My hamster loves live mealworms and crickets, the spark in her eyes is insane, you see the killer instincts kick in haha, never seen her do that with the dried ones.
Oh my...crush the head...yeah, I'll stick to freeze dried :) Very informative, thanks for sharing! By the way, love your new haircut! You look great, as always!
Kristen Brynd I don’t see why. Hamsters aren’t inept. They eat plenty of bugs in the wild. They know how to kill and eat a bug. Also mealworms don’t actually bite hard.
@@lookingforwhiteprivilege9330 yes they do, mealworms have very strong jaws and even for reptiles such as leopard geckos (who primarily eat mealworms) the head is removed before live feeding
Mr. Montes mealworms do bite hard. They have been known to eat through their cheek if they pouch it. Same with lizards if they don’t eat them properly!
Erin, you calm me down so much, if I do something wrong u are like "dont worry guys" ahh u have such a calming channel :) Sorry if that sounded weird...
My brother owns a Leopard Gecko, and because of this quarantine he's had to feed him many mealworms, instead of your average crickets. I basically cut off the live mealworms' heads (I don't wanna crush them so I just got rid of it altogether) and fed 3 to my Winter White Hamster. My hamster loves it! I highly recommend them. I'm going to start doing this every other day! However, I love to refrigerate the worms so they aren't moving when you're trying to prepare them. Loved the video, very informative!
I feed dried mealworms for my hammy, about 4 / day A great addition of protein, since I noticed that the food I'm giving her right now is lacking protein a bit so luckily I have mealworms as a protein bomb for her :) I think I could also try out making dehydrated mealworms for her!
@@rengoku3636 it’s not harmful to your hamster giving them everyday,but i prefer only like 4 times a week (Hegdehogs are much more insectivores than hamsters but the recommended for Hegdehogs is only like 4 a week)
My little guy LOVESS live mealworms & as an added bonus it seems to be helping with the taming process! (as I've only had him a few days). Thanks for this video :)
Hi Erin, I know this doesn't relate to hamsters but, your videos have shown me and moi parents how much I know about hamsters, I binge watched your hamster care videos, and now we are making a d.i.y large hamster cage in the future. Thank you a lot, my family is brown so we don't agree easily to pets. I'm really happy
I have been wanting a video on this forever! Thanks so much Erin! I've been feeding my baby dried mealworms, but I was wondering about all the other types.
1:00 sorry,mealworms aren’t bad for hamsters,they don’t really bite hard,probably you are confusing super worms (that are bigger and they can bite hard to Hegdehogs or hamsters) that are similar in appearence but they are bigger and more red
I did not know you could give that many. The research I did said only 1-2 a week. I currently do not have a hamster but this info is still very good to know since I do advice other people on proper animals care for a variety of animals.
You can sometimes find live ones in the fishing section of stores in a fridge. I know I have bought them at Walmart before. You can also order them in bulk online.
Hello Erin. Do you have an opinion on wax worms for hamsters. Meal worms have something called chitin from their exoskeleton, and I am wondering if my hamster will digest it properly and if there's a chance it may cause impaction over time??? Just curious.
No,it’s not a natural part of a hamster diet since mealworms are from other part of the world,hamsters do eat earwigs,crickets,wasp larvae,earthworms and sometimes scorpions
I tried dried mealworms with my dwarf hamster Daisy, she absolutely loves them. I am happy that I followed your advice on getting died. No way I could do live do to being squeamish
Hello Erin! Im a little late to this video, just found your channel today, but i have a question. I raise red wriggler worms to use their castings as plant food. I feed them nothing but veggie and fruit scraps and im wondering if they would be okay to use instead of meal worms for hamster protein. What do you think?
I never knew hamsters could eat meal worms! I was thinking he would ignore them but my hamster loved them so much he snatched them out of my hand while i was trying to put them in his food! I didnt have to go to a store to get them because my brother has a bearded dragon.. but anyways my hamster LOVES mealworms
Its kinda funny cuz my hamster LOVEEEE mealworms,Like when she just hear i open the jar she instanrly come from their deepest tunels and just jump everywhere like dog to get one.
Hi Erin! Love your videos! I know this is a super older video but if I ever have a specific hamster question or concern, I always look back at your videos on the topic! I just recently starting watching a channel called SimiTV. He was showing his hamsters eating mealworms for the first time and I had english closed captioning on. I'm hoping it was just a mix up in the translation because it said "Mealworm is good nutrition because it is a high protein snack for hamsters, but should not be fed much because over consumption can cause tumor or health problems." I've found no literature linking mealworm consumption or over consumption to tumors... but it did freak me out. As you do, I give my hamster 5-6 mealworms with every fresh food feeding. Have you or anyone reading this heard this before???? I'm a concerned hamster mom! lol
I've been thinking I want to give my hamster dried or rehydrated mealworms for more protein. What website do you recommend me to buy them? The regular Ebay or Amazon??
Live mealworms are much more better but if you don’t want to the worm feel pain (they don’t really feel pain like vertebrates,but okay) crush the heads,live mealworms will not harm the hamster,they may bite but will be only like a pain of a vaccine for the hamster lol.
