Live Mealworms Dangerous???

[soon2bhedge4me]

I brought my 9 week old male hedgie home today :applause: :blob1: and the breeder warned me not to feed live Mealworms. She said they could swallow them whole and they might stay alive and eat through their stomachs! This sounds like a myth if I ever did hear one, can anyone verify this? Is it safe to give my baby live mealies? Also the breeder was feeding Techni-Cal cat food, the first 3 ingredients of which are chicken meal, ground rice and ground corn. I picked some up so as not to switch foods drasticly, but need to know what are the best foods to use available on the Canadian market. I do not think this is one of them, but can I still mix it with whatever new food until it is used up? THX in advance.

[paris26]

I wouldn't be to concerned about feeding mealies to your baby. Especially if they are the regular mealies! Have you seen your hedgie eat a mealie! I guarentee that there won't be enought left to "eat through the stomach" I have heard concern about feeding superworms (think mealies on steroids) to hogs because they can bite back! I've been bit before and it's not the most pleasant experience.
Let me do a search and find some threads about foods available in Canada

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46484&highlight=Canadian+foods

[PrettyHate]

Hedgies chew their food, therefore I wouldnt be too worried about it. Like Tawana said, especially if they are just the regular meal worms. If they are superworms, you might want to cut the head off, because they do "bite", but I dont believe that the worm would survive the chomping of the hedgies teeth, and therefore dont think it would pose any threat.

I have heard this same thing though for reptiles. I dont know if it is actually true or not. What I tell people is that if your animal doesnt chew their food (Ie Leopard gecko) it wouldnt hurt to cut the heads of superworms off.

EDIT- Ive never heard of that cat food...but here are some that many here on CnQ use (including myself): Wysong, Wellness Adult, Wellness Lite, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul, Buffalo Blue, Royal Canin Slim 38. Basically, look for something with good ingredients ( no by products) The first ingredient should be a meal meal (chicken meal, lamb meal etc) Chicken is the easiest to digest. The food should be low in fat. Hedgies diet should contain about 15% fiber over all.

Hope that helps some :) You might also want to check out the Diet and Nutrition section, it has alot more info on good foods, and proper hedgie diet. It also goes into alot more detail than what I just said.

Luck :)

[hedgewood]

where are you from in canada

[Schmuzzle's Mom]

I'm in Edmonton Alberta Canada and have been able to find all of the above mentioned brands of cat food and many other optional supplies. Where exactly are you located? pet smart carried good accessories & bedding choices, but shop for price as some other pet stores are sometimes cheaper.

[Vanth1]

I have also heard this abot mealies!
I don't know if it is true, but if you are really worries you can cut off their heads or freeze them and then defrost them in cool water.
I just feed my characters live mealies because hedgies do chew them so that they die before they can do any damage. One person told me that the head can still live even if the animal chews, but I think is crazy......and creepy!!!!!

[CoquiMom]

Mealworms can and do chew through stomachs. They also can go through plastic and drywall. I have seen the normal mealworms in my mealworm farm eat through the plastic lids I use for placing carrot and potato chunks on. Mainly the problem is the superworms and reptiles. Frogs swallow their food whole and several species of tree frogs had the problem with the superworms. I personally would not feed the superworms to my animals, there is some debate regarding their chemical alteration and what it could mean to the animals that eat them.

[M4Tt]

I feed my leopard gecko(chameleon, tarentula, skunk gecko etc...) with superworms and I never had problems, and she dosen't swallow it, she crunch them before... I realy don't think it is possible and A LOT of people told me that this was only a myth. I never been bit by a superwom... even tough it is possible. Meal worm can't eat trough plastic, well I got a colony here and they are in little plastic containers and they never bite trough it. Maybe it is possible, but I Highly doubt it.

[wolf1268]

OK, maybe this will help. I am also a reptile breeder and have fed millions of mealworms and superworms to reptiles and never, and I meen never had this happen. You have to remember that if the teeth do not kill the worm, the stomach acid will. Hedgehogs eat these insects in the wild and are built for this type of diet. The teeth of a hedge hog and most lizards make short work of a mealie or super, but again if they do not, the stomach acid kills them or finishes them off. So please do not worry about this, it is not true.



Ed :banghead:


Mealworms can and do chew through stomachs. They also can go through plastic and drywall. I have seen the normal mealworms in my mealworm farm eat through the plastic lids I use for placing carrot and potato chunks on. Mainly the problem is the superworms and reptiles. Frogs swallow their food whole and several species of tree frogs had the problem with the superworms. I personally would not feed the superworms to my animals, there is some debate regarding their chemical alteration and what it could mean to the animals that eat them.

[CoquiMom]

Meal worm can't eat trough plastic, well I got a colony here and they are in little plastic containers and they never bite trough it. Maybe it is possible, but I Highly doubt it.

I can post a picture if you would like of the plastic lids that the mealworms have eaten. I too keep my worms in plastic containers. There is no reason for the mealworms to go through the plastic of the container and the plastic is thicker than the lids but they can go through plastic and other things.

I believe Melissa Kaplan has the superworm warning and links to someone's site with pictures of one that killed a frog.

I have been "bit" by a superworm, not exactly pleasant feeling but no marks other than a red spot.

Snake breeders don't feed live food because live food can bite the snake and make it food shy later. This is the only thing I would worry about with a hedgehog and I don't really think I would recommend a superworm for anything smaller than my skunks.