# HELP! My Hedjie doesnt like mealworms. :(



## Hedther27 (Dec 24, 2013)

I tried to give my hedgehogs mealworms. The female ate it just fine, in fact she loves it and excited about it. however my male Hedjie doesnt want to eat it, he isnt full coz he hasnt eaten yet. I thought mealworms are their favorite but Hedjie doesnt want any. HELP!


----------



## Caryn (Dec 2, 2013)

Maybe your hedgie doesn't like to eat infront of you. Leave it in his bowl and check at a later stage if he has eaten it.


----------



## Hedther27 (Dec 24, 2013)

Ok, ill try that, hope it works. 
Thanks for the advice


----------



## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Some hedgies are just iffy about live bugs whether it is mealies or crickets. Have you tried freeze-dried mealies? You could also try mixing a few live mealies in his foodbowl along with his favorite kibbles so he could get used to the smell and try to eat it


----------



## Hedther27 (Dec 24, 2013)

Freeze-dried? Like putting it on the fridge? My sister's gonna kill me. 
Can i just kill it?
Thanks for the advice.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Freeze-dried are ones that are already killed & preserved by removing the moisture from them. They do give more of a risk for constipation, but if you only feed a couple, then they shouldn't be too bad. I would see if he'll eat them in his cage first. If he doesn't, you could try giving him a taste of them by cutting one in half & kind of rubbing it on his lips a bit. It sounds terribly gross, but it's worked for a couple people before!

If you think he's afraid of it because it's live, you could try putting it in the fridge (even just in the door away from everything else if your sister will be upset - reassure her that mealworms are pretty pathetic & there's no way they'll escape the container!) for several hours or a day. That'll send them into a hibernation-like state and they won't move. You could try feeding him one then.

Keep in mind that he might just not like them at all though, so don't be too discouraged if he still refuses them after a few more attempts. There's other treats that he might go nuts for, like some plain cooked chicken breast, hard-boiled egg (though that should be given a bit more sparingly), etc. Good luck!


----------



## Hedther27 (Dec 24, 2013)

Thanks "Lillysmommy" or Kelsey. 
I tried again just now coz i saw that he is fully awake and are eating his cat food, he still isnt interested in his mealworms, i tried killing it, cutting in half, all nothing. 
I also tried giving him hard boiled egg before but he doesnt seem to like it as well, only his cat food. Guess he is picky. 
Ill still try tho coz if it good for him, i wont stop trying. 
Thanks for all the advice.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

He does sound picky! Don't stress about it too much, he won't suffer health issues from not being willing to try other treats and such. The main reason it's recommended is because it's fun for us to watch them enjoy different foods & it's certainly not bad for them & can be beneficial. Just offer them every once in a while and see if he eventually changes his mind about them. Some hedgehogs will try something after it's been offered multiple times ("Okay, okay, if you _insist_...") or once they get older, their tastes might change and they may be more willing to try something (kind of like with humans - I was terribly picky as a child & have gotten much better as I got older).


----------

