# Meal worms & crickets



## K9_girl1994 (Nov 6, 2008)

So I got meal worms for my hedgehog, but he doesnt seem at all interested. I will put them in front of him and he wont eat them. The thing is they are not alive. The pet store person said to put them in the freezer to keep them fresh and they all died. Do you think he only prefers them to be alive? And for crickets do I feed them to it alive or dead? Wouldn't a hedgehog not be able to catch one if it hopping all around, and wouldn't it hop out of his cage? I am just worried because he is not eating any insects.


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## schlarmanm1 (Nov 15, 2008)

My experiance with my hedgi is he prefers them alive he will eat them right out of my hand if there dead he wont. He will eat the dead one's when there in his bowl how ever. You dont want to freeze them but stick them in the fridge or in a dark cool place.


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## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

K9_girl1994 said:


> The thing is they are not alive. The pet store person said to put them in the freezer to keep them fresh and they all died.


They are supposed to be kept in the *refridgerator*, not the freezer.
If you put them in the freezer, that is why they are all dead.


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## K9_girl1994 (Nov 6, 2008)

ok so I will get them again but this time I will put them in the refridgerater not the freezer  , and I will put the dead ones in his food bowl to see if he likes it that way.


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## Gnarly (Aug 29, 2008)

He may not be interested in them at first, whether they are dead or alive. 
It may take a few times for him to decide he really wants to eat them; you might want to try offering them a few times a week.


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## weddinglady (Oct 10, 2008)

We had a lot issues getting Sweet Pea to eat freeze dried and dead bugs. I finally bought 5 small crickets and although she couldn't catch them, when I caught one with tweezers and held it under her nose, she gobbled it up. She started smelling in the air for more and ate several more. 

I went ahead and bought a box of 24 small-medium crickets and she has eaten a few every day since. I heard you can pull off the crickets legs so the hedgie can catch them, but I don't want to torture them. 

Meal worms are not available in our area right now, but I will try them when they are. 

I am glad she is finally getting so insects.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Inky is deathly afraid of live crickets (chicken! hehe) but loves them freeze-killed. (not sure that's the correct terminology) I toss a few of them into a plastic bag, and then into the freezer for AT LEAST 10 minutes, take out, thaw, and feed. I stress the at least 10 minutes part because one time I didn't freeze them long enough, and they thawed and started crawling around... when I was sure they were dead... made me think of zombies :? LOL, so I try to make sure they are 100% dead before taking them out.


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## K9_girl1994 (Nov 6, 2008)

So I put his dead meal worms in his food bowl, like three, and that morning they were all gone. So he must of ate them up. I will buy more meal worms, and this time put them in the refridgerator. I will buy a few small crickets too and hold them with treezers. Crickets are so CREEPY. I'll make my sisters pick them up. lol


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