No impaction from superworms if u do this

[randomGIR55]

Ok guys my tiger sally has been stubborn so I gave him superworms with holes in them and heres what I do so there still alive here are things you need-
*Superworms
*thumbtack
*reptile or amphibian
Ok get out the superworm an put it on a table.Then get a thumbtack and poke a lot of holes in it butt and up to halfway up the body did this for my sal and NO IMPACTION

[Kira Hudson]

frogs can still get impaction from them its the chitin and even tho there is less in a supper worm than some other feeders its still verry risky

[randomGIR55]

I know but if you do that they poop out the empty shell

[JeffreH]

Impaction risk varies from species to species, and even individual to individual within a species. There are so many factors that contribute to whether or not an animal will become impacted that there is no simple 'one and done' solution to the problem. Stress and overall husbandry plays a huge factor in processing food, along with the size of the prey item and quanitity being fed, and the size and anatomy of the herp. Some herps simply don't have a digestion system built to process these food items...Bearded dragons for example have a very poor digestive anatomy and often suffer impactions far easier than other herps due to the way the pyloric sphincter is set up. You'll find that impaction risks almost seem non-existent in some species but happen routinely in others.

Chitin is the culprit of impactions, but what a lot of people fail to realize is the exoskeleton of all common feeders is comprised of chitin... it is a complex, structural carbohydrate much like cellulose in plants that is incredibly difficult to digest. Some feeders have more chitin than others and some feeders have overall better meat:shell ratios. Superworms and mealworms are example of species that have very high chitin content in their exoskeleton.

Simply punching holes into an insect won't prevent impaction... and the scientific method to come to this conclusion was clearly not outlined ; ) No offense, but just because you tried something and impaction didn't result, doesn't mean that it will be a universal truth. There are plenty of keepers who feed mealworms and superworms exclusively and plenty of keepers who keep reptiles on sand and other particulate substrate that is responsible for impactions and never have issues...then there are the many who do have problems and the result is often detrimental for the herp. Chitin is not a readily digestable polymer and reptiles simply lack the enzymatic activity to properly metabolize it. If the exoskeleton is being consumed, it can cause blockage plain and simple.

The only way to stop an impaction is to prevent it in the first place. Feed appropriate food items for the herp you own in the proper quantities and provide proper husbandry.

[KingCam]

Sorry to say that just because they haven't gotten impacted on your "unique" way of offering them doesn't mean it won't or can't happen... Some (uneducated) people feed their animals meal worms for their entire lives with no bad consequences. Does that mean it will be okay for other animals? Absolutely not.

Meal worms suck as a feeder. Even if you poke them full of holes (and who would want to do that?) they are still lacking in nutrients and covered in a mutilated shell that could still cause impaction.

[KingCam]

my tiger sally has been stubborn

I didn't even catch that the first time I read it. I call BS, there's no such thing as a picky tiger salamander. You're just doing juvenile half-baked science experiments at the expense of your animals. Based on all of your other threads I would say you're clearly not mature enough to be caring for living creatures.

[randomGIR55]

fine Ill sale my pets good bye

[Ra]

Actually, I had a stubborn Tiger Salamander that refused numerous food items, including nightcrawlers.

That being said, superworms shouldnt really pose a problem as food for a tiger salamander, but I wouldnt feed them a diet of only superworms. Crickets, dubia, nightcrawler should be used as staple foods, with superworms making up a significantly smaller percentage of the diet.

I do not see how poking holes in them is going to make them easier to digest....

As far as mealworms "sucking as a feeder," FIRST OFF, we are talking about superworms, which contain far less chitin and are far more nutritious. Mealworms themselves are as nutitious as you gut load them to be, and their protein content is only slightly less than that of crickets. I would not recommend regular mealworms be fed to a tiger salamander at all.

One should keep in mind that most feeder insects contain chitin, such as crickets adn roaches. I think most insectivorous reptiles and amphibains are equipped to deal with that.

[trkyhntr]

For the record...my tiger Sallie has been a picky eater sometimes too