# The Latest from the Vet



## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Since a few of you have been asking about the diet changes I've ben making, I thought I'd do an update: 

I chatted with Snarf's vet today about how I've implemented the changes we had discussed at Snarf's last appt. I told her every night, I put out kibble (half as much as he used to eat - less than a tbsp) and about 1 tbsp of mix - I make enough for three days (Mix: 1/2 canned catfood or babyfood; 1/4 veggies I have prepared; 1/4 kibble I have soaked in water). The vet said this is fine but I should cut back a bit on the canned stuff (I'm going to do 1/3 each and provide a bit less. Snarf's poop has been softer than usual, so this should help). He also gets 3 crickets, 3 beetles & 2 mealies a day...or so...

The vet's major theme was: think like they're in the wild. So provide LOTS of variety; LOW FAT; no sugary stuff - so watch the fruit intake...lots of insects. She agreed with the Pro/Fat/Fibre ratios (30-15-10ish) but says the hedgies she sees need way less catfood and way more insects. I asked about providing enough 'hard' stuff to ensure his teeth stay in good shape and she said the chitin in the insects will do that but to always keep some kibble. She said hedgies in the wild don't have tartar cuz no one's feeding them the crapola that gives them tartar (fruit/sugary stuff).

She re-emphasized over and over that there is no 'right' diet for hedgies as there just hasn't been enough research done so everyone needs to know their own hedgie: monitor their weight closely and watch for changes in habits. I told her I was planning to increase his insects to 10ish a day for three days...watch Snarf and weight him...and decide from there. She said that's exactly what I should do. She confirmed that consistent wheeling, eating and poop production is a good sign all is well.

She also noted that I could make yourself crazy trying to figure out a 'perfect' hedgie diet and to quit worrying.


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## CritterHeaven (Feb 21, 2011)

What other insects can you give them besides crickets and mealworms?


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

Miss C, did she mention any low fat insects?


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

lmg_319 said:


> Miss C, did she mention any low fat insects?


live crickets are low fat.


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## Sarahg (Feb 18, 2010)

MissC said:


> She also noted that I could make yourself crazy trying to figure out a 'perfect' hedgie diet and to quit worrying.


 :lol: I can relate to this statement! :lol: Keep us updated. The 'perfect' diet is something I've been playing with too, so I'm really interested in how it goes!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

The only insects we discussed were mealies, the beetles that result from mealies & crickets. Yes, crickets are the 'best' in terms of fat (lower) & fibre/chitin...even the word is gross...if anyone knows of any other insects, please tell us!

I am, as we speak, freezing a 'colony' of crickets who have been gorging on carrots & sweet potato peels & peas. I let them thaw for 5 minutes or so then let Snarf go at 'em...he LOVES them. Even frozen.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> if anyone knows of any other insects, please tell us!


you don't wanna know.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> MissC said:
> 
> 
> > if anyone knows of any other insects, please tell us!
> ...


NO roaches...NO. :evil:


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## CritterHeaven (Feb 21, 2011)

ugh, I second that. I draw the line VERY firmly at roaches. I HATE them.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

CritterHeaven said:


> ugh, I second that. I draw the line VERY firmly at roaches. I HATE them.


I am somehow over the 'hate' rating to the point of being obsessive. When I first moved to Australia, I was weirded-out & squeamish...that energy turned to hate by the time I left. I have carried that feeling with me for 10 years. I try not to hate anything but roaches.....eeewww.....thank God they can't survive our weather. Yet. I'm convince they're going to take over the world. Living for two days without a head...jeesh...what's that about? And roaches with six brains spread throughout their body...do we really need that in our future? I think not.


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## CritterHeaven (Feb 21, 2011)

When I lived in Alberta I did not think about them much. SPiders were top of my ewwww list. Now in North Carolina for 13 years I am over the spider thing (there are SO many here) but the ****roach is #1 on my list. I really cannot stand them. And they love the heat and humidity here....

Crickets and mealworms I think I can deal with. Roaches, ewwwwwwwwwww


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

CritterHeaven said:


> When I lived in Alberta I did not think about them much. SPiders were top of my ewwww list. Now in North Carolina for 13 years I am over the spider thing (there are SO many here) but the ****roach is #1 on my list. I really cannot stand them. And they love the heat and humidity here....
> 
> Crickets and mealworms I think I can deal with. Roaches, ewwwwwwwwwww


AMEN to that. The worst are the ones with wings - you think they're just crawling quickly on your wall and then BAM! they're flying at your face. Worst. Thing. Ever.

