Can Ackie Monitors Eat Superworms?

Can a Ackie Monitor Eat Superworms?

Yes — a ackie monitor can eat superworms, dusted with calcium, as part of a varied diet rather than a staple.

Superworms (Zophobas morio) are roughly 20% protein and 18% fat, and they reach about two inches — considerably larger than a mealworm. That size and that fat content are why animals love them.

The number that decides how they should be used is calcium. Superworms carry around 100 mg/kg of calcium. Black soldier fly larvae carry about 9,340 mg/kg — roughly ninety times more. A superworm is a rich, filling feeder that supplies almost no calcium at all, which is why dusting is not a refinement here. It is the whole point.

How Many, and How Often

4–6 dusted superworms two or three times a week.

The Risk That Matters for a Ackie Monitor

Ackies are large enough that the exoskeleton is no obstacle and hungry enough to eat as many as offered. Monitors are prone to obesity, so the number matters more than the species.

Why Dusting Matters More Here

Most feeders benefit from a calcium supplement. Superworms depend on it. At around 100 mg/kg they supply almost nothing, and an animal fed heavily on undusted superworms is being fed protein and fat with the calcium left out — which is the direct route to metabolic bone disease in a growing reptile.

What to Feed Instead

The staple should be discoid roaches. Superworms are a supplement to a diet, not the diet.

More detail in the complete superworm guide.