# Other than mealworms?



## PinkHedgehog (Oct 16, 2012)

Can you use something as a sort of substitute? Easy to find, not to pricey? But something a hedgie loves!


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## msredhead (Sep 28, 2012)

Mealworms shouldn't be that pricey. I got Auri 50 for $2.49 at a local petco. Fresh (not frozen). 

She didn't like them!  I do not know what else, but check out the food/treat post.


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## PinkHedgehog (Oct 16, 2012)

msredhead said:


> Mealworms shouldn't be that pricey. I got Auri 50 for $2.49 at a local petco. Fresh (not frozen).
> 
> She didn't like them!  I do not know what else, but check out the food/treat post.


I know it's just that I'm very squrmish and scared of bugs.


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## eskye (Oct 5, 2012)

Crickets and mealworms are definitely the cheapest options, but in store bought feeders there is always a risk. Crickets are cheapest but they have a high possibility of parasites, and some feeder companies have been having issues with their cricket populations in the past few years.

Raising your own mealworms is the best bet - it's the safest and healthiest. If you like rainbow mealworms on Facebook you can get a coupon for a free order of 1,000 mealworms, where you only pay shipping. This is in the US, though- you may be from elsewhere. Buying in bulk is extremely cheap- usually 12$ total for an order of 1,000.

The batch of 1,000 is a perfect amount to start a colony. Just throw them in a shoebox of oatmeal and toss in fruits and veggies when you can. I usually eat an apple for myself and take another and cut it up for my feeders. As you feed them off you will find some pupating, which you should then ideally put into another box of oatmeal. Within the course of two weeks the beetles will emerge and get it on immediately, the parents die off quickly - the larval stage is the longest portion of their life, and can be suspended for better feeding use. The mother beetle lays 50+ eggs, which will hatch and grow to an acceptable size within a few weeks. By the time you're running low on mealworms you'll have plenty more in the breeding bucket. If you end up with too many you can freeze them for future use or throw them outside for the birds.

It's nice not to have to spend money on feeders every week, especially with pet store die off since they're not cared for. Breeding mealworms is incredibly easy and I don't have to put any effort into it. Throw food in and leave them be until your hedgehog is ready for a worm massacre.

It may seem like too many, but trust me. Get more than you need. Too many is better than too little for breeding, especially when you can freeze them. You'll do right by your hedgehog by protecting it from common feeder parasites and bad batches, and you'll protect your bank account as well.


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## cardiologineer (Sep 29, 2012)

Pinkhedgehog said:


> msredhead said:
> 
> 
> > Mealworms shouldn't be pricey. I got Auri 50 for $2.49 at a local petco. Fresh (not frozen).
> ...


They really are not too badI in my opinion. But everyone is different. 
The main thing is see what each individual hedgehog likes. My girl has not shown any interest in apples, blackberries, scrambled eggs, or baby food. But she LOVES meal worms. I am going to keep trying other treats but so far mealies are her favorite. I think it is important to feed what they like even if it is not your favorite thing.


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## eskye (Oct 5, 2012)

cardiologineer said:


> Pinkhedgehog said:
> 
> 
> > msredhead said:
> ...


The last sentence is definitely true. I absolutely despise roaches, but I have a huge Dubia colony for my animals. I am also allergic to Dubia, but I just suck it up and wear gloves. You can always wear latex gloves with the worms, but you'll get over them pretty quickly. They're definitely no where near as disgusting as crickets. They've also got great nutritional content.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Many hedgehog owners are afraid or squeamish around bugs, and they get past it so they can feed them to their hedgehog.  It helps to see how much they love them (most hogs, anyway). If you don't want to touch them, you can use chopsticks, plastic tweezers, a plastic spoon, etc. to feed them to your hedgehog. If you keep them in the fridge, that'll keep them in hibernation mode and they won't move much. You'll need to take them out to warm up for a few hours once a week so they don't die, but it may help if they're not wiggling around a lot when you're trying to feed them, too.


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

This is what I do and its so simple.
I keep the meal worms in a plastic container with some holes in the lid and some oats, when it comes time to feed Beatrice, I just pick some up and put them in her food dish....then she comes out and eats them. Mealworms are small and not very fast so their gross level goes down a bit. If you don't want to touch them with you hands, like lilysmommy said, you can use tongs or a spoon or anything else to put them in your hedgehogs dish.

Honestly fresh mealworms are the best. Canned ones smell, freeze dried are too dry...

Once you handle them a bit and realize they arent going to bite or harm you then you'll get over it. Sometimes I feed Beatrice crickets cause I have them around because I have a bearded dragon and those are far worse. Crawling > jumping.


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## direwolf (Oct 11, 2012)

I got my mealworms from here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/22113737642...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 They were super duper cheap and now I have enough mealworms to last me for a veeeery long time!


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

Mealies are cheap ($8 for 1000 by me) and easy to breed. Other feeder bugs will cost more


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