Help me out with reasons why mealworms are bad feeders for reptiles

[Shelob]

Hello all, as some of you know I am one of those "awful people who work at PetCo" and I am asking for your help with a little bit of information.

I know that crickets are a better diet for reptiles than mealworms. The main reason that I tell customers not to use mealworms as a staple diet -only seldomly as a treat- is this:

Mealworms have an exoskeleton made of chitin, which is what your fingernails are made of (if I remember human biology correctly...). When a reptile has a high intake of mealworms what can eventually happen is the mealworms can take a toll on the reptiles digestive system, eventually even causing the reptile to be able to pass a full mealworm through its system without it being digested.

So that in itself is a pretty good reason. However I would like to know more about this, if anyone has the knowledge. My main question is how does the chitin do the damage it does to the intestines or whatnot? My theory is that the chitin lines the walls of the intestines and thus doesn't allow the mealworm to be digested. However then wouldn't the mealworm still be broken down, at least somewhat, by the stomach acids?

I just want to learn more about this so that I can help people better, I spent a good 15 minutes googling it but couldn't find the info I was looking for. Thanks a lot for any information, however I would ask that since I am going to be relaying this information to others please don't post unless you know that what you are saying is valid. If you want to state a theory (as I did in my last paragraph) please make it obvious that you are not sure.

Thanks again guys!

 

[Schlyne]

When a reptile has a high intake of mealworms what can eventually happen is the mealworms can take a toll on the reptiles digestive system, eventually even causing the reptile to be able to pass a full mealworm through its system without it being digested.

I have never heard that a reptile could pass a full mealworm without it being digested. From what I've always heard is that since the mealworms are high in chitin, the chitinous exoskelton (or buildup, if that acutally occurs) would lead to impactions, leaving the reptile unable to pass excrement and eventually leading to death.

 

[NoS]

Is this also the case with Superworms?

 

[Shelob]

I have never heard that a reptile could pass a full mealworm without it being digested. From what I've always heard is that since the mealworms are high in chitin, the chitinous exoskelton (or buildup, if that acutally occurs) would lead to impactions, leaving the reptile unable to pass excrement and eventually leading to death.

I have heard of it happening from several people who have owned herps for years, but have never actually witnessed it first-hand.

Now that you mention it the impaction is something I forgot to address in the post, thanks for reminding me. Anyone sure if the digestive problems linked to mealworms is usually in reference to the impaction or the lack of digestion?

Thanks for the info Schlyne :worship:

 

[Shelob]

Is this also the case with Superworms?

In the research I did before posting the topic I found several sites stating that the Superworms had less chitin content than the giant mealworms do. They also have a higher meat-to-shell ratio I read.

However don't take all that I posted as fact, it was a theory that I haven't found sound answers to...yet.

 

[Bayushi]

From what i remember from my days working at the pet store, Our boss fobid us feeding meal worms to any reptiles or amphibians because of the possibility of impaction. He said the Vet he used to check all his herps told him that the chitin is only partially digested and over several feeding will eventually build up enough to block the digesting tract.Giving them as treats should only be done on rare ocassions and only to "healthy" herps.

again this is from what i remember from a conversation from around 16 years ago.. so don't take it as a gospel.

 

[xelda]

I think passing chitin is really only a problem for smaller lizards. Leopard geckos can handle mealworms just fine without impaction being an issue. If they're passing the mealworms whole though, then it probably means they don't have enough heat for digestion.

I used to breed mealworms and superworms for my critters, but I don't even use them as feeders anymore. One reason is that they're twice as fattening as crickets. The other reason is that I don't like bowl-feeding any of my (healthy) animals. What this does is turn my geckos into spoiled, picky, lazy eaters. These are the ones that will randomly go off feed because they feel like it, that sleep all the time and only get up to check their food bowl, and not surprisingly, the animals that get incredibly obese. I'd rather keep them sharp, alert, and fast by making them hunt for their food.

 

[Galapoheros]

I too have read that mealworms are high in fat.