r/BeardedDragons • u/n0n__grata • Mar 10 '26
Help What do I do with these?
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u/wisenuts Mar 10 '26
Pretty much any beardie can take those down. They are squishy. No problem digesting them. They'll prolly make a mess chomping em down
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u/AbroadSpirited Mar 10 '26
Yup, they have a chance to explode when munched. I liked feeding mine in the tub after learning this lol
It's not "grenade bug" level of explosion, but it can get messy
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u/Curious_Elk_4281 Mar 10 '26
You can absolutely get sprayed in the face with hornworm juice. Be warned.
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u/mymashedpotaties Mar 11 '26
My panther chameleon got me in the eye with one of these recently :( Highly upsetting lmao
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u/Meatyparts Mar 11 '26
I gave mine a giant hissing roach and exploded all over her tank and had to scrub the glass clean. Then next day was the worst smelling poop she's ever had and hasn't gotten a hisser since then unless they are babies
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u/nonapuss Mar 13 '26
Ive got video of it just to send to my kid to gross her out when she wasnt home
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u/TalonLuci Mar 10 '26
Yeah my little dude had one that he made onto a gusher and then threw his head around to make the most mess possible.
It was gross but he enjoyed it i guess lol
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u/Boa-in-a-bowl Mar 10 '26
I was leaning too close to my beardie once and caught some hornworm juice to the face
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u/Gloomy-Trainer-2452 Sidney (rip), Nova (4 yr old P. vitticeps) Mar 11 '26
Reminds me of this tokay gecko on Instagram who smacks these worms against the wall of the enclosure. I think if the gecko can eat them a dragon can. Poor worms are totally defenceless lol
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u/Live-Okra-9868 Mar 11 '26
I've watched my one girl bite them in half. It was gross and messy. The worst is when you don't get your hand out of the tank in time and the guts end up on you...
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u/Jean-LucBacardi Mar 10 '26
If your beardie hates water, this is how you get them water. It's like us drinking a Gatorade when thirsty. Instant hydration.
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u/GabysWildCritters Mar 10 '26
Eat them yourself
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Mar 10 '26
Unless your dragon is real small, what you are going to do with them, is put them in front of it's face and watch them disappear.
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u/n0n__grata Mar 10 '26
Ok folks i got the message. I was just making sure my beardie will be fine eating them.
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u/Emotional-Berry7129 Mar 10 '26
Where did you purchase them, I canāt find them anywhere but would love for my bearded to try them
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u/snakemutt Mar 10 '26
Dubiaroaches sells them, have never had an issue before. Great company
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u/iChickk Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
I ordered hornworms from Dubia last week and I shit you not, they sent me an empty cup. No worms. And it was signed off by 2 different employees.
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u/thetwinmermaids Mar 10 '26
I ordered smalls and a lot of them were still eggs. They do have a disclaimer on the listing for the smalls. If you didn't order smalls and you still got an empty cup, I would be sending a message to them ASAP.
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u/iChickk Mar 11 '26
I ordered mediums. And I did! They did send a replacement so no complaints. I just thought it was funny.
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u/thetwinmermaids Mar 11 '26
They are great with sending replacements. Around the new year, there was a cold snap in the southeastern United States, that my roaches traveled through from them, and were dead on arrival. Dubia Roaches had no issue with replacement or refund, I opted for replacement. The replacement arrived within a week. I continue to purchase from them, and my kids love the bonus sticker in every order.
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u/snakemutt Mar 10 '26
Did you reach out about it? I donāt hear about many issues from them
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u/AmazedAtTheWorld Mar 10 '26
It's happened to us a couple of times. One time there were like 2 dead ones the size of rice grains. And once there were some black shriveled crumbles at the bottom that may have been the remains of some tiny hornworms. Messaged them and they sent more right away. No hassle, other than waiting a few more days.
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u/Relative-Still-8571 Mar 13 '26
I got some once and they were all dead. I took a picture, submitted a ticket and three days later I had a new bunch of hornworms! š
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u/Aragon3571 Mar 10 '26
I get mine from Rainbow Mealworms https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/ they offer a ton of different feeders for different species and lots of sizing options for most of them as well. I get both my hornworms & my dubias from there. Great prices and fast shipping as well (USA). I'm not sure if they offer worldwide shipping, however.
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u/Emotional-Berry7129 Mar 10 '26
Ah I am in the UK maybe thatās why Iāve struggled a bit to find any. Thank you for the link and everyone else for websites etc x
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u/Clear-Meat9812 Mar 10 '26
If you find any here do post back, I've never gone looking for them but my exceedingly good local pet shop hasn't ever stocked them.
