Superworm caution

Hey guys I was curious about how you deal with superworms when it comes to your scorpions. My Hadrurus Arizonensis haden't eaten for about a month after I had fed her a good sized Dubia roach once a week for three weeks. Then a couple days ago I threw a superworm in her enclosure and she attacked it and ate it head first. Then my swamerdami killed one with one pinch by the head. So far i haven't had issues with them but have heard some say they don't like superworms because they bite or that they cut the head off first before they feed them to their scorps. So here's the question.. Do any of you use superworms for your scorps and if you do, do you take certain precautions?

I don't because they are unhealthy. Dubias are the way to go.

ShredderEmp wrote:

I don't because they are unhealthy. Dubias are the way to go.

Unhealthy as in too fatty?

guats85 wrote:

ShredderEmp wrote:

I don't because they are unhealthy. Dubias are the way to go.

Unhealthy as in too fatty?

Yes.

ShredderEmp wrote:

guats85 wrote:

ShredderEmp wrote:

I don't because they are unhealthy. Dubias are the way to go.

Unhealthy as in too fatty?

Yes.

Ive heard them called fatty but never unhealthy. Interesting.

guats85 wrote:

ShredderEmp wrote:

guats85 wrote:

ShredderEmp wrote:

I don't because they are unhealthy. Dubias are the way to go.

Unhealthy as in too fatty?

Yes.

Ive heard them called fatty but never unhealthy. Interesting.

Its like what happens to you if all you eat is twinkies, but its not exactly the same.

I don't know guys, I would feed superworms to larger species of gravid scorpions. Fat stores energy, which would be ideal for the embryo's and the mother. Try and feed your specimens a variety of food, not just roaches or crickets or superworms, but all three.

Patcho wrote:

I don't know guys, I would feed superworms to larger species of gravid scorpions. Fat stores energy, which would be ideal for the embryo's and the mother. Try and feed your specimens a variety of food, not just roaches or crickets or superworms, but all three.

Thats all true, but I was referring more in general.

ShredderEmp wrote:

Dubias are the way to go.

+1

if you are able to setup a dubia colony, do it. believe me, you'll love them

Patcho wrote:

I don't know guys, I would feed superworms to larger species of gravid scorpions. Fat stores energy, which would be ideal for the embryo's and the mother. Try and feed your specimens a variety of food, not just roaches or crickets or superworms, but all three.

This is more what I was thinking. The I was trying to switch the diet up a bit. I had been doing crickets and lately dubias with my haddy, but was wanting to see if she would enjoy the superworms. I won't stop the other two, but figured I'd throw in something different.

guats85 wrote:

Patcho wrote:

I don't know guys, I would feed superworms to larger species of gravid scorpions. Fat stores energy, which would be ideal for the embryo's and the mother. Try and feed your specimens a variety of food, not just roaches or crickets or superworms, but all three.

This is more what I was thinking. The I was trying to switch the diet up a bit. I had been doing crickets and lately dubias with my haddy, but was wanting to see if she would enjoy the superworms. I won't stop the other two, but figured I'd throw in something different.

Thats fine. Just don't do it unless they need all the fat for some reason like right after a molt or during a pregnancy.

i do but i only do feedings once every 3 weeks up to a month due to my out-of-the-country&town business trips.. where i'm at, 100 pcs worth of superworms costs 1/6th the price for 100 pcs of dubias. superworms can also survive for weeks without food or water making them more convenient for my current situation.

once i'm onto my regular sched its back to feeding spiders and baby house geckos for my scorpions

Superworms are typically too fatty for most reptiles and amphibians. However, this dietary understanding may not extend to arthopods quite as much. I do know that mealworms and super worms body shape make it hard for a scorpion to wrap their claws around and I know some smaller individuals can't break through the tough chitin to get to the soft stuff inside. Dubia are a great feeder for the most part, but you run into the same complications with dubia that you do with mealworms in terms of hard chitin with certain individuals. Dubia, imo, are more of a tarantula/larger scorpion species kind of feeder. I use a lot more Blatta lateralis than I do dubia for feeders as they are much more soft bodied and they tend to excite a scorpions feeding response much more consistently.

Roaches are always the best imo. I use a mixture of Lobster/Pallid and Turkistan roaches.
The Lobster and Turkistan roaches I use only for my larger scorps. The Pallids are great for feeding tiny 2i slings as their nymphs are so small, even the smallest 2i scorp can take down a pallid nymph. They also breed like crazy. I once forgot about 20 of them in a container and when I rediscovered them a few months later they had multiplied to about a 100 with only the old food they had in with them from the start.
Concerning the hardness of the shell, Lobsters are pretty hard but my larger specimens have no problem cracking through it. The pallids and turkistans are nice and soft.

My 2 Centruroides gracilis were fed dubias once they were in my care. I got them at second instar and they are now third instars. I feed them newborn nymphs and they eat 90% of the time.

I've been using silk worms lately. Scorps seem to like them and no chitin just meaty juicy green blooded worms.

exoticvirus wrote:

i do but i only do feedings once every 3 weeks up to a month due to my out-of-the-country&town business trips.. where i'm at, 100 pcs worth of superworms costs 1/6th the price for 100 pcs of dubias. superworms can also survive for weeks without food or water making them more convenient for my current situation.

once i'm onto my regular sched its back to feeding spiders and baby house geckos for my scorpions

Any specific kind of spider do you feed your scorps? I'd like to feed mine spiders too but not unless they are big enough for my scorps to grab ahold of them. I do feed my mantis spiders and she loves them.

~Abyss~ wrote:

I've been using silk worms lately. Scorps seem to like them and no chitin just meaty juicy green blooded worms.

I haven't looked for silk worms yet. Are they as easy to find as superworms?

guats85 wrote:

~Abyss~ wrote:

I've been using silk worms lately. Scorps seem to like them and no chitin just meaty juicy green blooded worms.

I haven't looked for silk worms yet. Are they as easy to find as superworms?

very.


http://www.scorpion-forum.com/t10263-feeder-caterpillars-new-20ct-small-medium-hornworm-pods-avaiable-50ct-silkworm-pods

Silk worms make great feeders for reptiles too. The downside....they have a very specific diet. They only eat mulberry leaves. The good thing is most places that sell silkworms also sell feed made from it. But if you have your own mulberry tree then you can save some busk. Plus the moths of this specvis are kinda cool and flightless which can become feeders themselves(never done it myself not sure how safe the moths are).

~Abyss~ wrote:

Silk worms make great feeders for reptiles too. The downside....they have a very specific diet. They only eat mulberry leaves. The good thing is most places that sell silkworms also sell feed made from it. But if you have your own mulberry tree then you can save some busk. Plus the moths of this specvis are kinda cool and flightless which can become feeders themselves(never done it myself not sure how safe the moths are).

That seems like a good option. I'll look into getting some of these.

guats85 wrote:

exoticvirus wrote:

i do but i only do feedings once every 3 weeks up to a month due to my out-of-the-country&town business trips.. where i'm at, 100 pcs worth of superworms costs 1/6th the price for 100 pcs of dubias. superworms can also survive for weeks without food or water making them more convenient for my current situation.

once i'm onto my regular sched its back to feeding spiders and baby house geckos for my scorpions

Any specific kind of spider do you feed your scorps? I'd like to feed mine spiders too but not unless they are big enough for my scorps to grab ahold of them. I do feed my mantis spiders and she loves them.

usually jumping spiders as they're the easiest to breed and the most numerous here. quite active also so baby scorpions find it very appealing.

Interesting! I'd like to find some my larger scorpion can enjoy.