# Question Bout feeder insects



## albino_prickler (Oct 26, 2010)

Once again with me being a herpetologist i have a surplus of alot of stuff that is not just for reptiles like my feeder insects... I raise my own phoenix worms, mealworms, crickets, waxworms, and locusts (aka grasshoppers). I was wondering if a hedgie could eat any of these? I know mealies and crickets are relished by hedgehogs in the wild and so are grubs (which i hate touching)... I plan on feeding Albi a staple diet along with some additional feeder insects to possibly help controll my breeding bins some seeing how im gradually downsizing my reptile room to make it my exotic small animal room...

Michael Drake
"Moonlight Exotics"


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Mealworms & Crickets are a staple treat among most owners around here, live ones (which you're raising). My guys get 7 mealies a night in their food dish, I don't do the crickets because they're in a wire cage, thus I don't want crickets wandering my house, been there and done that back when I was a kid and had Anoles(sp?) lizards. Middle of the night you'd hear one chirping behind the fridge. LarryT has a nice setup, use a piece of coroplast with a hole in it, and offer your hedgehog the cricket by hand. People avoid hand feeding directly since hedgehogs might get into the habit of thinking your fingers = treat.

I did some looking around.

Waxworms can be fed but in moderation as they're high in fat.

Phoenix Worms can also be fed, they're rich in calcium and low fat.

Grubs I would guess but someone else should answer that, I've been attempted to offer mine some, as I split wood in the fall and you find them in the trees. I don't just because of pesticides.

Superworms can also be fed but caution should be taken, there's been at least one case in which the worm was still somewhat alive going down, bit the hedgehog's wind pipe and the poor hog bled to death. Its recommended to behead them before feeding, or just avoid them.


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## albino_prickler (Oct 26, 2010)

Grubs are in plenty here and i nor my neighbors (2 miles away) uses pesticides but like i said i hate touching them but dont mind silkworms or wax worms lol... I split my own fire wood also and find em all the time... Thank god i got my fire wood all cut for now, that crap does a number on ya when ya do the "the old fashion" way lol... I know im young but still do this the old ways... But anywho my hedgie will be kept in a 48"x24"x24" homemade acrylic terrarium i had built for my red-foot tortoise before she was put down due to a tumor the vet found during a routine x-ray... The cage has never been used so i figured it would be the perfect hedgie cage with plenty of room... Just hopefully not too much for a 8-10 wk old hoglet...

So Back to topic lol... I can feed him a mixed salad of feeder bugs with his staple diet? I figured since he was still little i would give him 3 crix, 4 mealies, 2-3 waxworms, 3-4 phoenix worms, and 2-3 silkworms a day with his staple and a few extra crickets to keep his foraging instinct up seeing how my sow used to always nose around her bedding of a night looking for stray food/bugs when i had her before she passed away a couple yrs ago...


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Anything that you *raise in captivity and not originally from wild insects* can be fed. I've fed all you've mentioned with no problems minus the locusts, another you could try are small roach nymphs.

I wouldn't feed that much variety in one night. You need to introduce each type of insect one at a time so you know what reaction he has to them, and then offer 2-3 different ones a night. You don't want the insects to be taking up the entire diet, he needs to be eating his kibble too. I've noticed when you feed too many insects in one night a lot of them come right back out undigested.

I think it's funny you don't want to touch grubs but you're willing to raise maggots (phoenix worms). :lol:


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

One important thing to remember with insects is to feed raised bugs and not wild caught. Even if you and no one around you uses pesticides there is still a risk of parasites. We used to use locust as bait for fishing when I was a kid. We used wild caught and those insects were almost always infested with intestinal worms. 

When trying to figure out what to feed a hedgehog remember that hedgehogs need a low fat diet or else they will quickly become obese and fatty liver disease then becomes a problem. I try to feed bugs that help supplement the fiber need for hedgehogs, which means bugs higher in chitin... Mealworms tend to be fatty but are good for chitin. When my mealworm colony allows, I try to feed mostly beetles. 

Crickets are also good, and can be a lot of fun watching a hedgehog hunt and try to catch a jumpy cricket. It can take time for one that isn't used to hunting to get the knack for it, but if they like crickets they quickly learn how to catch them.

Waxworms are high in fat and should be an occasional treat and not a daily diet addition. I have often used these or even the roasted waxworm to supplement hedgehogs who are losing weight due to cancer. They are often well received.

Silkworms are another favorite even with picky hedgehogs. I've heard some people state they had a hedgehog who wouldn't touch any other bug or treat but would eat a silkworm.

I've never tried a phoenix worms. 

Have you ever tried dried silkworm pupae? I've been looking at them recently and haven't decided if I want to give it a shot yet or not.


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## albino_prickler (Oct 26, 2010)

i guess i could always offer him a few at a time to see which he prefers or just mix a few in his kibble each night kinda like a bug and kibble salad....

yeah i know it weird that i dont like handling grubs but will handle other insects lol... It is all from when i was a kid, which i never handled feeder worms until the past 10 years when i started dealing with reptiles and amphibians...


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## Diefenbaker (Nov 25, 2010)

Hi! My name is Gena, I'm new to the forum, and I also feed my hedgehog lots and lots of live insects. I've only had Dief (short for Diefenbaker) for the last 4 months (he's 8 months old). When I initially brought him home he stopped eating his dry food, so I decided to bribe him with mealworms, super worms and crickets. Guess what? He LOVES all three, so I now breed the first two in our basement. I feed him lots of them, about 15 mealworms and about 10 superworms a day (sometimes more, especially after his weekly baths), and he also gets cooked salmon, eggs, and cat milk. Recently he started eating cat food again but only as treats, he doesn't really eat it as a staple. He's very picky, and eats only the most expensive kind: Maine **** Royal Canin (I also have two Maine ***** cats). I haven't noticed any health issues with him, he's not fat, he seems very happy with his diet, he's very active on his wheel, and I think I'll continue feeding him like this. I'm no expert, and I'm a new hedgehog owner...and I believe that if Dief is healthy and happy, there's no reason to change anything about his diet. However, if I'm wrong in any way, please let me know - I would definitely not want to cause Dief any harm. Oh and I would LOVE to feed him locusts, but they're illegal in Canada  I'm also going to order him some silk worms - I hope they'll arive alive, as it's pretty cold here now.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

I'm far from an expert, but I think I read it in a thread here that feeding too many insects could lead to liver diseases, because of the very high fat content of the bugs. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.


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