Superworms 40g

Keepers size feeders by a widely used rule of thumb: a feeder should be no wider than the space between the animal's eyes. Judge width, not length.

Superworms come in one larval grade, and it is a big one – tub size changes the quantity, never the size of the worm. If a superworm is wider than your animal's eye gap, change feeder rather than pack size, because too wide risks choking and impaction.

A 40 g tub suits two animals, or one adult fed superworms about once a week alongside leaner insects and greens. Buy to your feeding rate rather than to the shelf – a tub that sits longer than a few weeks starts pupating.

A peer-reviewed analysis of the species reports crude fat at 35.0 to 43.6 percent of dry matter. That is why superworms tempt an animal back onto food, and why they put weight on when fed routinely.

The same analysis reports calcium at 31.9 to 70.8 mg per 100 g of dry matter against phosphorus at 562.9 to 564.9 mg – a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of roughly 0.06:1 to 0.13:1, where an insectivore needs closer to 2:1 the other way round. Fed undusted, that shortfall causes metabolic bone disease.

Gut-load for 24 to 48 hours on a calcium-rich food, then dust with calcium immediately before offering. A veterinary study that gut-loaded superworms on a high-calcium cricket feed measured a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 1.46 at day two, falling to 0.67 by day seven – so gut-load the portion you are about to feed, not the whole tub.

Use calcium with D3 where the animal has no UVB; where UVB is good, plain calcium is usually the better choice.

Keep the tub at room temperature, out of direct sun, with the lid ventilated. Never refrigerate superworms – unlike mealworms they do not tolerate cold, and a night in the fridge will kill a tub.

Bran or oat bedding with a slice of carrot or potato covers food and moisture; replace the vegetable before it moulds. A worm that separates itself and curls up stiff is pupating into a beetle, not dying.

Suitable for adult and larger juvenile bearded dragons, blue-tongue skinks, water dragons, monitors, larger geckos and turtles.

Not suitable for hatchlings or small juveniles, where the size and hard outer shell are a real impaction risk. Not suitable as a staple for any species, or for an animal already carrying too much weight.

Superworms have strong mandibles and will bite. Offer them with tongs rather than fingers, and remove any that are not taken instead of leaving them loose with a resting animal.

Keep the tub closed and out of reach of children, and wash hands after handling feeders or their containers.

• Exo Terra Calcium + D3 Powder – not optional with a feeder this calcium-poor.
• Zoo Med Stainless Steel Feeding Tongs – the sensible way to offer a feeder that bites.
• Black Soldier Fly Larvae 100 g – the calcium-positive feeder to rotate against superworms.
• Superworms 20 g – the small tub, for one animal fed superworms occasionally.
• Superworms 100 g – the bulk tub, for a multi-animal collection.

Live feeders are supplied for in-store collection or local delivery, with our live arrival guarantee.

Are the worms in the 40 g tub bigger than in the 20 g tub?

No. Superworms are supplied in a single larval grade, so every tub holds the same size worm – the 40 g tub simply holds about twice as many as the 20 g tub.

What happens if I do not get through the tub?

Superworms kept crowded together stay as larvae, but individuals that separate out will pupate into darkling beetles. Beetles are harmless and no longer a feeder, so buy to the rate you actually feed.

Can I feed my bearded dragon superworms every day?

No. With crude fat at 35 to 44 percent of dry matter, daily superworms put weight on a dragon that should be eating leaner insects and greens. Once a week is a sensible ceiling for an adult.

Do superworms still need dusting if my reptile has UVB?

Yes. UVB helps a reptile use calcium but does not add any, and superworms carry roughly one part calcium to every eight to sixteen parts phosphorus. Dust with plain calcium where UVB is good, and with calcium plus D3 where it is not.