Meal worms

[matinee_92]

I'm gonna have nightmares tonight!!!

[Pendragon]

It might be interesting to add a few more options to your poll....



For instance:

• No, because I am against live feeding of any kind.
  
  No, because I don't give animal protein to my animals.
  
  No, because mealworms give me the creeps.
  
  No, because all insects give me the creeps.
  
  No, because I can't buy anything like that where I live.
  
  No, for other reasons not already mentioned.

...or would this be an entirely different poll?



Personally, mealworms give me the total creeps, and I just don't have any local places selling crickets. Plus, a little bit of chicken from my dinner, or the odd spare-rib bone does my hammies fine.... and yes, I am a bit squeamish also about feeding anything live!

[babyboos]

Yeah good idea for another poll

[Demondog]

I wanted to try getting some of these to breed as a cheap protein source, but when I saw dried-out dead ones I couldn't cope with the thought of touching them, so I guess that's out.

Also, my flatmate/landlord vetoed the idea of live ones in the flat.

[babyboos]

I wish there was a place you could get a few a week really - let someone else have the joy of rearing etc

[Skwee]

I woke up one night to hear a loud hissing noice coming from my Hamlet's cage. I turn my light on and what do I see? Hamlet darting about cornering this HUGE spider, nipping its legs off one at a time until it couldn't get away and then she proceeded to jump on it a few times (just to be sure ) and then she ate it!!!! eeeeeeeeeeeewwww!!! one less for me to deal with



Mealworms are so expensive to buy and take up space we don't have



Hmm. Has no one mentioned that feeding a live mealworm to a hamster can actually be dangerous? Unless the hamster bites its head off first before pouching it... that way the mealworm wont bite its way out again! because they do!! they have really powerful jaws and it can make me bleed!



I haven't seen that happen in hamsters but I wouldn't risk it myself. BUT we have seen it happen in baby birds. Killed a whole brood of Red Rump Chicks because we fed mealworms to the adults who gave the to the chicks... the mealworms bit right out the crop killing the baby...

[i-love-paddy]

Can't believe I missed this!!!



YEUK!



It's too gross for me

[babyboos]

Mealworms are too tough skinned to be offered to baby birds usually. When my father offers them to his birds the mother bird seems to take them and kill them rather violently by bashing them against the perch before offering them to her youngsters. I can quite honestly say you are the first person who has every said they have had a mealworm eat its way back out of a creature before though which is quite alarming as you say. My dad freeks us out by holding them in his hands and they have never drawn blood there either. I wonder what kind of vampire mealworms you had I have never seen a hamster pouch a mealworm whole before, they always bite bits off it first, but then I only give one or two each and always let them munch on the first one a bit before offering a second. I have heard of caution being required in quantities of mealworms given to birds as they can damage their crops if fed too many... but noone said it was because they chewed their way back out?! I have asked around and everyone thinks this is an Urban Myth and laughed sorry

[Emma]

I gave my fuzzballs mealworms for the first time yesterday!



I bought a small packet from the local pet shop - a small pot, cost me about £1. There's still a lot of worms in there for my needs - the man said they would last up to maybe 2 weeks if I kept them dry, gave them a bit of space (they're in a spare travel cage now!) and fed them bran or crushed up cereal.



Phoebe went mad for them - I put about 5 in a little blob of porridge for her last night and it disappeared fast. The robos had 2 each, just placed in the food bowl on top of their normal dinner, and although I didn't see anyone eating them (despite watching for ages!) they were gone this morning. The rats loved them too - George was crunching away, whilst Dexter was a bit taken aback when his dinner moved (he dropped it!) he was soon tucking in too.



They're not too icky - it's been a while since I've handled live insects. I did drop one the first time I picked it up and it wriggled in my fingers! Set George on it though and he soon caught it for me. They do make a strange noise as well when you disturb them and they all start wriggling around at the same time.....that's a bit creepy.



I did make sure all the worms were in bowls they couldn't climb out of.....I'm a bit worried one will wriggle off, hide under my bed and then appear as a giant beetle in a few weeks in the middle of the night!



Has anyone tried waxworms? The pet shop had them in small amounts too - they're bigger and squishier than mealworms. I had to feed them to animals when I worked at the zoo - I think they're nicer to handle than mealworms.

[nooboo]

a pet shop selling fresh?!?



I was thinking of wandering to a shop that sells a lot of reptiles in Manchester to see if they would do them fresh!



my lot adore the dried mealworms, but I feel that this gives them less benifits