Waxworms are larval moths that live in beehives. They eat the wax and honey inside of them, giving them their name. Due to their specialized diet they are a little harder to keep as long as other insects. These can be found at some pet stores or can be bought through online insect breeders.
How Many Wax Worms to Feed a Bearded Dragon?
Just put some of these worms in a food dish and your dragon should do the rest. Feed as many worms as they will eat in 10 to 15 minutes. If they get full before this time, it is okay. Also, take out any remaining worms.
Storing and Feeding Waxworms
Waxworms are basically the same as mealworms. They will usually come in a deli cup like container. This will be fine for you to keep them in.
You also will want to store these in the refrigerator to help keep them a little longer. If you don’t they will turn into moths, which is okay, some bearded dragons will like to eat these as well.
This is also going to be the same as mealworms. They will usually come in a container with either wheat bran or oatmeal as substrate in it, some will also come with a food specialized for waxworms.
You can provide some moisture with cut up fruits of vegetables, not too many though. Usually one piece will do. They do have a specialized diet, however, and gut loading them will not be an option.
Feeding Waxworms to your Dragon
These worms have a softer outer shell, so they can be fed to most dragons. However, they have been reported to be high in fat, so feed them sparingly. You also might want to dust them with a supplement before feeding to your dragon.
These worms are good-treat to add variety to your bearded dragon’s diet. It probably is best not to buy them in bulk, as they might not last as long. Buy as many that can be consumed in a short period of time.
Since these are high in fat, they should be used as a treat and not as a staple prey item. Other than that these are a good insect to treat your dragon to.
Pinky Mice for Bearded Dragons
Many keepers will give feeder mice to their bearded dragons. This is a nice sized meal for a dragon, but be careful that the prey is not too big for your dragon. Prey items should be smaller than the size of your dragon’s head.
It might be a good idea to wait until they are a little bit older, juvenile or so. Feeder mice can be found at some pet stores and also from online breeders, and they come in different sizes. Ranging from pinky to adult.
Storing Feeder Mice
I have only used frozen mice before, so I am not really sure how to house live feeder mice.
I recommend using frozen ones. They are a lot easier to store, and when you need one all you have to do is thaw it out. In the case for frozen ones, just store them in your freezer until you want to use them. Make sure though that no other family members have a problem with you keeping frozen mice in the freezer.
Feeding Mice to Bearded Dragons
The first thing to do is make sure that frozen mice are thoroughly thawed out. You do not have to supplement these with vitamins.
Your dragon will receive nutrients from the bones and other internal organs. Just put one in a food dish, and hopefully your dragon will do the rest.
There are food dishes on the market that vibrate, causing non-moving food items to move. If your dragon won’t eat anything that doesn’t move this might help to stimulate them to eat.
Mice are said to be high in fat, so don’t feed these to your dragon too often. However, some keepers use these exclusively for their adult dragons without any problems. They just feed their dragons less often to avoid making their dragons overweight.
I recommend using frozen mice, but if you do use live ones make sure that they are removed from the cage if not eaten. These could injure or even kill your dragon if left in the cage.
Conclusion
Using mice as a prey item for your dragon is a good alternative to insects. Just make sure that the size of the mouse that you are going to feed is the proper size for your dragon. Also, don’t feed too often since they are high in fat. All in all though, this is a good item to add to your dragon’s diet, if you can get them to eat it.
