# Mealworms



## steponmerotten (Dec 12, 2013)

I am a new hedgehog owner, my hedgie is 2 months old. 
I bought him some fresh mealworms on Monday, but by Tuesday they had died in my fridge. (I think it was too cold in there for them) Is it still safe to feed them to my hedgie?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Are you certain they are dead and not just dormant? They will go completely still if kept cold enough. Its hard to kill them with just being cold. Not impossible, but unless you froze them, I'd be surprised that they died from cold that quickly. Now, if you bought superworms instead of mealworms, then yes, those die quickly in the cold (they also aren't recommended for hedgehogs).


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## steponmerotten (Dec 12, 2013)

I guess its possible that they are dormant. They are mealworms and not the superworms.

Thanks.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If they're dead, they'll be black or starting to go dark brown/black. If they're dormant, they look normal but just don't move. If you keep them out of the fridge for a few hours, they should start moving around again if they're just dormant. If you have enough of them that you'll have them for a few weeks, make sure you take them out at least once a week for several hours so they can warm up & eat, then they'll last long enough to use them all. A small piece of carrot placed in the container will give them moisture.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Assuming they are just dormant, I'd recommend going ahead and feeding them now anyway(like Kelsey mentioned). Whenever I have purchased mealworms I always feed them before putting them in the cold. Most store purchased worms haven't eaten for a while and good use a good meal. It will make them nice and plump and a more tasty treat.


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

I noticed some hedgies prefer non-moving bugs than live ones anyways as the live ones can sometimes shriek them out as they sniff them.

Now i wonder, is gut-loading feeder bugs (i.e. crickets, mealies, superworms) not a popular thing with hedgie keepers?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I think it's more an often-forgotten thing than an intentional refusal to do so. :lol: I've noticed that quite a few hedgehog owners tend to be freaked out by bugs, so would prefer to deal with them as little as possible, which means sticking them in the fridge/freezer ASAP. A lot of owners do still gut-load & post reminders & encouragement to others to remember to do so when possible.


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

I just realized that too lol..

The same thing is going on with the suggie keepers in this sugar glider forum i'm on. Not to be sexist or anything but i've noticed that keepers of the said two animals are either women or guys who are scared of bugs. So their option for keeping mealies is to just shove them on the fridge unlike reptile or invert keepers who seem to be more 'brave' when it comes to the eeky stuff so they exert more effort on gut-loading.

Ignore me, just a silly observation regarding feeder keeping haha


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## Brittany (Sep 15, 2013)

They are likely just dormant, and if you recently got them, they should probably be fine. I just wouldnt let them sit for too long just in case. 

As for tongue flicker's question - Ive only gotten my guy crickets once. It was SO funny to watch him, he had no idea how to catch them at first (I guess the breeder never gave him any). He would chase after them lazily and they would hop away/ climb on him and he couldnt get any. Eventually he got the hang of it. Im just not too fond of crickets because mealworms are just easier. The crickets ended up drowning themselves in his water so he spilled his water everywhere trying to get them,they left some poops around for more clean up, and he tore apart his cage trying to dig for them under his liner. He liked them though, so I plan on just making them a random treat and i'm sticking with mealworms more often.


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

@brittany: you're lucky that your hedgie even took notice of that cricket. I have 2 hedgies that once they smell a cricket, they'd quickly move backwards like a dog with their faces contorted. They hate it. Really funny to watch lol


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## LittleWontonPoo (Aug 31, 2013)

Oh my, I am really tempted to get some crickets for Wonton to see how she will them. However...What should I do with them if she isn't interested in them?! D: I always just feed Wonton mealies because that is the only thing that I know she looooves to eat; one of the only things she will not refuse (next to chicken and eggs).


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## Brittany (Sep 15, 2013)

@LittleWontonPoo, I was afraid my guy wouldnt get any since it took him SO long to finally catch some- so I had planned to scoop them up in his liner and shake it outside if he didnt catch any.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

I tried giving my little guy a cricket, both in the bathtub so the cricket wouldn't escape during the hunt.

My little guy was completely indifferent towards them. The cricket tried to hide under him (a hedgehog is effectively a hedge, right?), which apparently tickled so he stepped back and partly maimed it. The accidental insect-torture went on until we finally buried the cricket in mealworms so he'd eat it by mistake. Never again...


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Lily's first attempt at eating a cricket was with me holding it for her. We tried front-first and it grabbed her nose and freaked her out. I turned it around and offered it again and she went for it, om nom no-this has carrot in it?? And promptly spit chewed up cricket back out on me. :roll: So much for giving her the veggies she hates via insects! After that I started freezing them and she absolutely loved it. I never did try live-cricket hunting in the bathtub, but I wish I had!


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