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Bearded dragons eat 80% protein (bugs) and 20% greens when they're little. But, as they reach maturity, that switches to 80% greens and 20% protein.
We feed Rupert Superworms as his protein staple, with Hornworms, Waxworms, Silkworms and Duibia as treats. Superworms are the larvae of the Morio beetle.
We house our farm in a 4-drawer unit. The beetles and worms can't crawl up the plastic, so they can't escape.
We bought some superworms and dumped them in the bottom container with 1/2 inch of wheat bran from the grocery store. I add two slices of potato and one chunk of carrot each week. They have cardboard egg cartons to crawl through too.
In order to get some worms to pupate, you need to separate them into small containers with no food. I use take-out condiment containers, and poke holes in the lids. I lined the walls and bottom of this drawer (right at the top) with dark cardstock to keep the light out.
After about 3 weeks of being left alone, the worms will curl up into a C-shape, and then morph in these -- we call them Aliens, but really they're pupae.
We transfer the pupae to the third drawer, add some wheat bran, and wait for the beetles to hatch. Beetles need Carrots and Potatoes as food too. And, they like to crawl around on, and lay their eggs on, cardboard egg cartons.
After two weeks, transfer the bran & cardboard from the beetle bin into the second drawer, where the eggs will hatch and become larvae, or superworms. Two weeks later, dump the baby worms into the bottom worm bin. And the cycle continues, keeping Rupert very full and content.
Once each month sift the worms in the bottom drawer out of their bran and give them new bedding. We use a slotted spoon and a sieve for this job.
Meal worms:
Meal worms:
Meal worms are even easier to breed.
Buy 200 - 500 mealworms at your local Feed store.
Dump them in a bin full of wheat bran, and make sure there are air holes for circulation.
Add a chunk of potato, carrot, or sweet potato each week, removing old food.
They will pupate (make aliens) and hatch beetles (reddish-brown friends) and make more baby meal worms, almost infinitely.
Remember: whatever you feed your worms, you feed your reptiles! Don't forget to fatten them up with good food before feeding them off.
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