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Post by Laurerz on May 18, 2013 11:45:27 GMT -8
My other half got some meal-worms (to my dismay!) a while ago and it's become pretty clear they're my boys favourite treats. Sometimes though he'll get a bit carried away and give several at a time to each of my boys. I know they're high in protein but should I tell him to tone it down? I don't want to make them ill. If they're fine, please let me know  if they should be monitored that's fine too. They go mad for them so they instantly nibble them straight away  Also my partner is thinking of getting some live meal-worms (they will not be kept in the house!) some are pretty large and wiggly. I'd object but whatever makes them happy, eh  I'm wondering if they'll like these or think more "wth" and leave them? Will they like them more/less? Does anyone have any experience with them? Thanks in advance |
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Feeona
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Starting a new adventure
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Post by Feeona on May 18, 2013 13:52:46 GMT -8
I think once a week as a treat should be OK. I don't do live meals as I have the E-Coli fear, I just stick to canned crickets. |
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nzcage
Member
How many gerbils is too many gerbils? D:
Posts: 701
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Post by nzcage on May 18, 2013 14:58:55 GMT -8
After hearing a story about a poor wee hedgey having his insides eaten by one that wasn't quite dead yet, I'll never get the live worms. Mealworms should be given only once or twice a week- most gerbils will know when they've had enough, although some will chance it a bit! |
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Post by Laurerz on May 18, 2013 15:12:35 GMT -8
Oh, wow. This is not good news. I read that they liked them so I left him too it (assumed that's what they'd be like in the 'wild' eating bugs all the time ) but as far as I know he's been giving ALOT more than one once a week  I think today alone they ate six or something in a row... >.< Bless them, I think they'll be getting a lot less of there favourite treat...! No live ones it is, thought i'd ask, you know how men are Otherwise I'll just be picturing a scene from aliens with a gerbil instead!  Not cool! Is there anything else someone can suggest that I don't have to worry about? I'd like to give them something more... natural? to their normal instincts if that makes sense? Maybe I'm just weird! |
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Feeona
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Starting a new adventure
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Post by Feeona on May 18, 2013 16:28:20 GMT -8
Well, you can give them live meal worms and crickets, it's just all about preference.
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nzcage
Member
How many gerbils is too many gerbils? D:
Posts: 701
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Post by nzcage on May 18, 2013 16:31:06 GMT -8
I'm sure the story of the hedgehog was very rare, but it was something I couldn't forget. I'm sure lots of people on here do feed live worms. Some also feed live crickets. In the wild, gerbils would occasionally eat wee beasties, but they're not a big part of their diet. Gerbils are more prey than predators, I'm not sure how strong their hunting instincts are.
When we first tried mealworms, Fang got a lot more than he should have- we were trying to tame him (he was aggressive) and mealworms were the only thing he fancied more than my fingers! I know better now though, and somehow now that he gets them less often, he isn't so crazy about them :S
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Post by Demonic Hope on May 18, 2013 19:02:12 GMT -8
After hearing a story about a poor wee hedgey having his insides eaten by one that wasn't quite dead yet, I'll never get the live worms. Mealworms should be given only once or twice a week- most gerbils will know when they've had enough, although some will chance it a bit! Nzcage I believe that was a superworm that ate the hedgehog from the inside. Or at least that's the version I heard. I know my ex use to feed superworms to his lizards and he'd always crush the head because he said they could kill a lizard or at least do some major damage with their powerful jaws. |
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nzcage
Member
How many gerbils is too many gerbils? D:
Posts: 701
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Post by nzcage on May 19, 2013 1:29:29 GMT -8
Thanks Demonic Hope, It may well have been a superworm- makes more sense than a meal worm! Still spooked me though Crushing the head is a good idea- takes away the chase, but they still get the fresh worm |
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Post by MoonstoneGerbils on May 19, 2013 6:43:25 GMT -8
There is a myth about mealworms/ superworms that is perpetuated by the internet. My "pet" (insert hedgehog, gecko, bearded dragon... whatever)... had a mealworm chew out of it stomach, and then my "pet" died. Just look up "mealworm myths" on your google search bar. You'll see a lot of people propagating the myth, and then you'll see others discrediting it.
