Feeding mealworms to multiple waxbills

[kcfd55]

I couldn't find anything specific to this, other than that one should limit the intake of mealworms to waxbills to a few per day. If you have several in an aviary, how can this limitation come about? Seems that a few birds will get all or most, and others get few or none.

Or do I worry too much ?

Mike

[lovezebs]

kcfd55

Hi Mike...

Personally I get a dish, plunk in around 30-40 mealies, put the dish in the flight and leave the room (at which point it's a free for all massacre).

In the past I have seen birds actually have a tug of war with these poor things...thank the gods that worms can't scream .

There is really no way of knowing who gets how many worms, but I know they all get in on it. I think that if your birds get enough exercise, then they should be ok.

[isobea]

kcfd55 - Hi Mike, I deal with it same exact way as Elana: one dish with a bunch of mini mealworms and when they are gone, they are gone. During the summer, when none of my waxbills are breeding, I hardly feed any at all. Once they start breeding, though, I may offer them two or three times a day depending on the 'demand'.
This past spring I added a pair of European goldfinches to my mixed aviary and I'm sure they would appreciate some starting around May during their breeding season. Right now they just occasionally go to the dish and bite off the head of one or two mealworms (leaving the bodies behind). Oh well.
Iso

[kcfd55]

Elana:

There is really no way of knowing who gets how many worms, but I know they all get in on it. I think that if your birds get enough exercise, then they should be ok.

I was hoping that exercise would be helpful. I suppose that I could get in the aviary and chase the birds around some each week .

Thanks,

Mike

[kcfd55]

Iso:

one dish with a bunch of mini mealworms and when they are gone, they are gone. During the summer, when none of my waxbills are breeding,

I ordered some mini-mealworms from Rainbow Mealworms thinking that the new birds might want some. These are 1/4" worms, and are smaller than I thought they'd be. I don't think that they will last very long.

I'm not, of course, worried about breeding the birds as yet, but want to get them in the best condition that I can.

Thanks,

Mike

[lovezebs]

kcfd55

Please video the bird chasing, I really want to see that... .

[isobea]

kcfd55 - Me, too! I want to see you chasing them!

Boy, you are pro-active! Already ordered mealworms ahead of getting your birds - very impressive. Once your mealworms arrive, add a few pieces of sliced (lengthwise) carrot as a source of 'water'. They should come with some bran for food. Keep them in the fridge so they don't start growing.
Iso

[kcfd55]

Elana:

Please video the bird chasing, I really want to see that... .

That's a good idea! That way I can show the insurance company just EXACTLY how I broke my neck .

Mike

[kcfd55]

Iso:

Once your mealworms arrive, add a few pieces of sliced (lengthwise) carrot as a source of 'water'. They should come with some bran for food. Keep them in the fridge so they don't start growing.

Surprisingly, the worms came in newspaper, not bran. I didn't know that when I ordered, else I would have ordered some bran as well. Can I use the stuff in the grocery store?

I did add the carrot, though. Thanks!

Mike

[isobea]

kcfd55 - Mike, I just checked their website and they are offering 1 pound of 'Mealworm Bran or Bedding' for $2. I guess it is wheat bran (if the picture they have on there is correct). You can probably buy some in your grocery or health food store.
I have never ordered from them so I wasn't aware they might use newspaper for shipping. I am lucky to live close enough to their Bonsall location that I can just drive over and pick some up when needed. The guys who work there, always put some bran in the container after weighing them. So I just assumed they ship them like that, too.
Iso

[Moon]

I'm on another forum where the debate on mealworms became something of an eyeopener. As a treat, I give my birds mealworms maybe twice a month. They've been the source of many a bird owners grief. One owner thought that the bird should only have mealworms and other bugs... Needless to say, the bird didn't look to good at the end of a few months. I don't remember if the bird recovered once placed on the 'proper' diet, but...

It's like only eating ramen noodle for the entirety of your life. Mealworms are like biscuits or junk food to birds. Please, be sparse with it as it serves very little nutritional need for any bird.

[isobea]

Moon - Thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately my waxbills need live food to raise their young. So I am offering mealworms and two dishes in which fruit flies breed. Also they catch spiders and whatever else they might find in my outdoor aviary. Before they started laying eggs, they seemed to be more interested in fruit flies. Right now the mealworms are a clear favorite. My birds still insist on breeding in the wintertime During the off season I hardly ever offer them.
Iso

[kcfd55]

Moon:

Mealworms are like biscuits or junk food to birds.

This is well known, but other options for the necessary (for waxbills, especially when breeding) live food is limited in California. When I get the birds I've ordered, I will try getting fly maggots, as they might be useful. One cannot buy maggots in a pet or bird store around here.

And I think that the high fat content of the worms would be useful for growing babies. Babies of almost any species of animal need a great deal of fat because fat has more calories than other foods, something young creatures need. Fat in breast milk, for example, approaches 60% in some animals.

Fruit flies would be another option, but I would need LOTS of them to be useful. I will do that when it warms up a little, as I think that the birds chasing around for them would be a good thing, and would also be another nutritional option.

Mike