# having trouble with mealworms!



## sklock65 (Jan 9, 2013)

Hello all! Just got our little guy a few days ago and we were told he needed mealworms to supplement his hedgie food. We have tried on a few occasions but he refuses to even try it. We have tried putting a piece of his regular food right next to it and he just eats his food and leaves the worm alone. I also read to try cutting the worm in half and rubbing it near his mouth...he licked it off and looked like he enjoyed it, but that was the extent of it he would not actually try eating the rest of it. We are being patient as he is still adjusting to his new home (and us) but I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions...thanks!

[attachment=0:1vq6l9y1]henry.jpg[/attachment:1vq6l9y1]


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## jholstein11 (Dec 13, 2012)

my hedgie won't touch them... I haven't found a single treat he likes. but he eats his food, so I don't worry.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

Wow. I have not experienced a hedgie that didn't like mealworms. but then again, I guess stranger things have happened. I don't like peanut butter - and I guess that is pretty odd too! :?


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## jholstein11 (Dec 13, 2012)

I know! but he turns his little hedgie note right up at them... but then, he likes the way my deodorant tastes, so... :lol:


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## sklock65 (Jan 9, 2013)

I would love if I didn't have to deal with the worms at all...but my priority is making sure he gets the right nutrition! I've read a lot about them and it really seems like they all have different preferences as far as food and treats so maybe this is something he just won't come around to. I appreciate the responses...and if anyone has any other ideas that have worked that I could try keep 'em coming!


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## cardiologineer (Sep 29, 2012)

I've heard of a few hedgies who didn't like them. But I also wanted to say, you don't really need to feed them at all. They're mainly for a treat anyway, although I think some people try to add more to their diet if the hedgehog really needs to gain weight since mealies are pretty high in fat. As long as you're feeding a good quality, cat food, there's really nothing extra they need and you can just figure out what extra treats he does like and use those (check out here for some ideas: http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19408) .


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## SpiritWolves1 (Apr 5, 2012)

try them again and again for about 4 maybe 6 times over rhe course of the week, try them different ways, dead, live, cut in half, leave some in the food dish etc  that's how i FINALLY got Dallas to eat them.


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## momIImany (Oct 14, 2012)

Are you giving him freeze-dried ones or live ones? Most hedgies like them better alive.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed with making sure they're live ones. It's not going to cause certain death for your hedgie if he doesn't like mealworms and doesn't get them - there's others that won't touch them. But it is good if you can try and get some kind of insect in his diet...it's a huge part of their natural diet in the wild, after all. If he continues to refuse mealworms, you could try crickets or roaches - both are lower-fat options anyway. Crickets are more of a pain to deal with live, but a good way to use them is to get them live from the store, keep them overnight in some kind of container, with some veggies for gutloading, then stick the container in the freezer to kill them. You can put them in a smaller container or bag after keeping them in the freezer overnight, then you can offer them for snacks. I especially liked hiding frozen/thawed crickets in Lily's cage for her to find - she absolutely loved it too! Roaches might be harder to find, but they're another great option.


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## hegemon (Dec 29, 2012)

Hegemon won't eat mealworms either. He just looks at them and avoids them at all costs. I've tried so many things as well, and he just won't eat any treat I've given him. The only thing he remotely seemed interested in was watermelon. He licked it. That was it. He didn't like anything else I have given him! He is so picky and I am in the process of making him a mix of cat food since he was on Spike's Delight, but I am afraid he will not eat that either. My vet said if he doesn't respond well to the cat food, try to crumble it up so that it touches his old food and he "has to" eat it. I am on my way out to buy Innova first. I figured I would make a mix of 3 cat foods, but I want to introduce them one by one. 

Seems like Vegas hedgies are a picky bunch!


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## sklock65 (Jan 9, 2013)

I really appreciate all the replies! We are using live worms and at this point I'm willing to just keep trying and stay patient about it. When we first brought him home I thought he would never warm up to us but that process only took a few days and now he's becoming pretty social so I hope he changes his mind about the worms over time as well. The closest we got was when we cut it in half, crushed up some of his hedgehog food, and rolled half the worm in that....he actually put the worm in his mouth and we got excited that he finally ate it only to watch him spit the worm back out. Turns out he sucked his food off of it and decided against the worm. So much for being creative!


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## TitustheHog (Aug 15, 2012)

Titus wouldn't touch mealworms at when we first got him. We put a few in a dish and left them in his cage overnight. When we woke up they were all gone. I am not sure if he just needed to check them out in his own time or what, but he cant get enough of them now. I also recommend chopsticks for the feeding of treats, it keeps the scent off of your fingers so you don't get bit later. I think Titus also associates the chopsticks as a sign of delicious things to come, and will pretty much go after whatever we offer with them.


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