Anyway, back to hedgie-bugs: When I took Liam to the vet, he gave him a roach, but it was a little bitty thing. A little smaller than a dime? He said it was some breed (of course I've forgotten the name) that was made to be eaten, and was great for bug-phobic people like us: no wings, no chirping, can't move very fast. Felt kind of bad for the bug, but Liam enjoyed it. Maybe someone else knows what I'm talking about? :?


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

MissC said:


> The only insects we discussed were mealies, the beetles that result from mealies & crickets. Yes, crickets are the 'best' in terms of fat (lower) & fibre/chitin...even the word is gross...if anyone knows of any other insects, please tell us!
> 
> I am, as we speak, freezing a 'colony' of crickets who have been gorging on carrots & sweet potato peels & peas. I let them thaw for 5 minutes or so then let Snarf go at 'em...he LOVES them. Even frozen.


So freezing the crickets and then feeding them dead is ok?


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> And roaches with six brains spread throughout their body...


what now? :shock:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

lmg_319 said:


> So freezing the crickets and then feeding them dead is ok?


Yup. I checked out the specifics on a number of sites. Some people suggested putting only a few in a bag/container so they don't crush each other...um...you have to remember to let them thaw a bit (tho' I forgot once and gave one to Snarf straight from the freezer with no ill effects & he had his usual gusto upon being served...but I wouldn't try it)...make sure you gorge/load them with good veggies before the mass murder...some sites suggested freezing separately, then putting in a zip-loc :shock: (there is NO way I am letting crickets wander freely around my freezer).

Our technique (we haven't actually tried this, we are at step #1 until tonight): 
- put whole container in 5 gallon pail...do not trust they can't jump out and cover with towel
- gut load for one-two days: i kill them off quickly, so I won't chance more than two days
- freeze for a few hours or, if you're paranoid about them rising from the 'dead', for 24-48 hours
- hold bag/container while *someone else *picks the creepy little things up
- I think we will try a large yogurt container versus a zip-loc partly cuz it's less gross and also to try to prevent squishing them
- when it's time to feed Snarf, I will just pick out one at a time with tweezers (and lead-lined gloves and hazmat suit and goggles and mask)
I will let you know how it goes!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

cylaura said:


> Anyway, back to hedgie-bugs: When I took Liam to the vet, he gave him a roach, but it was a little bitty thing. A little smaller than a dime? He said it was some breed (of course I've forgotten the name) that was made to be eaten, and was great for bug-phobic people like us: no wings, no chirping, can't move very fast. Felt kind of bad for the bug, but Liam enjoyed it. Maybe someone else knows what I'm talking about? :?


LizardGirl might know.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I Googled these smaller feeder roaches and found this site, telling you much more than anyone should ever know about farming roaches: http://www.wikihow.com/Breed-Feeder-Roaches

Please do not mention the word 'roach' again unless it is followed by the word 'clip'.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> Please do not mention the word 'roach' again


ok, moving on... once we gave Sweetie a canned grasshopper to try. he anointed and that was it.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> MissC said:
> 
> 
> > Please do not mention the word 'roach' again
> ...


Grasshopper - Cricket...same family of disturbing gross creepiness.

I amend my previous comment to include grasshoppers, as well (unless follwed by 'pie' mmmm...Grasshopper Pie....mmmmm).


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> Grasshopper - Cricket...same family of disturbing gross creepiness.


man up already!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> man up already!


Quit it.
Or this will be you but I will be the one smiling :twisted:

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m556/canmorechick/****roach.jpg


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## CritterHeaven (Feb 21, 2011)

ewwwww :?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

CritterHeaven said:


> ewwwww :?


SHE started it!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

well, i WILL NOT tell you what else Russian hedgies eat because everyone will hate me forever... nope. the word is mum.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> well, i WILL NOT tell you what else Russian hedgies eat because everyone will hate me forever... nope. the word is mum.


What could possibly worse than roaches?


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## RalphsMum (Oct 14, 2010)

*hands over eyes* - lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

RalphsMum said:


> *hands over eyes* - lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala!


