The Mealworm Debate
Mealworms are super cheap and super easy to care for. Throw them in a bin, feed them once in a while, and refrigerate for longer storage. They are low in fat and high in protein, but they have a nasty rumor that follows them around.
They cause impaction.
For years people fed their dragons mealworms as a staple without a problem, and those who ended up with problems almost undoubtedly had something off in their care. Reptiles are made to digest crazy things from bugs to raw meat (even though that isn't all too recommended). When impaction happens, there is usually an underlying issue. Dehydration is usually a big factor in many impaction cases. Digestion requires water to take place, and when a reptile is dehydrated, the already low water levels are wasted away on poorly digesting whatever was eaten. Another husbandry issue is a basking temperature that is too low. Some recommend temperatures as low as 90 for basking, which can prove too low to properly digest food. When the food doesn't digest, it sits in the stomach and gathers.
Mealworms are pretty decent nutritionally speaking but are easily beaten by other feeders. So yes, mealworms are able to be fed. Yes, they are safe. No, they won't impact and kill a healthy dragon. Just make sure your husbandry is proper before feeding them.
As a personal anecdote, the dragon above is my personal pet. Her name is Neva and she was raised on mealworms, dubia roaches, and phoenix worms. She was properly hydrated and had high enough basking temperatures to digest her food no issue. From the day I got her as a tiny hatchling, she happily munched away on mealworms and she isn't dead yet!
They cause impaction.
For years people fed their dragons mealworms as a staple without a problem, and those who ended up with problems almost undoubtedly had something off in their care. Reptiles are made to digest crazy things from bugs to raw meat (even though that isn't all too recommended). When impaction happens, there is usually an underlying issue. Dehydration is usually a big factor in many impaction cases. Digestion requires water to take place, and when a reptile is dehydrated, the already low water levels are wasted away on poorly digesting whatever was eaten. Another husbandry issue is a basking temperature that is too low. Some recommend temperatures as low as 90 for basking, which can prove too low to properly digest food. When the food doesn't digest, it sits in the stomach and gathers.
Mealworms are pretty decent nutritionally speaking but are easily beaten by other feeders. So yes, mealworms are able to be fed. Yes, they are safe. No, they won't impact and kill a healthy dragon. Just make sure your husbandry is proper before feeding them.
As a personal anecdote, the dragon above is my personal pet. Her name is Neva and she was raised on mealworms, dubia roaches, and phoenix worms. She was properly hydrated and had high enough basking temperatures to digest her food no issue. From the day I got her as a tiny hatchling, she happily munched away on mealworms and she isn't dead yet!