to try and help, and your advice is ignored it can be a little frustrating !

Your water dragon is eating crickets ! Don't panic. If you are a new reptile keeper you might be suprized at how little lizards eat compared to humans or any other warm blooded creature. Three crickets in one sitting, if they are of the right size is a good meal. 

Which species of cricket are you using ?


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## supersnuffy (May 31, 2009)

Blaptica, not to be rude but I think you're being quite patronizing. Afterf all, you hardly gave the OP a chance to 'follow your advice' and when they did, you still acted like that. I get that you're concerned for the CWDs welfare but they DID try and they did it in the end, no need to treat them like a newbie. Just saying to calm down on the accusatory front a little, with all due respect of course.


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## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

I am confused now. I have just noticed that somebody else appears to also have water dragons, has the same problem and is following my advice ?

If its the same person is changing identity mid thread then it doesn't help much.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

my water dragon done that for a long time... i still oferd him crickets and stuff and in time e started eating them just keep trying : victory:


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## jayd (Mar 2, 2010)

Blaptica said:


> My advice (and I am sure you will ignore this) firstly take out ALL livefood out of the tank. Don't feed him at all for 4 days at least. Then try a couple of crickets or a couple of hoppers, making sure they are not too big.
> 
> Be brave and give it a go for his sake.



I agree with the above!

Had the same problem with mine.. After a a lack of food the below stopped happening overnight..










As time has gone by i have found now that they will eat anything that moves, anything...


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

Blaptica said:


> Can you see why if you bother to try and help, and your advice is ignored it can be a little frustrating !
> 
> Your water dragon is eating crickets ! Don't panic. If you are a new reptile keeper you might be suprized at how little lizards eat compared to humans or any other warm blooded creature. Three crickets in one sitting, if they are of the right size is a good meal.
> 
> Which species of cricket are you using ?


He's eating brown meadium sized crickets, he took a further 4 this morning. But im glad he's started eating crickets alot more.


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## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

jameskench said:


> He's eating brown meadium sized crickets, he took a further 4 this morning. But im glad he's started eating crickets alot more.


The term 'brown crickets' is confusing for me because that could be one of three species. I think the livefood industry started using the name so it allowed them to give you the species that suited them if they didn't have many of another species. 

If you use quiet crickets or black field crickets they hide alot less than house crickets or banded crickets. 

If the locusts remain in the tank all the time, I think they just become part of the furniture, and the water dragons can ignore them.

Glad to here it is eating better.


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

Blaptica said:


> The term 'brown crickets' is confusing for me because that could be one of three species. I think the livefood industry started using the name so it allowed them to give you the species that suited them if they didn't have many of another species.
> 
> If you use quiet crickets or black field crickets they hide alot less than house crickets or banded crickets.
> 
> ...


I buy the silent browns from livefood uk if that helps any more. And as for the locust, they just died, so there no longer a problem. My cwd ate a further 4 crickets today, but he's slowly getting use to them now.


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## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

Quiet crickets aka silent crickets, are a very good cricket to use. Four crickets a day is good ! I don't think he has a problem at all.


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

no i dont think he has a problem. i didnt in the first place but was just getting a little frustrated he would only eay mealworms. i was always offering crickets and i offer earthworms too, it was just a case of him getting used to them. But now he likes them and has a taste for them hes doing really well so i am happy. thanks for anyonw who gave advice x


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## jameskench (Sep 19, 2010)

This is the water dragon on my new signature picture. He looks green and healthy. He looks so much healthier than when i got him, he had alot of brown but now his bright green is comming out and he looks lovly. i am happy that he looks so healthy now. ta


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