# mealworms



## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Hi all, 
Just curious as to what is the perferred, if any prefrences, on mealworms. Freeze-dried, dried in general, live without the head, etc? I tried a search, but didn't really find my answer.


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## ehanton (Aug 13, 2009)

I have a tub of live ones that I keep in my refrigerator. They are definitely better than frozen or freeze-dried. You just have to leave the tub out overnight about once a week so the worms can eat. It is as easy as frozen worms! Also, Hedgies love to chase them :lol:


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

:lol: I can imagine an army of mealworms retreating as fast as they can from the big, hungry, "king-kong" esque, hedgehog!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I have a preference of feeding live... I've never fed freeze dried or canned.

But I like feeding live, because I can also gut feed the mealies. Give the mealing all the veggies that my boy refuses to eat :lol: I always make sure I feed the mealies before I feed them to my boy.


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## ehanton (Aug 13, 2009)

You would be surprised! Some of them practically crawl straight into the jaws of death! *Chomp Chomp Chomp* I swear Maisy is like a vacuum cleaner when it comes to worms. Also, I agree with Immortalia - Gut loading them is a great way to get them those veggies. It's like when my mum used to hide chopped up vegetables in my pasta sauce :lol:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I too like feeding live. I haven't gotten healthier mealies anywhere than the ones that come straight out of the tubs I have here. They are fat, healthy, and best of all (just like Immortalia said) you can gut load them. I feed them all the stuff I wish Inky would eat and doesn't. :lol:


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Sorry for asking, but what is gut feeding? Also, do raising mealies smell bad?


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Gut loading just means feeding the mealworms ALL the veggies that we would want our hedgies to eat, but refuse to. 

You don't necessarily have to raise them yourself. I buy mine at a reptile store(cause they're MUCH cheaper than a place like petsmart), and I'll keep them in the fridge. I'll take about 20 to leave out during the week, and they get veggies daily. The rest just come out once a week to be fed. 

Either way, I haven't noticed anything strong smelling. I definitely notice hedgie poop more than I notice mealie poop.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Thanks for clearing all of that up Immortalia! 
When you keep them in the fridge and take some out to eat, how much veggies do you give them? Do you still let them eat the brown stuff (yeast maybe?) that they come in?


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I never refrigerate my mealies, I keep them in tubs at 75*ish. They are kept on wheat bran (what they are sold in, that flaky brown stuff) and fed pretty much any fruits or veggies we have on hand. Lately that's been pears. I've also had great success with carrots, potatoes (they don't like it as much though, and it starts to smell weird), canteloupe rinds, strawberry tops, apples and cores, salad, peas, celery, softened dog/cat food, and much more. They are great little recyclers. :lol: 

They don't smell at all unless you let some of the food mold.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Thanks LG! I'll try and do some more research on farming them and take it into consideration!


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

tie-dye hedgie said:


> Thanks LG! I'll try and do some more research on farming them and take it into consideration!


Around here all the mealies come in oatmeal,that's what I use too.
It's really not worth it if you only have one hedgie IMO


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Thanks Larry.  
I don't even have one yet, so I'll take my time.


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## xGORILLAx (Mar 2, 2010)

Has anyone tried dusting the mealies? Brought me back to my reptile days. Any one dusted a mealie and fed it to the hedgehog?


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I don't see why there's a need to. They don't need calcium supplements and the reptile multivitamins are made for reptiles- also not what they need.


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## Amy1024 (Mar 18, 2010)

I haven't fed any mealies to Hershi yet but I do have a can of them. I really want to feed her live ones and watch her hunt :lol:. But I'm so scared of touching them or watching them wiggle. :?


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Amy1024 said:


> I haven't fed any mealies to Hershi yet but I do have a can of them. I really want to feed her live ones and watch her hunt :lol:. But I'm so scared of touching them or watching them wiggle. :?


Tweezers are your best friend. :lol: I only touch mine with tweezers


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I don't like touching them either lol  I have a plastic fork I pick them up with and a seperate bowl to put them in. Even though I didn't want to pick them up at first I tried hand feeding them. The problem is my hedgehog got so excited I was afraid he'd get my finger in the frenzy lol


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## rainbowcookie (Dec 21, 2009)

I pick up mealworms with a spoon and offer them to the hedgehogs. They get super excited about spoons now, whether there are mealworms on there are not. It's a good way to get them to try new stuff, too, because they will gobble up almost anything from a spoon!

Bonnie gets SO excited about worms that she bites the spoon sometimes, too! No way am I feeding HER mealworms with my fingers! 

It does make them really bad hunters, though. They hunt the spoon and purr at it, but if the mealworms fall off the spoon and escape, the hedgehogs don't even notice!


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

:lol: Spoon Obsessions Anonymous!!


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## Amy1024 (Mar 18, 2010)

Also, how much do the mealies travel...? I know storing them in the ridge will slow them down but I'm not sure if my mom would appreciate finding worms in her house, let alone in her fidge. I told my parents that hedgies need supplements to their regular foods but I didn't say anything about mealies :lol:



Immortalia said:


> Amy1024 said:
> 
> 
> > I haven't fed any mealies to Hershi yet but I do have a can of them. I really want to feed her live ones and watch her hunt :lol:. But I'm so scared of touching them or watching them wiggle. :?
> ...


Yea, I'll be using tweezers. ><


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## crazyjoezx (Feb 28, 2010)

how offten /how many do you guys give them?..I gave my hedgie his 1st taste of them last week, they were all out of the live ones so i just got caned, they seem real sqwishy and fresh ,I thought they would be like "freeze dried" hard..I put one in his face and he kept walking around it...so then I just stuck the whole can in his face to smell it and once his instinct kicked it he lunged forward and started chomping away..their pretty small so i gave him prob about 7-10..
I would love to give some every night mixed in his food but I read that it should only be given a few times a week...but hes NEVER ate anything like ate those ...only licks and nibble things..


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