YOU ask fracturedcircle, RM...I'm too scared. :?


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

nope. can't tell. i would if i could. :| 

so what shall we talk about now, ladies?


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

FC, Do they eat pinkie mice? I have read some people feed them as treats. :shock: :?


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## CritterHeaven (Feb 21, 2011)

Ok, I will bite. What is a pinkie mouse?


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

susanaproenca said:


> FC, Do they eat pinkie mice? I have read some people feed them as treats. :shock: :?


yay, you're the winner of our special yuck contest!


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

CritterHeaven said:


> Ok, I will bite. What is a pinkie mouse?


It's a newborn mouse.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> susanaproenca said:
> 
> 
> > FC, Do they eat pinkie mice? I have read some people feed them as treats. :shock: :?
> ...


Yay! Do I get a prize? A bag full of yucky stuff maybe? :?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Why do MY posts always go downhill so quickly? :?


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## CritterHeaven (Feb 21, 2011)

Double ewww. poor little mousie. I DEFINITELY could not do that.... there is another line to draw i see.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> Why do MY posts always go downhill so quickly? :?


tough love.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

susanaproenca said:


> Do I get a prize?


yup: heightened peer respect.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> tough love.


  
Are you goin to tell us or what???

pffffffttttt "heightened peer respect"...from *US*...big hairy deal.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> susanaproenca said:
> 
> 
> > Do I get a prize?
> ...


That's cool but a bag full of yucky stuff would be fun too. I could always share my prize with MissC. :twisted:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

susanaproenca said:


> That's cool but a bag full of yucky stuff would be fun too. I could always share my prize with MissC. :twisted:


WHOA. WHOA. WHOA. WHOOOOOA.....

I started a well-intentioned thread to share my vast experience and humungous wealth of knowledge regarding lovely, wonderful little creatures like chirpy crickets mellow mealies ...we're all equal here on earth, after all...and SHE turns it into a gross-out yuck-fest and now YOU are going to send ME a bag of yuck???????????

If you're sending anything, make it mealies, k? I'm running out.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Hahahaha

Yeah, I have no idea how it got to this point. Let's make it serious for now on. :ugeek:


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

i love your posts, MissC--we are officially gut-loading crickets as of tonight. they got excited about carrots. i wouldn't be motivated to gut-load anything at all if it weren't for you.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> i love your posts, MissC--we are officially gut-loading crickets as of tonight. they got excited about carrots. i wouldn't be motivated to gut-load anything at all if it weren't for you.


 :? 
okaaaaaayyyy...*looks around suspiciously*...what's the catch?

and for the sake of all that's holy...what. is. the. freaking. other. food. you won't tell us about???

how do you know when a cricket is excited?? :shock: :?

Susana...you're still my favorite nerd.


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

I thought I was your favorite nerd!?
*Am off to cry quietly to myself in the corner now*


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> and for the sake of all that's holy...what. is. the. freaking. other. food. you won't tell us about???


newborn mice.

um, i figured if the crickets were giving so much attention to the carrot, that must be their way of being excited.

and no catch--gut-loading put me in a good mood.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> and no catch--gut-loading put me in a good mood.


Good Lord. :roll:

Pliny! You really ARE my favorite...but you're my favorite GEEK...she's my favorite NERD.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

MissC motivates us to gut-load. :lol: 
It's really a complement-but it sounds funny! :lol:


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

this whole thread makes me sooooooo happy my kiddos (except for Herman, who just has to lose out) hate all bugs. just like their momma. & believe me, i sucked it up & tried. many times. but nope. Henry even continually threw his mealies in his pile o' poo. point taken. everyone else just ate around them. & the crickets. & grasshoppers. 

ah, i love my "we prefer the 'opportunistic' portion of the moniker" insectivores...they eat everything but! YAY! :twisted: :lol: :twisted: :lol:

ETA: had to remove rogue comma!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

PJM said:


> MissC motivates us to gut-load. :lol:
> It's really a complement-but it sounds funny! :lol:


I knew there was something I didn't like about the way it sounded but couldn't quite put my finger on it.
:shock: 
I was halfway through typing this, got up to make some coffee, looked down beside my BARE foot and what do I see??? Nope, not a cricket. They are cryogenic right now. Not a mealie - too lazy to crawl anywhere.It was a...a......a BEETLE!!! For the sake of all that's holy!!! Where the bloody **** did HE come from???!!!

