# Hornworms



## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Does anybody feed their hedgie hornworms? Are these good or bad? My pet store sells them & keeps encouraging me to buy them due to their high "high nutrition." I'm wary as I can't find much reference to them as feeders for hedgies.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Hornworms are supposed to be low in fat and high in calcium, which makes them great for a lot of reptiles. However they are supposed to contain no chitin. Which to me is a major downside as chitin is a good source of fiber for our hedgehogs. Added to that, they tend to grow very large very quickly, up to 4 inches in a couple of weeks and require constant food in order to be kept alive. 

One or two as a treat may be fine. Maybe I'm missing something, but I honestly just haven't found the benefits of them to be that great, so haven't tried them.


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