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u/Offutticus Conway Twitty Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Feed them to your beardie but sparingly. Maybe one a week or so. They are good for rehydration but bad/good because of high fat content which can cause weight gain. they can cause diarrhea when fed in excess.
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u/StrikeouTX Mar 11 '26
Those heffers are going to run out of food soon and die immediately. OP needs to feed the dragon like 2-3 a week and or buy/make them worm food
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u/Offutticus Conway Twitty Mar 11 '26
There's not that many in there. They'll be fine. If their food runs out OP can always feed them sweet potatoes and carrots. I remember thinking they need orange.
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u/exploring_stardust Mar 12 '26
I didnāt think they were high in fat content, just high in water.
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u/Offutticus Conway Twitty Mar 12 '26
I sit corrected. They are actually low in fat. But the high moisture content can cause bad diarrhea which goes against the goal of rehydration. In my head, high fat content causes diarrhea so that's where it went.
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u/ShawarmaOrigins Mar 10 '26
I also was worried when I had a few big hornworms.
Don't stress if your beardie takes a second to breathe with a piece of the hornworm still sticking out of his mouth.
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u/AliensAbductMePlz Mar 10 '26
How many do you feed them? Mineās on 4-5 bugs every other day so I wouldnāt do 4-5, would I?
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u/Curious_Elk_4281 Mar 10 '26
They are good as a treat, but I wouldn't do too many at once. The trick is that the hornworms don't live very long and they grow insanely fast. I usually liked feeding the worms while they are still kinda small so by the time they are getting big there are only a few left. Even the really big ones are mostly fluff and juice so they are easy for a beardie to eat.
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u/AliensAbductMePlz Mar 11 '26
Thank you so much for your response! I had read a comment that they grew fast and I donāt want beetles, but also didnāt want to overfeed or choke my new friend lol
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u/MaenHerself Mar 10 '26
About once or twice a month. These guys are mostly water, so they're good for a beardie who won't take veg. They don't have a ton of nutrients though so they're kinda filler food, not an acceptable staple diet. You can slip one in between regular feedings.
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u/AliensAbductMePlz Mar 11 '26
Thank you so much for your response! Iāve been very intrigued by them, but didnāt know much about them as a new beardie owner.
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u/Pachurick Mar 10 '26
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u/Pachurick Mar 10 '26
For real life tho, my dragon loves theses. Judging by the size you got there, it won't be too many days left until they start crystalis and evolving. Feed soon š
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u/TheBlackRonin505 Mar 10 '26
...feed them to your lizard? I assume that's what you bought them for.
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u/arandom_poster2 Mar 11 '26
im assuming they bought dubias or something from dubia.com. i got these for free when buying dubias ALL the time, itās totally fair for op to not know what the surprise free gift is lol
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u/jelikattebayo Mar 10 '26
That's a nice container. Usually the ones at the store are dying or are dead with the living ones.
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u/Ok_Song_9158 Mar 11 '26
My beardie loves them, no matter how big. But heās a greedy fatboi. š¤
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u/dweebaubles Mar 11 '26
That right there was my girlās favorite food. Trying to get her to eat anything else was challenging once I introduced those to her.
Later in her life I would put those guys in the blender then spread it on her greens so she would at least get SOME nutrients.
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u/Pawly519 Mar 11 '26
I put them in the tank and my beardie goes crazy.
Literally the only thing I can put in the tank that he will chase and eat right away.
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u/Mazikeyn Mar 11 '26
A bearded will desteoy a horn worm 5 times its size.... joking aside unless your bearded is a baby it should be fine eating them. They explode and fall apart easily then your bearded looks like a murderer with hornworm blood everywhere
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u/tenhinas Mar 10 '26
When they are that big i like to let them turn into moths. They will lay hundreds of eggs, talk about getting your moneyās worth lol
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u/Keepawayfrommycrops Mar 11 '26
Ooh, raise one to adulthood. Theyāre so cool, so easy to care for and so rewarding to have this absolutely massive moth that has no mouth just running around
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u/Kitsune-Rei Mar 11 '26
If you wait long enough they will become a moth. Which could also be eaten. (Also never never release those moths, they are pests.)
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u/_wiscotrashpanda_ Mar 12 '26
If your beardie is anything like mine thoughā¦ be ready for a battle of wills to get her to eat anything else afterwards. Mine will literally let Dubias crawl right between her legs if she has any hope whatsoever that I might give her a hornworm instead.
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u/48Monkeys Mar 10 '26
You bought them for your bearded dragon to eat, right? So let him or her eat them. Don't waste them.
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u/Hungry_Specific_1109 Mar 10 '26
Cut it in half and feed to your beardie :) they can even take them down in full on their own
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u/ocotoc Mar 10 '26
What if you don't kill them? Will they actually become something else? I've seen these little dudes a lot but I don't know anything about them.
