# Question about dried mealworms?



## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Hi everyone! I know a lot of you will tell me to get live mealworms, but at the moment, I'm planning on feeding my baby girl (I'm picking her up in a couple weeks) dried mealworms as treats.

I know they have been known to cause impaction, but what about in small pieces? Reason being, I just ordered a 3 oz bag of dried mealworms online, and most of them are broken up. Also, I've heard that live mealworms can cause impaction as well - but are they less likely to cause impaction than the dried ones? 

Thanks in advance!


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Yes, she can eat them, just keep an eye on her poop. If it starts looking overly firm and or she starts getting constipated, cut back on how many you feed.

(Original version, "Yes, you can eat them." ...although maybe technically true, I intended either "she can eat them" or "you can feed them" and ended up with that disturbing hybrid-concept!)


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## Vita-mealies (Mar 16, 2011)

Hi there! The only reason that the dried mealworms are known to cause impaction is that the moisture content goes from approx. 62% in live mealworms down to approx 7% when they are dried. When using dried mealworms for treats instead of live, just always be sure to keep a fresh supply of water on hand for your little ones. The reason you always hear that mealworms can cause impaction is because of their chitin, but in pets that drink alot of water (which hedge hogs are big water drinkers), it usually isn't a problem. A nice tid-bit of info on dried worms that you may not know- dried mealworms have more protein than live mealworms. Live mealworms contain approx 20% protein on average, whereas dried mealworms offer approx. 51%.  I know that this isn't a bird forum but want to say that during the winter months, I find adding dried mealworms to the bird food and seed I put out for the wild birds makes a huge difference in the birds well-being due to that nice dose of protein, especially this winter because the temps in Western North Carolina have been BITTER (to say the least).


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Freeze dried mealies have a slightly higher crude protein content than crude fat compared to live ones. But both will still contain the same amount of chitin in their exoskeletons that causes the impaction or constipation. For this reason i usually give superworms with a crushed head for my hedgies since superworms has significantly lower chitin values than a mealy does as proven by research. It does have higher fat though.


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## Vita-mealies (Mar 16, 2011)

superworms do have a thinner chitin and are easier to digest.  And this does make them perfect for larger pets, but with me, I have itty bitty hamsters (both Syrian and dwarf), so I have to stick with the regular sized mealies because one superworm would be their entire treat limit. Superworms or mealworms, both are fattening- but just as with all treats, moderation is the key. And boy, oh boy, do they love them!!


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Haha can't imagine a hamster eating a huge superworm, that's probably gonna be like a kid eating a baguette lol


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