Superworms 50g

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

Every superworm tub holds the same single larval grade, so buying a bigger tub never gets you a bigger or smaller worm. Where the eye-gap check fails, the answer is a different insect – a feeder wider than that gap risks choking and impaction.

A 50 g tub is about a month of fortnightly feeds across two or three medium lizards. Across one animal it is too much: the tub will outlast the sensible feeding rate and you will end up with beetles rather than feeders.

The number that matters most is calcium. A peer-reviewed analysis of the species 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. That deficit, fed unsupplemented, is the direct route to metabolic bone disease.

The same analysis reports crude fat at 35.0 to 43.6 percent of dry matter. Rich enough to be useful for a poor feeder or an animal recovering condition, and rich enough that a rotation is the right way to use a tub this size.

Gut-load for 24 to 48 hours on a calcium-rich food, then dust with calcium immediately before offering.

The window is narrow, and it matters more with a larger tub. 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 as the calcium passed through. Decant the portion for this feed into a separate container, gut-load and dust that, and leave the rest of the tub on plain bedding until its turn. 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.

Over a month of holding, ventilation and moisture control do the work. Use bran or oat bedding, add a slice of carrot or potato and replace it before it moulds, and pick out any dead or blackened worms as you go so the rest of the tub keeps.

Suitable for adult and larger juvenile bearded dragons, blue-tongue skinks, water dragons, monitors, larger geckos and turtles – particularly a small collection fed on a schedule.

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, and not the right buy for a single pet, where the tub will spoil or pupate before it is finished.

Superworms have strong mandibles and will bite. Offer them with tongs rather than fingers, and never leave uneaten worms loose overnight with a sleeping or torpid 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 – the supplement that fixes the ratio above.
• Zoo Med Stainless Steel Feeding Tongs – the sensible way to offer a feeder that bites.
• Large Woodies – the leaner everyday feeder to rotate superworms against.
• Superworms 40 g – a step down for one or two animals.
• Superworms 100 g – the bulk tub for a larger collection.

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

Should I gut-load the whole 50 g tub at once?

No. Gut-loaded calcium peaks at around 48 hours and has largely passed through by day seven, so gut-load only the portion you are about to feed and leave the rest of the tub on plain bran bedding.

How long will a 50 g tub of superworms keep at home?

Several weeks at room temperature in a ventilated tub with bran bedding and fresh vegetable for moisture, provided dead worms are removed as they appear. They cannot be refrigerated to extend that.

Why have some of my superworms curled up and gone still?

A superworm that separates from the group, curls into a C shape and stops moving is pupating into a darkling beetle. It is a normal response to isolation, not illness, and the beetle is no longer useful as a feeder.

Are superworms safe for a juvenile bearded dragon?

Not for hatchlings or small juveniles. Superworms are supplied in one large grade with a hard outer shell, so wait until the worm is narrower than the gap between the dragon's eyes and use smaller insects until then.