# Daily insect requirement



## Hannah (May 15, 2014)

Hi guys,

I attempt to feed Kewpie 1tsp of freeze-dried mealworms per day (around 10). The breeder I got her from gave me a very informative talk about how vital it is for hedgehogs to consume insects and that they require 1tsp of insects daily. She uses freeze-dried, so that's what I got since I couldn't get myself around having live ones. Even with the freeze-dried, I always visualize one zombie worm coming back to life during the 0.5seconds I grab them and throw them down. 

For those who also follow this daily insect requirement: I'm having trouble getting her to meet her daily quota. She will eat maybe 3 or 4 and leave the rest. I'm not sure what I can do to make her eat more. I kinda feel bad shoving them in her face when she doesn't want any more. lol. Is there anything I can do to make her like these more? 

I'm also worried the mealworms are going to go bad since it's taking her so long to eat them. How long should these freeze-dried mealworms last? I got a pretty huge bag of them because I thought she would tear through these.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Freeze-dried mealworms last quite a long time, I'm sure. Is there a "best by" or "use by" date on the bag? To be honest, she might not be eating many at once because of them being freeze-dried. It's not really the best option for feeding insects because they're harder to digest due to the moisture being gone, and they're more likely to cause constipation. If you really have too much of an issue with maybe trying live ones for her (I know a lot of people on here have issues with insects, but do manage to feed live mealworms by keeping them in the fridge so they don't move around as much, and by using chopsticks, tweezers, etc. to pick them up), you could look into canned mealworms instead. She might be more interested in those, and you can freeze part of the can so that you can use them all before they go bad.

She also might not be a huge fan of mealworms. You could try other insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, butterworms, roaches, etc. If you're too squeamish about the idea of those being live, they sell canned crickets and grasshoppers as well. 

Also, while it's very good to include insects in their diet since it's such a large part of their natural diet...if she won't eat them, she won't eat them. There's some hedgehogs that really won't eat anything else but their kibble, even insects. It's definitely worth trying some of the other options (live, canned, other insects, etc.) to see if anything else sparks her interest, but if she's content with just eating a few each day, that's not going to kill her or impact her health.  With the freeze-dried, I'd actually be more concerned about her eating 10 at once causing an issue like constipation. So a few might be better in that case anyway.


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## tony21 (Apr 8, 2014)

belle will eat as many mealies as I give her sometimes other times just a few. She doesn't get worms every night only a few times a week. we can't leave worms in a bowl because she won't eat them from there unless you show her, so she only gets them when we see her out lol. Also don't be afraid to switch it up. I have got belle to eat 3 different kind of worms, and I will try them on different nights if she doesn't take them the first time. You can pick em up with tweezers. It's so fun to watch them eat them, belle will tare the big worms in half by shaking her head and chewing lol.:lol::-?.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

I had to try several times before Nara would eat ANY live mealworms. 
Now she will just about dive into the little container if I bring it near her! :grin:

I would say if they aren't eating them, offer again in a few months. You might try holding the worms with chopsticks or tweezers so they can sniff at it.

PS--I got some cool plastic tweezers from the Dollar Store--they come in the "bug kits" for kids--They are safer for hedgie teeth, in case they want to chomp down on them.

Just be patient and try again!


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## shelbythehedgehog (Mar 30, 2014)

I've read that hedgehogs are only supposed to eat around 7-per week. Of course the book I read it from may not be up-to-date. I don't think 10 mealworms per-day is very healthy. Maybe she might not be eating all of them because she may be sick of them...? I feed Shelby about 3 every-other day. I may be wrong, but that's just what I know. 

I've read a thread when someone's breeder told them at LEAST 10 every day, and other people said it wasn't healthy. I don't know why! 

Otherwise, good luck!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Number of mealworms depends on the hedgehog. Some love them, but are prone to gaining weight easily & can't have many mealworms a day due to their high fat content. Some love them and are runners that have a hard time keeping weight on - they could have 10 in a day with no issues, or even more. Some hedgehogs just aren't huge fans of mealworms & are happy with a couple, regardless of their weight. The main thing is not to feed a bunch of them all at once, even live, to reduce the chances of constipation or an impaction. With freeze-dried, that risk increases, so even more care should be taken with how many are fed at one time, in addition to the consideration of fat content & hedgie weight.


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## Shaddybear (Apr 9, 2014)

I feed my hedgie canned mini crickets, and they are the perfect size for a hedgehog!! I just can't do live crickets lolol the canned ones give my anxiety but at least I know they can't jump on me lolol and I do give him live mealies, n keep them in the fridge, so when I go to put them in his dish, they are barely moving.. Also with live mealies (or any live insects) u can feed them fruits and veggies before ur hog eats them n they'll get extra nutrition from that!


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