# risk of impaction from mealworms?



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Today, one of my male tincs didn't want to share. Apparently, after i collected a few baby mealworms for my frogs, I realized they were much longer than I thought, some about 1/2" long. :shock: 

Mark was on them before everybody else got a chance, eating about five or so. I have heard that if you feed too many mealworms, it can cause impaction. I have fed ones this big before to my frogs, but generally i make sure not only one person gets them all.


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## Josh_Leisenring (Jun 19, 2005)

I don't know what kind of validity there is to this, but I've heard that mealworms, with their particularly tough exoskeletons, can occasionally survive immediate ingestion and actually chew their way out of the digestive tracts of the hapless herps that swallowed them. :shock: Obviously this can't be too common, as mealworms are a popular feeder, but has anyone else heard of this, in addition the impaction issue? 

- Josh


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

After being into herps for five years, I'm still waiting to see an actual case of this. It's commonly reguarded as being an urban legend.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I've heard that too but that is a load of B/S in my opinion.

What I was a little more concerned about is the hard exoskeleton causing blockage...(considering my frog helped himself to so many before the others) as I've read that too many feedings of mealworms can cause impaction.


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## Josh_Leisenring (Jun 19, 2005)

Yeah, I kinda figured it was more an urban legend than anything, though, waaaaay back when, I did have a large mealworm latch onto an anole with its mandibles and leave behind a nasty wound, and I've refused to use them since. The whole "chewing their way out" thing, BS or not, didn't do much to help my opinion of them  I can also imagine, though, that those thick tagmata could conceivably cause some nasty impactions. Overall, I'd just say stay away from mealworms. I hope your tinc manages to pass all the pieces without any trouble, though. Good luck! 

- Josh


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## froggz37 (Sep 4, 2006)

A few years ago I had a grey treefrog that died because of a mealworm. It did literally chew its way out of the frog. I refuse to feed them to my toads now unless the heads are well smashed and I handfeed them. 
When they are fed to an animal that chews, the likelyhood of them causing any harm is lower than one that swallows it whole. 
It is rare though, I've only seen a few other people post about it before.


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

I think the occasional mealworm is ok. Rice flour beetles are great. As for the the extra chicton. I would not be so concerned. Dart frogs are designed to eat bugs, bugs have hard exoskeletons. They can handle quite a bit.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Well, its been at least two weeks since my male cobalt ate like six 1/2" mealworms and hasn't had any issues. Instead, I found my first tinc eggs! (unfertile though).

I'm actually noticing now that regular mealworms are more appealing than rice flour larvae to my frogs...while young.

The main problem, they are much slower to produce and yields are less.


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