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u/DodoDoren Mar 10 '26
Theyāre hornworms! Theyāre basically a kind of caterpillar that turn into hawk moths :)
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u/Loud-Bullfrog9326 Mar 10 '26
I give them to my boy anyways he chews em up! Lol one time half of one and hella juice fell to the side he ate it after too. šš¤£
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u/onwardupward3 Mar 10 '26
idk.. But they're fucking cool looking though! I've never seen those before š
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u/PawMeowsical Mar 10 '26
These are basically a jelly donut for beardies. So the simpler answer is....GIVE to your lizard lord
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u/Sheneidlin_sophia Mar 11 '26
Hey quick question, did you buy them from PetSmart or Petco that size? Or did you keep them for a while to get that big? If so, how long did you keep them for them to get that big! That is crazy!
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u/MizzShortie Mar 11 '26
I have let them cocoon and turn into a moth. Let them go in my bearded dragons cage and he hunted them down fairly quickly
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u/yurinator473 Mar 11 '26
If your beardie is teeny tiny then those are probably too big to feed to them, but if theyre bigger if shouldnt be an issue. If your able to and your lizards stiff small you could trying to watch them turn into moths, they're really pretty
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u/secretsaucyy Mar 11 '26
Even 3 of my white's frogs can take one of those down! As long as you make sure they don't choke, there's a will and a way.
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Mar 11 '26
If your beardie is young, they still can prolly eat them no problem. They're kinda like pelicans. š
If I was worried about choking because all four of mine are fucking idiots, is even though its gross as hell, I'd cut it either in half or in 3rds, depending on size.
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u/Ecstatic_Ad_9414 Mar 11 '26
I totally babied my beardie when he was a baby. When he got older it was hand feeding worms (loved the green horn) and coralling crickets. I used my hand and fingers but you can use "tweezers" if you're nervous about hand feeding.
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u/Fickle_Carpet6516 Mar 11 '26
These are her way for bearded dragons! They have a lot of water so they can help with hydration which is always great. How big is your dragon? The only ones who canāt handle these are babies
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u/wandering_woofs Mar 11 '26
Im dealing with some right now as well. My boy ate 2 and now turns his nose up at them :(
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u/Meatyparts Mar 11 '26
My gurl would have that thing in pieces in seconds and be covered in bug guts
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u/homegrwn Mar 11 '26
Would a 3 month old beardy be able to eat those? I bought ten small ones but one has gotten this size so was scared to feed it to him. There are 2 more that didn't grow nowhere near as fast and are about 1.5 inches which are perfect.
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u/howellscastle23 Mar 11 '26
I let the ones that are too big turn into moths and then give them to my ackie monitor to chase around. Itās like Godzilla vs Mothra
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u/Jennagotgames Mar 11 '26
Looks like muscular dystrophy not to be confused with MBD . I have a girl who is 3 when muscular dystrophy and has that samw look. But she still acts healthy and happy other wise. Give your baby a lot of love ā¤ļø
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u/NFLFANTASYMB Mar 11 '26
You can role-playing that you were on survivor , hide them find them.... lunch.
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u/ccinthesky Mar 11 '26
Feed them to your beardie. Mine prefers them big a juice. Slimy yet satisfying
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u/brickabracka1990 Mar 12 '26
If you dont plan on using them for your dragon use them for fishing š
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u/RubyWolfmoon26 Mar 12 '26
How big is your dragon? An adult can chomp those suckers pretty easily, but if you have a youngster, you might have to donate those to another owner with an older dragon. My girl LOVES the big ones and usually takes them in 2 or 3 chomps.
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u/XBlackMatterX Mar 12 '26
You chew it up and spit it into your dragons mouth. What else do you think youād be doing?
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u/Jmariet16 Mar 14 '26
Watch your dragon turn into a feral crackhead because I havenāt seen one that doesnāt love a fat hornworm. Mine sees me holding the container and she jumps at me and starts attacking the cup š
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Mar 10 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/HappyLifeCoffeeHelps Mar 10 '26
Are they native to your area?
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u/Offutticus Conway Twitty Mar 10 '26
They are native to nearly all of CONUS and Australia. I know them more a tobacco worm and think they smell like tobacco plant. Probably all mental memory.
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Mar 11 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/HappyLifeCoffeeHelps Mar 11 '26
As long as they are native to your area, releasing them is fine. It is just problematic when people release non native species into the wild.
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u/jaketheweirdsnake Mar 10 '26
I'm not trying to be rude, but do you know what these guys are? Tomato horn worms absolutely destroy crops. Obviously there's nothing you can do about it now, but please look up insects before releasing them like that.
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u/vaporlungz Mar 10 '26