Definitely a beetle from a mealie. So...did one morph in the container I keep on the kitchen counter? did a mealie escape from the bin in the storage room? the morphing'aliens' are in a covered container...or worst case: did a mealie escape and morph somewhere secretly...with his FRIENDS???

I am moving.


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Ok MissC, I forgive you! :lol: 
Pliny's bug tub o mealies launched itself out of my fridge onto the floor yesterday (it was one of those days). I of course went 'eeewww, eeeewww!' and did a little 'ack, don't step on worms' dance. Then went nuts making sure I picked up every last little one as I could just imagine a beetle-morphing extravaganza in my kitchen. And Pliny, bless his little poopy boots, isn't exactly the greatest hunter. He only finds his mealies when they are on his grub spoon. Even when he excitedly sticks his face in the bug tub he never actually manages to get any bugs! So if there was a beetle explosion the little stinker wouldn't be of any use hunting them down! :roll:


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

'Bless his little poopy boots'
I LOVE THAT! I shall use it & hold it dear & claim it as my own.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I thought it was just Snarf who was the worst. hunter. ever.

I can hold a mealie 1/2" from his face and IF he manages to see/smell it, he invariably drops it, then gets ticked at me. Then, when I try to give it to him again, he pouts & refuses to grab it. :roll: 

If there's an insect of any kind on the floor RIGHT in front of him, more often than not, he steps on it as he's sniffing around, looking for it, then turns around...still sniffing...then sits on it so it gets all wound around his quills, so I have to picik him up and try to remove the icky thing and through all of this *I* am getting huffed at and poked cuz I'm trying to help him find HIS disgusting food. Like, really. :roll: 

I swear his sniffer's broke.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

oh gawd, Sweetie is a HORRIBLE hunter. he totally steps on the worms 'looking for' them, then he sits on them, wondering where the food went. and of course Harvey thinks he's simply above obtaining food for himself. also, Sweetie refuses to eat crickets. period.

Lancik is the only true insectivore in the house...


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

These are the best stories. :lol: :lol: Lily's about the same, she needs them held right in front of her nose before she realizes what it is and that she should grab it. This was the one time she managed to track down mealworms - 









I'm planning to attempt crickets soon, once I can bring myself to actually bring a bag home with me from work. I still have to figure out how (and where) to keep them alive until she eats all ten (unless she hates them and then they can go outside!)...I may have to reread over all of the gut-loading and freezing instructions you've been posting, MissC!


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Yes, Pliny is a terrible hunter. He gets super excited when he sees the tub o bugs and goes roaring over to it, face plants and only manages to come up with a snout of dirt; never an actual mealie. I just got him a new tub, so it is completely full of them, to the extent that it would be difficult NOT to gobble one down.
Sometimes I try to hide food around his cage; he almost never finds it. Talk about domestication! All he knows is that the light up Indiana Jones spoon (it came out of a cereal box) = tasty, tasty mealies. Sigh.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

here's a serious question: aren't the brown crickets really locusts? in Russian, we differentiate between several kinds of crickets, but i'm confused with regard to the English variety.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> here's a serious question: aren't the brown crickets really locusts? in Russian, we differentiate between several kinds of crickets, but i'm confused with regard to the English variety.


 :? dunno...i can never keep ravens and crows and blackbirds straight...

accodring to my god, google: Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and locusts all belong to the order Orthoptera. Members of this group share a common ancestor.

Based on physical and behavioral characteristics, the Orthopterans can be split into two distinct groups, or suborders - the Caelifera and the Ensifera. Caeliferans include the grasshoppers and locusts. The suborder Ensifera is comprised of the crickets and katydids.

The following traits separate most grasshoppers and locusts from their close cousins, the crickets and katydids. As with any rule, there may be exceptions.

