Who has fed live food?

SnuggleHam · 03-13-2005, 07:01 PM

Just wondering is anyone here has fed their hamsters live food like pet store bought crickets, apparently they would eat things like this in the wild and enjoy catching them and munching them down when put in their cage..

I was thinking of trying that with my hamsters but wanted to see what other people thought of that,

I'd imagine they are high in protein and fat

Coco1 · 03-14-2005, 12:04 PM

Candace, although I've not personaly done this, (keep meaning to, almost got some mealworms last weekend but was in too much of a hurry!) Mealworms and crikets are very good for the occasional treat. It gives the hamster some activity and is apparentely fun to watch them hunt down their wriggling prey!

They are high in protein. It is recommended you get your crickets from a pet store as they are a pesticide free source. Mealworms also. You can get a couple and store them in your refrigerator in a container. Give it a shot! (just one at a time)

SnuggleHam · 03-14-2005, 01:32 PM

Thanks I think that I will.. next time I stop at a pet store.. I wonder if my robos could handle a cricket.. maybe a baby one

I use to catch flies and put them in my gerbil cage when I was young, theu would hunt them down and eat them, I probably should have been giving them somthing a little clean. But they were country house flies lol

Coco1 · 03-14-2005, 01:52 PM

lol, well, it probably didn't do them any harm! I'm sure you'll find it amusing watching them hunt down a "baby" cricket! Let us know what happens

I'll try a mealworm next visit to the pet store.

Emma · 03-14-2005, 04:23 PM

I haven't done this as I don't really see the need, there are plenty of other sources of high-protein treats. Our hamsters are so removed now from their wild ancestors I don't think they are missing out not getting live food. If feeding mealworms you also have to be very observant and make sure it is eaten, not allowed to hide away and pupate! I also had a friend who kept reptiles, whose crickets escaped and were all over her house for weeks. Bleurgh.

Crickets make me shiver. When I worked at the zoo I had to deal with feeding crickets and locusts to several animals, just getting the nasty little things out of their breeding tanks made my skin crawl, they're all jumpy and make horrible clicky noises all bouncing around against their tank walls and each other. Ugh! Mealworms aren't so bad (I used to have to count 80 of them out into bamboo tubes to feed aye-ayes) but I still wouldn't handle them if I didn't have to! I always felt itchy for hours afterwards and was paranoid they'd got into my clothes and things.

Lol I have a real dislike of the things, no way I'd have them in my fridge. Which is saying something as I've happily kept faecal samples and dead animals in my home fridge overnight on occasions!

Let us know how live feeding goes Coco and Candace, good luck!

carefresh · 03-15-2005, 06:02 AM

Yes I keep reptiles and I have to feed them crickets and mealworms. Firstly crickets are SO NOISY during the night when I'm TRYING to sleep (they're kept in my bedroom). Also they constantly escape (I'm quite clumsy with those tiny little things). And then just the idea of them all crawling around my room ! EWWWWW ! But I have to admit it sounds quite fun to watch a hamster hunt down a hopping cricket !

SnuggleHam · 03-15-2005, 07:59 AM

I wouldn’t feed them crickets as another staple of their diet, I was just thinking to give them one to chase and hunt once and while might be a nice treat for them that’s all. I’m not really worried about a deficiency in their diet.

Coco1 · 03-15-2005, 09:55 AM

Candace, I totally agree. Its more of a fun treat than anything and will give them a brief bit of excitement. There is no harm in that. Now, I do agree, if you have a cage with bars then feeding crickets could cause problems with them escaping through bars etc. Tanks or bins would be better for this. Otherwise just try the mealworms. I'm a gardener, I have no problems with wriggly things that move. Do what you prefer to do and just remove any uneaten parts that are left! Lol. Have fun.

hammydude · 03-15-2005, 07:53 PM

Might have to try this. Just imagine Biscuits chasing a cricket a cricket around his cage!

Coco1 · 03-15-2005, 09:56 PM

Just wanted to clarify on what I posted early in case people got the wrong idea... I said that I was a gardener and didn't mind wriggly things.... well that doesn't mean I go out and dig up bugs for my hamster! I have no problems digging up bugs, do it all the time, and even though I garden without pesticides I still would not use bugs out of my garden because who knows where they have been before hand. If using the occasional bug (cricket or mealworm) for your hamster always buy from pet store to be sure they're pesticide free!