Calci worms are among the simplest live foods to maintain because they only need a little food and little other care. They are reasonably priced and filling when included in a balanced diet, other supplements, and live food.
You should feed your dragons 3 to 5 calciworms 3 times a week. You can even gut-load them to give your bearded dragons and other pets better nutrition. Calci worms are beneficial for sick reptiles, and your veterinarian might suggest them if they think it would strengthen your pet.
What are Calci worms?
The Black soldier fly’s larvae are called calci worms. However, what makes this species particularly unique is its high amounts of calcium, which make it ideal for aiding the construction of bones in lizards like bearded dragons.
In addition, as grubs, they possess all the fat and protein for rapid growth. Live calci worms are fed to sick or malnourished reptiles to improve their nutritional status.
They go by various names including tempest worms, reptilian worms, worm Calci, and calci-grubs. Despite having names that sound very different, they all refer to the same thing.
Calci worms nutritional value
| Nutrient | Amount |
| Fat% | 9.4 |
| Protein% | 17.3 |
| Calcium PPM | 8155 |
| Phosphorus PPM | 5355 |
| Ratio | 1.52 |
Are calci worms good for bearded dragons?
Calci worms are a great choice as a staple food for your bearded dragons. The worms are rich in protein, which is essential for growing dragons. Additionally, they have less fat than other worms.
While bearded dragons enjoy the taste and moderate amount of fat, too much fat in their diet makes them unhealthy. It also discourages them from eating vegetables and other healthier meals.
The highest benefit is the calci worms’ high calcium content. Metabolic bone disease is one of the leading health risks to bearded pet dragons. Lack of calcium causes the bearded dragon’s bones and body to deteriorate, which results in this sickness. This disorder has the potential to be fatal.
How to feed calci worms to bearded dragons
There are several procedures you need to take to ensure you’re feeding your bearded dragon in the best and healthiest manner when it’s time for its protein meals.
You should feed your reptiles as much as they can in 10 to 15 minutes if they are mature, or until they stop eating (for young bearded dragons).
Calci worms are regarded as a superfood for reptiles, so it’s acceptable to feed bearded dragons as much as they can consume at this time.
A single meal for bearded dragons translates to about 20 to 60 calci worms.
If you’re giving the lizard other live food simultaneously, or if it’s stressed, pregnant, ill, or going through something else that would make them less hungry, this will change. Beware that the feeder bugs you feed your pet should be, at most, the space between their eyes.
Food that is larger than this may cause the digestive tract to become obstructed. In the best-case scenario, this causes feces to become impacted and need to be expelled. In the worst scenarios, the blockage pressure on the spine could cause paralysis or even death.
Do I need to gut load calci worms?
The worms will be encouraged to consume and load their guts by being placed in a container with some of these foods. The primary goal of gut loading is calcium supplementation. It should be done between 24-72 hours before giving the prey to your pet to gain full advantage.
However, it depends on the type of insect and gut load. For example, if you provide the gut-loaded worms after more than two or three days, it won’t be much different than if you hadn’t gut-loaded them.
Do I need to dust calci worms?
Although calci worms have a high calcium content, they still need to be dusted to provide your reptile with all the necessary minerals. Magnesium, multivitamins, and many other nutrients are given to your pet through dusting. The finest Calci worm feed provides comprehensive nutrition by gut loading and dusting.
One feeding’s worth of worms should be placed in the cup with a small pinch of supplement. Shake the cup gently to coat the feeder insect with the supplement. Be gentle; you don’t want to hurt or scatter the insects around.
Time is of the essence right now! As soon as several feeder insects become coated in supplements, they will start working to remove it from themselves, progressively depleting them of their nutritional value.
Dump the feeder insects into the vivarium immediately, then use feeding tongs to feed them to your pets.
How to store calci worms
Calci worm preservation requires hardly any consideration. Do not be concerned about having enough worms to fill your refrigerator. It is unnecessary; you can store them at room temperature in the same pot you bought them in.
They tolerate high temperatures. However, that does not imply that you should keep them at extremely high temperatures. Neither should you have them at low temperatures.
If you want to keep calci worms at their ideal temperature in this situation, aim for 50-60°F.
Conclusion
Live calci worms are a favorite among reptile keepers because they can give sick or underweight reptiles calcium, protein, and fat. They don’t go well with every meal, but they are an incredible nutritional supplement promoting excellent bone-building.
During the mating season, they are a particularly wise choice for young birds or bearded dragons.