# Won't Eat Insects



## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

Hey, HC. I've been trying to get Delia to eat insects ever since I got her. Mealworms and crickets specifically. I've tried presenting them in different ways, even sliced up a mealworm to see if the smell would affect her (somebody suggested it and may I say - yuck!). She just refuses to eat them. Is this extremely bad for her diet? I don't want her to have some kind of deficiency. Is there some other method I should try or a substitute for insects?
Thanks in advance!


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Regina also hates mealworms--she won't touch them. She loves crickets, however. I think it just depends on the hog, really. I know some people say that they "gutload" the crickets, and that their hedgies will only eat the gutloaded ones. I don't think it's a super big deal if the hedgie won't eat insects, though.


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## xspiked (Feb 27, 2011)

Keep trying other insects (if you can get a hold of them in small numbers) and hope for the best. Keep offering them. You could try grinding/cutting them up and mixing it with kibble. 

I'm not sure how important insects are to a hedgies diet. Others would be a better source of information on them. I treat it more of a supplement to her kibble/meatball diet. :|


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2011)

They aren't vital to a hedgehog as long as they can find the extra fiber elsewhere if I am not mistaken and I have read some never take to eating bugs.

Have you tried letting your little one lose in a bath tub with crickets my girls instincts always take over when they get to hunt them 

Another good idea is just mixing them into the food bowl even if they mistakenly get eaten i may sway her to want them


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

keep trying if you want to...she may change her mind at some point. you never know - she is a hedgie! :lol: 

however, some just refuse. don't like 'em, not gonna, never will. in case you haven't figured it out, i am in possession of a few of those!  one of these is a wild-caught lil' rescue guy. & he is the BIGGEST insect refuser of them all. really. can't stand 'em.

none of them seem to have suffered from lack of bugs. i feed lots of fruits & veggies & fresh cooked meats to give lots of variety & fiber (from the fruits/veggies). 

good luck


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

How long have you had her and how old is she? 

I have had several who wouldn't touch a mealworm or other insect for a very long time. Cooper was over 2 when he was rehomed with me. I don't think his previous owner ever fed him insects as he seemed to have no interest in them. I offered them to him nightly for about 3 months and suddenly one night he ate one. There was no turning back then as he quite enjoyed insects... so much so that I had to find ways to feed them to him after he lost all of his teeth.

Keep trying. If you let your hedgehog run around in a play area. Drop a couple and let your hedgehog come across them while exploring. Sometimes offered food is ignored, where found food is relished.


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## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

Okay, I'll try to have her find them herself, then if that doesn't work, mix some mealies in with her food and the gutloading. If that doesn't work, is there another type of insect I could offer? I can probably find some around here.

By the way, when you hide crickets in the dig box, are they alive or dead? Wait...maybe that was a silly question.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

You can hide live crickets in the dig box, but you'll want to tear off their legs so they don't get loose in your house. For that reason, I just throw mine in the freezer. I don't gut load because I inject flaxseed oil in them. Harvey and Izzy won't eat their food with it on there. With crickets, they just gobble them up without tasting. :lol:


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Rainy said:


> With crickets, they just gobble them up without tasting. :lol:


Regina does this. I once found a poo with an almost entirely in-tact cricket in it. Apparently, chewing is too much work and she'd rather inhale them.


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## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

ReginasMommy said:



> Rainy said:
> 
> 
> > With crickets, they just gobble them up without tasting. :lol:
> ...


That's a perfect mixture of adorable and disturbing :lol:

Okay, tear off legs. Got it. And I'll make my boyfriend do that part so I don't feel guilty about it XD


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## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

I havent had much sucess with live crickets or canned, Chloe wont go near them. But she likes the freeze dried crickets for sure... I think they are just like kids . Finky eaters. Every time I think she likes something I go buy more and then she wont eat them. But live mealies and dried crickets are now staples. You can also try butter worms, she liked those at first too.


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## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

Butter worms? That's interesting, I've never heard of those, or maybe just a few times around the beardie forums. Sound delicious, like a snack from Hogwarts or something xD


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## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

butter worms are larve of moths or something. They are very fat catapillars in my mind.. Thought it was gross, but my hedgie liked them. There are also silk worms but i havent tried them yet. I have also heard some people feed roaches, beetles or the bugs that the mealies turn in to. But i havent had experience with them yet.. Hopefully someone experienced can comment on it.. Good luck!


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## Pooki3 (Jun 10, 2011)

What if a hedgehog will take a mealworm (can o' worms) but only bites it a few times and spits it back out? she does it for vegetables (steamed) and eggs and baby chicken sticks too and I mashed up the worms too...but she can eat cat food just fine..


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## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

Chloe did the chew and spit thing too. She will TRY anything I put in front of her but she wont actually eat it. I stopped getting the canned worms she ate them at first, then just chewed them now turns up her nose at them.


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