To those who many be interested,

I'll respond to a few pertinent comments and questions and then bow out of this discussion.

Re carrion: In the wild, these insects feed on a wide variety of foods. Wild pigs will also feed on whatever they may find to eat, but pork you serve on the dinner table comes from a pig that has been housed and fed a special diet. The point I want to make is that Phoenix Worms are reared in a controlled environment and are fed a grain diet.

Re feeding tests: We do not keep any reptiles or amphibians on site. My background is entomology and insects are my specialty. All of the tests and evaluations were conducted by herpetologists, breeders, and hobbyists with extensive animal experience. Their feedback and opinions guided us in the five years spent refining and developing this insect for the herp market.

Re "going public" with the insects: Phoenix Worms were introduced in Daytona Beach in August 2005 at the International Reptile Breeders Expo. We have been busy since then ramping up production and getting distribution nationwide. Soon Phoenix Worms will be available in Canada, Spain, and the UK.

Re favorable reports from users: There are a couple of testimonials on our website, www.phoenixworm.com, which you may find of interest. Much of what we learn, however, is posted publicly on various herp forums. Check out www.dendroboard.com, www.beardeddragon.org, or others to read what people say. Just go to forums and search on the terms "Phoenix Worms."

For more detailed information about the black soldier fly, you can always Google my work at UGA which is in the public domain. However, remember the feral pig story--Phoenix Worms have NEVER been in the wild. They are a cultured insect, raised in a controlled lab environment, and offer exceptional nutrition as well as other attributes. Phoenix Worms are the first new feeder insect bred in the U.S. since 1984 when the superworm was introduced. We brought this insect to the market at the urging of numerous breeders who tried them out and we hope you'll find them useful.

Craig Sheppard, Ph.D.
Insect Science Resource
www.phoenixworm.com

Thanks for responding to our questions comments and of course our concerns though Im not sure if I will be feeding phoenix worms to my herps I will definatley do some more research on the black soldier fly... most of the reason I dont want to feed these worms to my herps is because of the short study period, Im sorry but 6 months just isnt long enough for me to feel comfortable with them at this point thanks again and I hope you will continue to post on our forums

I personally think that I will wait till the Phoenix worm is on the market for a bit longer. I still don't have enough of my questions answered to want to feed them to my herps. I also wonder the questions asked by Rich and didn't see too many of them answered in Dr. Phoenix's last post. Sorry, but it's still up in the air for me.

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[quote=Rich;73389]

I had never heard of Phoenix Worms (good or bad) until this thread was started. I have asked around to some other people if they had any info on these insects and many had not heard of them. Did you just recently start going public with them? I have read some of your studies on how efficient these insects are at turning feces into a thing of the past.


I know this is an older post, but I am interested in feeding these worms and am curious what you mean by this statement? Are you saying that you have seen reports that they may cause constipation or impaction?

Thanks,

Tamara

To me, the benefits just don't really seem to outweigh the possible risks, yeah the worm's higher in calcium than Crickets, but Crickets about beat em out in every other category. I'll Stick with dusting Pinhead Crickets with Calcium.

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