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Dried Mealworms

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:43 pm
by tobiask190
I give my 2 gouldian finches dried mealworms in a 1 inch cube feeder with an open top. It looks like they like it. However, I find mealworms all over the floor after their done! What should I do to prevent this?

Re: Dried Mealworms

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 8:59 pm
by paul-inAZ
Are they eating any part of the worm or just throwing them around?
How big are the worms? The 'mini' size should be best.
Maybe moistening them with a small spray of water could help. Another suggestion I have not tried is to lightly spray them with olive oil from one of those spray cans sold for frying.

I've tried dried worms and mine have never shown any interest. They are said to like live mealworms if you want to mess with them. Given some time maybe they could learn to like the dry ones.

Re: Dried Mealworms

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:40 am
by tobiask190
paul-inAZ
I've seen them trying to eat the worms, but they usually end up accidentally (or so I think) dropping them on the ground. The mealworms are more or less the length of their beaks. I've also put live mealworms in, but those often end up on the floor as well. Dx

Re: Dried Mealworms

Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 12:43 pm
by DiamondRescue
I am curious as to if you can feed live Mealworms? Mealworms are known for biting the insides of animals in the reptile community. So would this not be the best idea for finches?

Re: Dried Mealworms

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 12:12 pm
by isobea
DiamondRescue - You can definitely feed live mealworms. A lot of our waxbills actually require mini mealworms (also, fruit flies, small spiders and other small insects) when raising their young.
Iso

Re: Dried Mealworms

Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2019 9:25 am
by Dave
Live mealworms are crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle. I've seen finches squish out and eat the mealworm insides, and discard the shell. Finches don't seem to like crunchy.

Not many mealworms would live through that, so post-consumption biting won't be a problem.

Re: Dried Mealworms

Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2019 4:04 pm
by isobea
Dave - I have seen them do that as well. My European goldfinches always just bite the heads off and leave the bodies behind.
The mealworms I buy for my birds come directly from the mealworm farm in Bonsall, CA. I'm lucky to live close enough that I can drive over and pick them up in person. They are minis which don't have a hard shell yet.
Iso