Superworms?

[jessran_88]

I just read this article and was wondering if there was any truth to it?

http://www.hamorhollow.com/content/view/39/36/

At the bottom of the article it has a note about how a superworm can live and bite through the stomache of a hedgehog.
I have seen a hedgehog eat a superworm--I doubt it would have survived the teeth but was curious.

Jessica

[teela1342]

Yeah, I have heard this from several different sources. It sounds crazy, but I don't really want to risk it. Jake is a really enthusiastic eater and I have seen him swallow a mealie whole. No manners at all.

I have heard that people cut the heads off the worms before feeding them. I have also heard of people freezing them first. I just don't bother feed superworms at all.

[Pippin'sMom]

Ug, that's disgusting. I don't feed superworms anyway, they scare me. :| Now I suppose I have reason.

[Ginger]

Ug, that's disgusting. I don't feed superworms anyway, they scare me. :| Now I suppose I have reason.

Just a little mealie disgust me ! :rolleyes: Put many spiders on me, I won't say a single word, but not a worm.

My boyfriend is very nice and he is "the responsable" of the worms here ! :love:

But I think that it is possible to have a "worm's farm". I know a person (a courageous boy) who have one. :laugh:

[HedgieSpirit]

It seems to me that a super worm shouldn't be able to survive in stomach acids but the fact that they can bite is reason enough for me not to feed them.

[Jessicy]

That is the most yiky thing i can think of....why would you do that to your baby?

[samantha_84]

Anything that your hedgie eats will be quickly killed by stomach acids...but superworms are pretty big and they can bite..so I wouldn't feed them personally...but only for the latter reasons, certainly not worried about them chewing their way out!! :)

Samantha

[Nancy]

There was a thread on the superworm controversy a while back.

Yes there is talk that they can chew their way out of the stomach but when you think about it, hedgies chew up the worm while eating it so it is dead before it gets to the stomach. Even if it wasn't the stomach acids would very quickly kill it.

There was also discussion on them being injected with growth hormones which make them sterile but there were people posting to say that they had successfully bred their super worms, so that was proved to be false also at least in a couple of cases.

I personally don't give superworms simply because many of our hedgies are scared of them. Heck, I would be too. :laugh:

[Ododad]

I usually get the large size from Flukers online but have feed the super size at times. I have never been bitten by a super worm and from the way Odo attacks and chews them up, I don't see how they could survive the experience.

[Kalandra]

I wouldn't feed superworms anyway due to their size... however I thought the biggest worry with superworms eating their way through a stomach was mostly targeted at reptiles who swallow their food whole.

I personally like the medium sized mealworms. When they are smaller I can give more to the hedgehogs, and they will grow if you feed them into the larger size. Just my preference.