Worms

[Shellyofutsa]

Re: I use a spoon or tweezers to move Superworms around. I have a mini farm in the back of a closet in a plastic ventilated container in a box. I put them in oatmeal or wheat as soon as I get them from the pet store. Then I add an orange, plum, or apple to the container. The fruit is a liquid source for the worms. It is important to know that mealworms will eat each other if they do not have a liquid source. Some stores write the date on the container….but some do not. The lives worms are usually malnourished before I get to them. The worms fatten up really quickly. You have to feed them to your hedgie in a few days if you do not know when the worms were harvested...or you may get pupae.

Please make sure that your hedgie eats the worms. Mealworms and Superworms and Mealworms have been rumored (so I am not sure if this is true) to chew on animals while they sleep….including us (people)!

I am a novice. I welcome any feedback :shy:

[herbiesmom]

Do you break their heads off before you feed them to the hedgies? I read somewhere that they can actually survive to eat through a hedgies gut. I always feed my boys small meal worms but last time I went to the pet store they only had medium mealies. Now my boys love them because they are fat little worms but I noticed their poop smells really bad. :dunno:

[hemi_mygirl]

I have no experience with this other than that Superworms can be a pretty dangerous thing for hedgehogs - they fight back. My hedgehog is scared of mealies, and refuses to eat them.

[Mouser'sMommie]

Do you break their heads off before you feed them to the hedgies? I read somewhere that they can actually survive to eat through a hedgies gut. I always feed my boys small meal worms but last time I went to the pet store they only had medium mealies. Now my boys love them because they are fat little worms but I noticed their poop smells really bad. :dunno:

My hog's poop ALWAYS smells REALLY REALLY bad. I just assumed that is how hedgie poop is. I only give mealies every so often, so could it be that his diet is missing something and that is why his poo is so foul? :dunno:

[Shellyofutsa]

Osiris is a really mean heggie. He jumps on the worms and holds it down. Then he chomps down on it from the middle of its body. He eats it like lions eat food in the wild. I should have named him Jekyll and Hyde because after he eats he is very agreeable.He lets people pet him and sniffs around. Then he does a little dance and stuffs his head in a toilet paper roll. lol

Does anyone else have a heggie that can bounce 1/2 foot in the air...or is it just me?

[AlbertaGirl]

Do you break their heads off before you feed them to the hedgies? I read somewhere that they can actually survive to eat through a hedgies gut.

That's actually not true. Between the animal chewing them up and the digestive acids in the stomach, no worm can survive in an animal's stomach to eat through them. Superworms are approved as a safe feeder for many kinds of reptiles, and in all my years I have never seen an actual instance of a superworm or any other kind of feeder worm eating through an animal's stomach. I think this rumour stems from the fact that a superworm's head is mostly composed of chitin which is harder to digest, and thus the heads often get pooped out whole. It's still dead though! :winkgrin:

My hog's poop ALWAYS smells REALLY REALLY bad. I just assumed that is how hedgie poop is. I only give mealies every so often, so could it be that his diet is missing something and that is why his poo is so foul?

I don't know about hedgehogs, but in some species of reptiles really stinky poo can indicate internal parasites. Maybe someone with more specialized hedgie knowledge will know if it is the same for hedgehogs. :dunno:

[hemi_mygirl]

Hedgehog poop sometimes smells more strongly because of a change in food. When I started switching Hemi to a new kibble, her poop smelled awful. When she got used to the food, the smell went away. I wouldn't doubt that some hedgehogs have more sensitive tummies, and mealies or other treats could make their poop smell worse. I'd just monitor it.

[LoriL]

Osiris is a really mean heggie. He jumps on the worms and holds it down. Then he chomps down on it from the middle of its body. He eats it like lions eat food in the wild. I should have named him Jekyll and Hyde because after he eats he is very agreeable.He lets people pet him and sniffs around. Then he does a little dance and stuffs his head in a toilet paper roll. lol

Does anyone else have a heggie that can bounce 1/2 foot in the air...or is it just me?

:rofl: What a visual! Are you serious? Your hedgie can bounce?

Lucy kind of slurps up her mealworms-they never know what hit 'em! I don't think she even chews them up. But, I buy the tiny mealworms.

[herbiesmom]

I believe the person who posted about the super worms being dangerous was a long time Hedgie breeder. I will see if I can find that again.

[Vampira_666]

I just want to state that the super worm eating through a hedgehogs stomach is FALSE-- it is impossible-- the only thing a super worm could do is bite back and not even that bad-- and if ppl dont know the small ones can actually bite also-- but most ppl dont relize it becasue it is such a small bite it doesnt leave a mark or anything-- I have fed superworms to my hogs and have NEVER had any troubles! there are ALOT of hedgehog owners and breeders that feed superworms as well!