# Live Mealworms



## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

If i buy Live Mealworms, can i freeze them and only pull a few out at a time and give them to Remy frozen?

I REALLY dont like bugs at all, especially worms. I cant even handle touching the freeze dried ones, thats how bad i am with them. But now reading more about the issues with the freeze dried worms, i would much rather give her fresher ones. 

So can i buy them live, stick them in the freezer and then just take a few out as needed?


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

You absolutely can! Make sure you've frozen the worms completely before you thaw them though. Mealworms go into hibernation at low temperatures and wake up when warmed. I can imagine that being a pretty unpleasant experience for you since you don't like them. Leave them in the freezer a few days before you start thawing them, just to be safe.


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

Do i have to thaw them before i give them to Remy? Or can i just give them to her frozen? Also, how fast do they wake up? 

(this is giving me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it! LOL The things i do for my baby!)


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

You'll need to let them thaw before you give them to her. She won't be very happy if they're cold and hard :lol:. They'll start moving again within minutes of being out of the freezer if they're still alive.

Have you considered putting them in an escape proof dish? You could dump some in while they're still cold and once they warm up and start moving Remy could eat them. That way you wouldn't have to touch them or worry about escapees.

Check this out: Amazon.com : Exo Terra Worm Dish Mealworm Feeder : Pet Bowls : Pet Supplies

The upper lip lifts off for cleaning but keeps the worms inside.


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

if they dont start moving, and assume they are dead, do i throw them out or can i still give them to her?

if you cant tell, im a first time Hedgie Mom! LOL


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

No worries, it's better to ask questions beforehand!

You can freeze them until they're dead and then thaw and feed them to her. That's just like you eating chicken you had frozen for a while beforehand. The freezing keeps them nutritious. If you leave them in the freezer a few days, they'll all die. If you keep them in the fridge, they'll wake back up on you. If you freeze them dead, make sure they're warm-ish before you give them to your little lady, and if you have any black or discolored ones toss those in the garbage.

And now a side note on nutrition: If you want to kill them and then feed them to her, you may want to give them something to eat beforehand. The stuff they're shipped in isn't particularly nutritious. You can toss a small piece of carrot or apple or whatever you have handy for them to eat, and then after a day throw 'em in the freezer.

If you decide to keep them alive in your fridge, you'll need to pull the whole container out and feed them every so often to keep them healthy for Remy.


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

What size would you recommend?


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

I've seen Finnick down a whole nightcrawler worm so I don't think size is really an issue for them :lol:. The great big ones, usually called "superworms" in pet stores are very nearly nutritionally identical to the smaller mealworms. So it really just depends what you're personally comfortable with and what's available. I don't like the teeny tiny ones because they're too easy to misplace and my hedgie has a tougher time getting ahold of them. But that's just my preference. He usually gets the almost-an-inch-long ones.


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

Where do you place your orders from? I want a good website to order from and not some bo-dunk company that grows them in their backyard LOL

I see the Sunshine Acres on here and i know Flukers sells them too.


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

I'm actually in Canada, so I don't have access to the same worm breeders you do. Kelsey (Lilysmommy) orders her bugs from Rainbow Mealworms (http://www.rainbowmealworms.net/) though, and she seems to like them quite a bit. They have a lot of variety too if you decide to try something even creepier one day, like roaches.


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

ooooo i dont think i could do that! LOL


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

:lol: The small roaches are my limit. Hissing ****roaches weird me out way too much, and those things can fly! Yuck!


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

LOL well i just placed my order for 250 Live Large Mealworms - my skin is crawling already! LOL


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

Yay! Let us know how it goes when you get them!


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

i will! Thank you so so much for all your help! Its good to know i can come here and get answers and suggestions to keep my Remy a happy little girl!


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## RemysMomma41 (Mar 29, 2016)

Well, she doesn't like them. She won't touch them or eat them. At least it was only $10. Back to the freeze dried ones in moderation....??


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

What a dork :lol:. Did you try them dead and alive, or just dead? You can try mixing them in with her usual food to see if she'll try them that way. It's possible she doesn't realize they're edible yet.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

How long did you try to offer her the worms? Some can be resistant. Also leave them in the cage for a few days, sometimes new is scary. In general freeze dried just are not a good idea. Freeze drying is supposed to rid of an important enzyme needed to digest the exoskeleton.

BTW, for anyone looking, there are tons of places out there to order from. I like to go to reptile forums occasionally to browse for new companies that are being recommended.

I haven’t ordered mealies online for ages as I’ve grown them in house for ages. But “back in the day” I have used rainbowmealworms.net, flukerfarms.com, wormman.com, and ghann.com. And a few others, all were fine. There are plenty of others out there that have been recommended to me over the years (like grubco.com, mulberryfarms.com & silkwormshop.com), but those are the ones I’ve personally had experience with in the past.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I've been ordering from Rainbow Mealworms for the past few months and really like them. The only delivery problem I've had was caused by the delivery person, and they still gave me $10 store credit to try & make up for it. No problems with any of the insects I've ordered (hornworms, mealworms, phoenix worms, dubia roaches, spikes [maggots], waxworms, crickets). Though I will say that Bindi would occasionally leave some of the phoenix worms from RM in her bowl, and they were still kind of small-ish, even with being the large size. I ordered phoenix worms from dubiaroaches.com & am thrilled with them - much bigger & fatter, and Bindi's been eating every single one every night since I started using them. They're also cheaper from DR.com.

And I just received an order from Grubco today, waxworms and maggots. So far, so good, though I wish the maggots had all been white instead of mostly the pink ones (will be harder to sort). Will have to see if Bindi notices any difference, though she always eats all of those two anyway.


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