# 'Air dried' mealworms?



## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I was at my local pet store today and saw a container of 'air dried' mealworms for birds. The packaging didn't explain the drying process so I asked the store owner if that means they are freeze dried, but she had no idea.

Does freeze dried and air dried mean the same thing? I know freeze dried = freezing live mealies and then air drying them, so I'm suspicious, lol.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

Air dried and freeze dried are different processes. However, for hedgehogs I believe that they result in the same question regarding safety of the final product. Both processes remove water but leave the mealworm intact. The knock on freeze dried mealies for hedgehogs is that if they get swallowed near whole (My Sophie inhales live ones.), then they can absorb water/fluids and 'plump up', causing digestive issues. I've read about this concern many times, but cannot cite sources that quantify how real the threat may be.

Air dried mealworms would have the same issues / questions as freeze dried. (I don't know if there are technical differences between dehydrated and air dried, but I would expect not much as a practical matter.)


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

This is not a terrific description of the differences between air and freeze dried, but it does provide the gist of what I mentioned above. Preservation is achieved by removing water. Add it back and the product will 'plump up'. Whether freeze dried treats are truly unsafe, I do not know, but air dried would likely be of similar risk or non-risk.

http://www.northbaytrading.com/air-dried-vs-freeze-dried-food


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Thanks for the info! I have never fed anything other than live mealworms, but I was curious when I saw that container lol.


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