Can Red-Eared Sliders Eat Superworms?

Can a Red-Eared Slider Eat Superworms?

Sparingly, and this is a species where the usual superworm problems bite hardest.

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

Occasionally for juveniles, rarely for adults.

The Risk That Matters for a Red-Eared Slider

Juveniles need protein and calcium together; superworms deliver one and not the other. Adult sliders shift toward plants and are among the most overfed reptiles kept.

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 pellets and greens, with insects as a supplement. Superworms are a supplement to a diet, not the diet.

More detail in the complete superworm guide.