Phoenix worms

[Montee]

I've read a little but about these worms so I picked some up at phoneixworms.com

So will these replace crickets as a main feeder that I can maybe supplement witch crickets every weekend or so? From what I understand you don't even have to dust these little guys, just pick them out of the cups, allow them to dry, and serve. Unless they need to be dusted with multivitamins thats probably something to ask about..... anyway there's one thread here regarding phoenix worms that I've found and it was fairly brief. Alot of the stuff I've googled says you can, while theres some that recommend that you don't. Anyone here with first hand experience?

Thanks

[mlededee]

phoenix worms are great and super nutritious. i don't think you need to dust them at all (i don 't). they can replace crickets altogether or you can still give crickets occasionally for variety. variety is always a good thing, so you may still want to just give a few here and there.

it also partially depends on how well your leo likes the phoenix worms--if he takes right to them and gobbles them up then you obviously don't need to give crickets too often unless you want to.

[Montee]

phoenix worms are great and super nutritious. i don't think you need to dust them at all (i don 't). they can replace crickets altogether or you can still give crickets occasionally for variety. variety is always a good thing, so you may still want to just give a few here and there.

it also partially depends on how well your leo likes the phoenix worms--if he takes right to them and gobbles them up then you obviously don't need to give crickets too often unless you want to.

cool, since you have some experience with them let me pick your brain a little if you dont mind. I picked up 4 cups 600 worms, how long can I expect them to last in a room thats 75* on average? and I know this is totally dependent on the leo but is it fair to consider 4 cups a months supply for one leo?

I know theres alot of variables that can affect my actual results but I'm just trying to get a rough idea. Alot of the information online is extremely vague and/or conflicting. I've read anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months, so needless to say I'm a little confused

[mlededee]

hmm, well most of mine get fed off fairly quickly since i give them to my cresteds and there are a lot of mouths there. i found a cup of them recently that is probably more than 6 months old (who put that cup in that cabinet anyhow?! ) and there were still a good number of live worms in it, so i think the question here is not how long will the worms live but how long will it take for your gecko to eat them.

the nice thing about the phoenix worms is that they don't have to eat them in great quantities because they are high in nutritional value, so i'm guessing an adult leo might eat 6-8 per day depending on the size of the worm. that's totally just a guess though, so you're really going to have to experiment and see what works for your leo. try a few at a time and see how many he can eat at once--if you leave them in the dish for more than a day or two, especially if it is hot the worms will dry up and die. definitely keep the dish on the cool side of your tank since they really can't handle heat.

[Montee]

hmm, well most of mine get fed off fairly quickly since i give them to my cresteds and there are a lot of mouths there. i found a cup of them recently that is probably more than 6 months old (who put that cup in that cabinet anyhow?! ) and there were still a good number of live worms in it, so i think the question here is not how long will the worms live but how long will it take for your gecko to eat them.

the nice thing about the phoenix worms is that they don't have to eat them in great quantities because they are high in nutritional value, so i'm guessing an adult leo might eat 6-8 per day depending on the size of the worm. that's totally just a guess though, so you're really going to have to experiment and see what works for your leo. try a few at a time and see how many he can eat at once--if you leave them in the dish for more than a day or two, especially if it is hot the worms will dry up and die. definitely keep the dish on the cool side of your tank since they really can't handle heat.

good stuff, I know those numbers are estimations but you have the experience and it helps ease my curiosity a little. This one I have here has been a bit of a problem eater. She took dusted crickets just fine the first few feedings. then she wouldn't take them dusted. After a while she wouldn't take them at all so I went to mealworms and she gobbled them up. then stopped.... It's a little frustrating, I kind of have to annoy her with the food for her to eat it, but I'm hoping phoenix worms will be the answer.

As far as leaving worms in the hot side, I'd rather get her on a steady feeding schedule so I normally just offer food near midnight sometimes a little earlier (on weekends) so I think I'll just do the plop and wait technique, and hopefully she takes

thanks!

[mlededee]

how old is your leo and how much does she weigh? how often are you feeding her? she won't eat mealworms if you leave them in a dish for her?

[Montee]

how old is your leo and how much does she weigh? how often are you feeding her? she won't eat mealworms if you leave them in a dish for her?

from what i was told she was hatched early may.

I just weighed her in a light bulb box. The box with her weighs 29 grams, the box weighs 20 grams. so 9 - 10 grams. This is my first leo so I'm not sure if thats good or bad. I know adults can weigh anything from 40 to 100 grams.

She eats daily (today is the only day I couldn't really get her to eat) and she's never taken a mealworm unless it came from the end of my tongs.

[mlededee]

i think maybe you are just feeding her too often. she doesn't have to eat every day. for hatchlings and juvies i leave mealworms in a dish at all times and supplement with crickets every 3-4 days and that's usually plenty. try putting about 10 small mealworms (or some phoenix worms) into a dish that she can easily access and leave her be for a few days and see what happens. if she hasn't eaten at all after about 5 days then offer her some crickets and see if she takes those. leos aren't usually picky or troublesome eaters--maybe she just doesn't need as much as you are trying to give her.

[Montee]

i think maybe you are just feeding her too often. she doesn't have to eat every day. for hatchlings and juvies i leave mealworms in a dish at all times and supplement with crickets every 3-4 days and that's usually plenty. try putting about 10 small mealworms (or some phoenix worms) into a dish that she can easily access and leave her be for a few days and see what happens. if she hasn't eaten at all after about 5 days then offer her some crickets and see if she takes those. leos aren't usually picky or troublesome eaters--maybe she just doesn't need as much as you are trying to give her.

this is possible. I'll grab the mealworms and leave her some in her dish, see how that works out. I appreciate your help. I still hope she takes to these phoenix worms as I would much rather keep those than crickets. I really don't think I can get used to keeping crickets constantly. once a week for a day or two I can handle. Plus the whole aspect of not having to supplement her food sounds kinda nice

[mlededee]

if she likes the phoenix worms than you should be set. you can mainly feed those and supplement with mealworms and just forget about the crickets altogether if that's what you want to do. keep me updated on how she does!