Me again: there's a table telling the difference - basically, they look different: http://insects.about.com/od/identifyani ... ricket.htm

I am NOT impressed with you for getting 'locusts' in my head now...if I have weird dreams about locusts tonight, I'm calling you!!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> I am NOT impressed with you for getting 'locusts' in my head now...


i can never please you, can i now? :roll:


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

how long does it take mealworms to hatch?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> how long does it take mealworms to hatch?


the icky alien stage takes 2-3 weeks...!!!! :shock: so they just laze around, not even eating, taking up space and stinking then, after 3 weeks, they finally become beetles. :roll:

makes one wonder where the beetle i almost stepped on this morning with my BARE feet came from...jeez...

i looked it up today when i thought i killed all my pupae/aliens/gross things...there's a table at this site but not sure if it will copy/paste: http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm#timetable

great site, from what i saw of it today!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

sorry i'm slow with this: do the 'would-be-beetles' mealies need to be kept separately or with those that'd be eaten as they are?

we've added blueberries to the gut-loading fest.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Some sites say 'yes' , keep the aliens or pupae separate (as they will get eaten - by whom, I'm not sure) and some say 'No'...just keep 'em all together like a big squirmy happy family.

I have two containers but once my beetles start morphing or whatever, I think I will get a third. I would think the beetles would eat the aliens...dunno for sure, tho'. Apparently, this coming from the person who almost stepped on a wayward beetle with BARE feet, they won't escape open (no lid) container if the sides are smooth and straight, as long as the sides are more than 1" above the substrate...even the beetles...but they have wings...so... :? couldn't they just...you know...fly out??

My head is starting to hurt from all this. Though I've looked at so many pictures of the creepy critters, I hardly get nauseous anymore. :roll: Another landmark occasion in my life. woo hoo.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> Though I've looked at so many pictures of the creepy critters, I hardly get nauseous anymore.


yeah, tell me about it. a few months ago my stepdad dropped a cricket on me. yup, he did. i thought i'd lose my wits right on the spot. it was so... so.... horrible. a couple of months later: i was lying down, feeling really, really tired. then my mom goes: oh, there's a loose cricket on the floor.. and i was too tired to react. that was a major breakthrough for me...


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> .. and i was too tired to react. that was a major breakthrough for me...


 :lol: 
LMAO!

Apparently de-sensitization works cuz I have looked at some many gross pictures and read so much icky stuff today, my brain is too full to have room for fear & loathing. :roll:


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I keep my mealies in one container & once they morph into aliens, I move them into the beetle habitat. I just keep all the beetles & aliens together, because I "don't care". As long as you have food & moisture (aka carrots, moist veggies) for the beetles, they shouldn't eat the aliens. 

I do have to say though, that I dropped a mealie tonight, in the carpet in the hedgie room. And for the love of all that is good, I couldn't find it. I KNOW it will somehow become a beetle, because I found a beetle the other day, just wandering around. IT HAD to come from a previous mealie I dropped & lost in the carpet. *Don't ask* Because there is no possible way that my mealies or aliens or beetles could escape. But apparently, I have butter fingers & Cholla has a big mouth!

Also...interestingly enough...around here, we refer to Katydids as Cicada's (they make an amazing amount of noise in the trees every 7 years or so, almost deafening), Locusts are a kind of grasshopper & crickets are just the black, jumpy things on the ground. 

I'm off to have a good non-buggy-filled night of dreams! :lol:

Edited to say::: found a millipede in the house today, told hubby & he got it to take it outside. As he scooped it up in a piece of paper, it curled up & he said "hey! it's a Cholla ball!" Stupid bugs.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

PJM said:


> I'm off to have a good non-buggy-filled night of dreams! :lol:


pppffftttt...I am sending you buggy vibes so you can have the same dreams I've been having...payback, sister...


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC & PJM: what do you use for bedding/food for the mealworms?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

PJM said:


> Edited to say::: found a millipede in the house today, told hubby & he got it to take it outside. As he scooped it up in a piece of paper, it curled up & he said "hey! it's a Cholla ball!" Stupid bugs.