The long of it is this. Animals chew their food, and for good reason, it makes the food easier to digest. So when animals eat bugs they chew them... literally to death. Stomachs have acid in them, of a very low pH. Even if the acid didn't dissolve the insect, it will suffocate/drown the insect. Really the whole process of being eaten alive is rather gruesome process explicitly designed to kill whatever is being eaten. Really there are only a few things that handle being eaten and come out alive. Many of these are seeds and intestinal parasites, of which almost all of them are obligated to go through this process of digestion in order to leave the spore form (egg/seed) of their life cycle..
Now, what a meal worm will do... if you have mealworms in the tank with the pet, and that pet happens to die, the mealworm will eat the cadaver.
Gutloaded mealworms are always better. Mealworms purchased from a store are being fed... wood shavings. In order to gutload them you need to get them on a gut loading diet, cause ultimately the most nutritious part of a mealworm is what's inside it.
Freeze dried mealworms are a favorite treat of my gerbils, and it is a core part of their diet. But my gerbils will go nuts for a live one. I even have a few male gerbils that enjoy "hunting" live crickets.
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Post by Laurerz on May 19, 2013 7:18:12 GMT -8
Oooh, maybe I'll let the bloke get a (very very) small lot of them, I think it would be a fun activity for them more than anything  Will start with the small ones I think, I keep having images of them wrestling it like a python *shrug* The only thing that gives me the heebie jeebies is that I think after a while they turn into beetles? I wouldn't want any loose beetles scurrying about the tank...! |
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Post by ninestone on May 19, 2013 9:21:02 GMT -8
Our girls get 2 live ones each once a week. They eat them up immediately, and seem to really enjoy them.
When I first gave them some, they seemed unsure about them and would pick up the mealworm and "taste" it, then drop it. I left the mealworms in the tank, and kind of worried about them turning into beetles and running around! However, I never saw any beetles and if I left the mealworms in a container, they always disappeared. So I'm pretty sure they were getting eaten. Now, they take mealworms from our hand and chow down immediately!
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Post by streetwisegerbil on May 27, 2013 6:57:18 GMT -8
Bought some dried ones to try. Not one of my 7 showed any interest at all. Quite disappointed as I was expecting them to hoover them up with gusto.
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nzcage
Member
How many gerbils is too many gerbils? D:
Posts: 701
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Post by nzcage on May 27, 2013 9:12:23 GMT -8
Fang wouldn't eat them at first, try leaving one in their tank for a while and they'll investigate eventually |
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Post by streetwisegerbil on May 27, 2013 9:42:01 GMT -8
I thought of that but they look like maggots!  And thought they would freak me out if I saw one and 'forgot'  What it was. I suppose they will get crushed and subsumed in all the bedding so will give it a go and make mental note to self not to screech if I suddenly come across one.  |
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Post by eaturbyfill on May 28, 2013 16:17:26 GMT -8
I've been thinking about trying these with my rats, now I might give it a shot with my gerbs. They're awfully picky, though.
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if they should be monitored that's fine too. They go mad for them so they instantly nibble them straight away 
I'm wondering if they'll like these or think more "wth" and leave them? Will they like them more/less? Does anyone have any experience with them? Thanks in advance 
I think today alone they ate six or something in a row... >.< Bless them, I think they'll be getting a lot less of there favourite treat...!
Not cool! Is there anything else someone can suggest that I don't have to worry about? I'd like to give them something more... natural? to their normal instincts if that makes sense? Maybe I'm just weird! 
Will start with the small ones I think, I keep having images of them wrestling it like a python *shrug* The only thing that gives me the heebie jeebies is that I think after a while they turn into beetles? I wouldn't want any loose beetles scurrying about the tank...!
And thought they would freak me out if I saw one and 'forgot' 
What it was. I suppose they will get crushed and subsumed in all the bedding so will give it a go and make mental note to self not to screech if I suddenly come across one. 
