FINCHforum

Greetings, again. I have a few questions concerning mealworms: Its a pain in the butt to dig these little suckers out of their substrate, especially when interested finches end up dropping them to the bottom trays after all the hard work. I decided a nice solution would be offering the mealworms in some way they can dig for them on their own. So I found a large plastic lid with high enough edges that a 100 count container of worms could be dumped in such a way that they are spread out enough to allow for some foraging, but deep enough so that the worms can still move around in the substrate (hopefully keeping them alive longer). My question is can this substrate be harmful to the birds? I seem to recall reading somewhere that it is bran?

Also, has anyone had any luck with waxworms? They look pretty nutritious with all that girth, but both the orange cheeks and the owls seem to consider them inedible.

You could transfer the mealworms to a different substrate that you know it is safe. I believe you can use corn meal and/or oatmeal.

I haven't ever tried the waxworms myself.

I just put the worms in a shallow dish that they can't climb out of. They can live for 3 or four days without food.

What kind of dish can't worms crawl out of? Is it very slippery?

I buy small glass bowls at the dollar store--they are about 4" across and 2" deep and very slick. I put mealworms in there with the bran I use to raise them in, and the birds pick thru the bran and get the worms. I have read that the birds like the freshly-molted (white color) worms best, so I have been trying to sift thru the bin finding those for them. I usually give them the smaller worms, but recently had some white color ones that were really big, so gave them to the birds anyway. To my complete amusement, a Blue-capped CB started swallowing this huge worm, and mm by mm, down the hatch with the entire worm!

I've never tried waxworms. My CBs are starting to like whiteworms, which I have been culturing.

When I open the aviary door my weaver comes right over and sits at my feet staring at me. I have a large clear plastic tub that I've filled with bran flakes and wheat germ (about 4"). I just shift the container side to side to expose the worms and pick them out. I toss them in and she's on it. Also, the cut-throats come down and the button quail come over. It's pretty amusing to see the cut-throats hoping around with a worm in his mouth and the quail trying to get it from him. If anybody else wants one they need to step up to the plate otherwise they're eaten. It's fun to feed them like that because it's a bit of interaction which otherwise wouldn't happen.

also, the mealworms will eat apple or potato or banana peel. Just slice it thinly and set it on the top of the substrate and the next day it may be gone. I do that about 2 times per week. I've been buying mail order 3000 meal worms at a time. much cheaper than retail.

I personally hate dealing with the mealworms. Every time I've purchased them, my finches are so unappreciative, that I just stopped trying to get them to eat them.

Now that I have cut throats, maybe I could try again...

I read they need bugs to breed sucessfully, either way they really, really like them.

Has anyone else tried the "freeze dried" meal worms?

I found a small container of them packaged for reptiles.

I offered a few to the Gouldians and well as my society pair. The society's seemed to have eaten them up quickly, while the gouldians mostly picked at them, but did eat a few.