*SHUDDER* Any other bug. Give me any other bug, or spider, or anything and I'll deal with it. Just keep millipedes and centipedes away from me unless you want to see how a normal, short, human girl manages to climb onto the ceiling and cling there until it's gone! :shock: All of those legs.... :?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

FC...i use bran (just the stuff from the cereal aisle) and oatmeal...some sites say no oatmeal cuz it's hard to pick the aliens out...i don't find anything THAT gross can readily blend in anywhere... :roll: 

LM...yes...legs and antennae and those big freaky eyes!!! AAAACCCKKKK!!!! why do we always get on this topic right before i go to bed? it's that FC chick...bad news... :evil:


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I use any number of things for my mealies bedding. The cereal hubby won't eat, because he didn't like it. The crackers than went stale, crumbled up. Whatever. Either the mealies get it or George gets it (my red wiggler earthworms). Speaking of which, they are a great way to get rid of kitchen scraps, but my hedgies refuse to eat them. Looks like we'll use them for bait.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

PJM said:


> I use any number of things for my mealies bedding. The cereal hubby won't eat, because he didn't like it. The crackers than went stale, crumbled up. Whatever. Either the mealies get it or George gets it (my red wiggler earthworms). Speaking of which, they are a great way to get rid of kitchen scraps, but my hedgies refuse to eat them. Looks like we'll use them for bait.


okaaaaay...so: mealies, crickets?, 'red wigglers' (THAT paints a picture :roll: )...ummm...what else do you have growing in your home??? hhhmmm???


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

MissC said:


> the icky alien stage takes 2-3 weeks...!!!! :shock: so they just laze around, not even eating, taking up space and stinking then, after 3 weeks, they finally become beetles. :roll:


Can the hedgies eat the beetles and the pupa things? Or once they..evolve?(Idk how else to phrase it xD) they can't be eaten?


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Hedgies can eat them in all 3 stages. Nice thing about the aliens is that you can put them in the hedgie's cage & they stay where they're put-until hedgie finds & eats them.
The beetles are crunchy & fun for some hedgies to chase. :lol: 

And MissC-Mealies & worms. What else id growing? My waist-line! :lol: (un-related to previously mentioned mealies & worms  )


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

ShutUpAndSmile said:


> Can the hedgies eat the beetles and the pupa things? Or once they..evolve?(Idk how else to phrase it xD) they can't be eaten?


Yup - they are a multi-stage food - just like a human meal with lots of courses! :?

Mealies is obvious - they look like worms...hedgies typically love them and they're nutritious but high in fat. Then they become:

'Aliens' (the HHC scientific common name for 'pupae') - they don't move so they are perfect for hiding in your hedgie's home for them to 'hunt', still high-ish in fat and no chitin. Gross and sad, but true and after many, many days, aliens become:

Beetles - I prefer this 'course' cuz Snarf can chase them down - and they are low fat; high-ish protein and have good/lots chitin (the stuff that gives them the crunch). ew.

My vet's preferences, in order: beetles; crickets, mealies.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

PJM said:


> And MissC-Mealies & worms. What else id growing? My waist-line! :lol: (un-related to previously mentioned mealies & worms  )


 :shock: 
Holy crap! Don't do that!! Don't say your waist-line is growing when talking about growing bugs!
You gave me a freakin' heart attack.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

MissC said:


> it's that FC chick...bad news... :evil:


tread lightly there!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Russian crickets are green. not brown, not black... green.

apparently the locusts are good and well in the UK: http://pygmyhogsuk.forumandco.com/t1424 ... ets-locust


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

MissC: Buggys are gross xD lol Just stating. o.o But yeah do the beetles like fly or anything? o.o That'd be a scary experience for me. D:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

ShutUpAndSmile said:


> MissC: Buggys are gross xD lol Just stating. o.o But yeah do the beetles like fly or anything? o.o That'd be a scary experience for me. D:


I keep mine covered...don't care what any sites say...they DO have wings...make a heck of a 'crunch'. :lol: 
:shock: 
It's funny to me...not gross...OMG! I've done turned.


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

MissC said:


> ShutUpAndSmile said:
> 
> 
> > MissC: Buggys are gross xD lol Just stating. o.o But yeah do the beetles like fly or anything? o.o That'd be a scary experience for me. D:
> ...


Omg when I have to keep them in my room they're going to covered and prob ducktaped.-joking- Yuck yuck yuck I HATE bugs. Ha But I know I'm gonna love my future hedgie so the sacrifices we make <3 lol.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

ShutUpAndSmile said:


> I HATE bugs. Ha But I know I'm gonna love my future hedgie so the sacrifices we make <3 lol.


The human psyche is an amzing thing...we adapt to new challenges seemingly without an issue seemingly without an issue seemingly without an issue seemingly without an issue seemingly without an issue seemingly without an issue seemingly without an issue seemingly without an issue


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