Can Hamsters Eat Mealworms? (Learn the Surprising Facts!)
Only seeds and grains aren’t adequate for a hamster’s balanced diet. Thus, you may need to feed your pet rodent insects occasionally. But every insect or worm won’t be safe for your pet. Mealworms can be an option as food for hamsters like other rodents.
But, can hamsters eat mealworms? They can eat these worms but in a moderate amount. You can feed them these insects in live or dried form. Generally, feeding the dried form is safer but less beneficial than the live mealworms.
Throughout this article, we will discuss the diet of these rodents and whether they can eat mealworms. Also, we will provide a guide to feed them these worms and a list of the alternatives to mealworms. Thus, keep reading.
Can Hamsters Eat Mealworms with Advantages?
![CAN HAMSTERS EAT MEALWORMS WITH ADVANTAGES](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CAN-HAMSTERS-EAT-MEALWORMS-WITH-ADVANTAGES.webp)
As an omnivorous species, this rodent species can eat these worms, typically larvae of mealworm beetles. But are mealworms good for hamsters? Indeed, feeding these worms to this rodent is safe, but you need to pick the worms appropriately. Let’s know more details:
Advantages Of Feeding Mealworms To Hamsters
This beetle’s larvae are highly nutritious and will provide numerous health benefits to your hamster. Here are those:
- These worms have rich protein content, which strengthens your pet’s muscles.
- They are also exceptionally rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which improve the rodent’s cardiovascular health.
- These larvae are good sources of vitamin B, iron, and potassium.
- When you release a live mealworm in the pet cage, it will forage to catch it. This natural foraging behavior will give it mental and physical stimulation.
Choosing The Right Mealworms For Your Hamster
You can’t feed any random beetle larvae to your furry friend. You need to consider several factors. Follow the following tips to get the right mealworms for your pet hamsters.
- While buying dried beetle larvae from a pet store, avoid buying worms that contain additional flavor, sugar, or salt.
- When buying live mealworms, ensure you buy them from a trustworthy pet store. This will ensure that the worms are not mixed with other harmful insects.
- We always recommend avoiding wild-caught beetle larvae as you won’t know about the quality and hygiene of the worms.
- If your hamster is tiny, choose a smaller size of worms; and a bigger one for a larger hamster. Also, you shouldn’t buy more worms than your pet can consume.
How To Feed Mealworms to Your Hamster?
![HOW TO FEED MEALWORMS TO YOUR HAMSTER](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HOW-TO-FEED-MEALWORMS-TO-YOUR-HAMSTER.webp)
When you are feeding beetle larvae to your pet rodent, consider the following factors:
Proper Preparation Of Mealworms
You need to prepare the worms appropriately before feeding them to your pet. Here are the methods:
- Before 24-48 hours of feeding live forms of these worms to your pet, gut-loading will increase the nutritional value of worms. Leafy greens, baby carrots, and apples will be good options as gut-loading food.
Moreover, avoid feeding the worms foods that are toxic for your pet, like citrus fruits, beans, potatoes, etc.
- Whether you feed your pet live or dried mealworms, ensure the worms are clean, healthy, and hygienic. Otherwise, upon eating, your pet may get sick.
Introducing Mealworms To Your Hamster’s Diet
Initially, you can sprinkle dried beetle larvae on your pet’s regular foods. When the pet gets used to it, serve them a separate bowl with the worms.
Here is a comparison of the nutritional value of dried and live beetle larvae:
Contents | Nutritional Compositions In Live Forms(%) | Nutritional Compositions In Dried Forms(%) |
Water | 62 | 5 |
Protein | 20 | 53 |
Fat | 13 | 28 |
Carbohydrate | 3.1 | 8.5 |
Ash | 1.5 | 4.1 |
Due to the removal of water, the nutritional composition of the dried forms was more than live ones. But, the moistness of the live worms will make it more beneficial for the hamsters.
Thus, if you want to feed your pet live beetle larvae, you can crush the heads of the worms. Because when they pouch the worms inside their cheeks, these worms can bite your pet.
Contrarily, if you want to avoid crashing the worm’s head, ensure your pet is eating the worms right away.
Portion Sizes And Feeding Frequency
If you feed excessive mealworms to your pet, it can cause your pet’s weight gain and obesity. A hamster may eat 4-5 of these worms every day. But, after that, they may refuse their daily foods. Thus, you should feed at most 1-2 at a time.
On average, feeding 1-2 worms as occasional treats with one day gap in between will be best.
Superworms are the slightly larger version of the previous ones. But, can hamsters eat superworms! Yes, they can, but you need to feed your pet a lesser quantity of super worms than the mealworms.
Alternatives To Mealworms For Hamster Nutrition
![ALTERNATIVES TO MEALWORMS FOR HAMSTER NUTRITION](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ALTERNATIVES-TO-MEALWORMS-FOR-HAMSTER-NUTRITION.webp)
You can sometimes serve your pet alternative treats to make them less addictive to the beetle larvae. Some of the most nutritious alternatives are as follows.
Common Insects
Typically, the mealworms are slow; crickets and grasshoppers are way more active and faster than the worms. In this case, your pet will get good physical exercise by chasing the crickets and grasshoppers.
Learn More: Are Crickets Safe for Hamsters
Protein-rich Alternatives
There are also some protein-rich alternatives, like:
- Commercial hamster food will contain a combination of seeds, grains, fruits, and additional vitamins and minerals.
- Cooked chicken or turkey without seasoning will be an excellent source to meet your pet’s protein requirements.
- You can also serve your pet rodent scrambled eggs without adding salt and pepper.
- Tofu is a good source of protein and calcium and is highly beneficial for the bone development of young hamsters.
We will answer a few most common questions about feeding beetle larvae to hamsters.
Are Mealworms Safe For All Types Of Hamsters?
Yes. Mealworms are safe for all types of hamsters. But, larger size worms can be dangerous for smaller breeds.
How Many Mealworms Should I Feed My Hamster?
For larger breeds like Syrian ones, you can feed them 4-5 worms daily. But, you must not provide more than 1-2 small or shredded worms to your dwarf hamster.
Can I Feed My Hamster Mealworms I Find In My Garden?
Avoid feeding your pet any random meal worms you find unless you have harvested them. Those worms may contain harmful parasites and can be unhealthy for your pet rodent.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Feeding Mealworms To Hamsters?
Feeding excessive amounts of these worms can cause many health issues for your pet. Also, they can get addicted to the worms and refuse their daily diet.
How Should I Store And Prepare Mealworms For My Hamster?
You must store the live worms in the refrigerator and the dried ones in dark and cold places. Prepare the beetles’ larvae for your hamster by mixing those larvae with your pet’s normal foods.
Parting Wisdom
Feeding inappropriate insects to your hamster may cause serious health issues in them. We already discussed: can hamsters eat mealworms? Though they can eat this insect, it will be harmful if they overeat.
Therefore, you need to control the portion of insect quantity in their diet. Though they can eat 4-5 mealworms daily, you should give them at most 1-2 at a time.
Relevant Resources:
- https://bugfactory.co.uk/blogs/news/mealworms-a-nutritional-brakdown
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/gut-loading
- https://www.reallywildbirdfood.co.uk/news/post/2023/04/20/are-dried-mealworms-good-for-birds