Ive been feeding my hamster only higgins sunburst seed mix but I'm going to get mazuri rat and mouse pellets and dried mealworms and add those to his diet
You can find dried mealworms in the chicken isle in any store like lowes or tractor supply co. (USA). I have chickens and they're great treats for hamsters and chickens :)
Hi I need some opinion. The hamsters I'm taking care of are *Really* obsessed with meal worms. They wouldn't eat anything and rather starve if I don't feed them meal worms.
If your hamster doesn’t like mealworms, should I try other insects? I don’t want to deprive my hamster of any protein but he also just had no interest in it.
I ordered dry meat worms from amazon. I just fed her the meal worms with hydrating them in water. I read on a amazon review that you have to put them in the refrigerator...do I have to?
I feed my 3 Russian dwarf hamsters a couple moist (rehydrated) mealworms a day for all of them, because Russian dwarf hamsters are very energetic and need a lot of protein. I get them in a can in the reptile section of Petsmart. Although I only got my hamsters less than a week ago, Noir has grown accustom to them, and Dumpling seems to like them, but Pudge has yet to show an interest. And don’t worry, they have a massive 900 square inch bin cage that’s a great size for them and if they ever fight or seem to really anxious by each other as they grow older, I have a back up 450 square inch bin cage pretty much ready to go!
You can purchase live crickets and (I think) live mealworms in the sports & fishing section of Wal-Mart, if those in the US are looking since haven't seen them in the grocery stores here.
My mealworms have passed the expiration date on the package, does this mean i cant feed them to my hamster even tho they're freeze dried? Ive looked all over the net if mealworms can expire but found nothing :/
It depends how far over the date they are. Expiration dates are just an estimation made by the manufacturer to tell you when the food will be freshest, so there is no problem with using food that is just a few weeks or a couple of months past as long as everything looks/smells normal to you. Try to use your own judgement with them, if they still seem fine then there should be no reason why you can't feed them to your hamster :)
Are Mario Worms okay? They are just a bigger version of mealworms, I know its pretty gross but i gave my hamster a mario worm once, and by cutting it up and crushing the head i think it was okay?
I love your new haircut, just curious if you know, how do wild hamsters eat live mealworms/insects if they would bite them because they eat them whole? 🐹❤️
+1999nutmeg Thank you :) They just take the risk. There are many things wild hamsters do that are risky, it's one of the reasons they have shorter lives than pet hamsters.
Erin, I've always loved your videos, however hearing you say that you need to crush live meal works heads makes me wonder about other advise as this is not exactly correct. It is true as you mentioned that their bites can damage pouches, however hamsters will bite and kill the meal worm before pouching. Or eat the mealworm whole on the spot. Crushing the heads is completely unessisary for most hamsters
+rebecca669 The reason owners are always advised to crush the heads is because there have been incidents where hamsters have been injured by them, though for most this probably isn't a problem for some it is and it's much better to be safe rather than sorry. There's no harm in taking caution :)
***** If you check out the reptile section of pet shops you should be able to find a bowl that is designed to keep wriggly creatures inside it. They are a little pricey but it will stop any mealworms from getting into the bedding :)
I recently got 2 dwarf hamsters about 3 weeks ago and one of them is smaller than the other and she finds it hard to get up the plastic slides/ramps. Is there anything I can put on the slides to stop her from slipping?
Also, I have a few beetles because i raised and bred the mealworms, are these okay to feed hamsters? I haven't given my hamster one yet but i wanted to know.
hi Erin I am getting a new hamster cage for my Syrian female short haired hamster I have a critter traile 360 and I am thinking about the zoo zone 2 since it's huge and it fits even a 11 inch comfort wheel wich is what I am getting for layla (my hamster) what are you thoughts on the zoo zone 2
+Azura Forestglen Tame is quite a broad term and everyone has different interpretations, but if you can safely hold it in your open palm without it freaking out/biting then I would consider that tame :)
ErinsAnimals I'm going to get a hamster next week, and was curious about bathing hamsters. I have seen hamster shampoo, but I'm afraid it might damage their eyes. Do you have any suggestions on bathing hamsters? thx.
+Jensen Wunderlich Hamsters cannot be bathed in water as it can make them sick. You can use sterilized sand sold in pet shops or sterilized children's play sand, just make sure it's sand and not dust. Hope this helped :)
My little guy eats everything! He ate a dead spider I forgot to remove from the floor and I have seen him track down an ant. I am mortified because I don't know where those bugs have been. Hopefully I can get my hands on mealworms so I don't feel like he is being deprived, ha ha
i did some research about mealworms and breeding.. its really easy but i cant find any information about how to dry them.. i could put them in the oven but idk how long.. can you give me some information about drying mealworms at home and how to prepare them before you give them to your hamster.. maybe you dont have an answer.. but i cant find anything about how to do it at home when its for hamsters.. please give me some advice..
I really love your hair style and color. You look absolutely beautiful and it brings out your lovely eyes. I also love when you have dark hair color. keep this cut, it's gorgeous. As always thank you soooo much for all your great and very helpful hamster info. Love ya😊 from hamstermommy (Ny)
I made those peanut butter cookies for my puppy she loves them! I only did half the recipe and it took me almost an hour making those little balls lol!
My hamster is no fussy eater but he only eats half a meal worm. We are feeding him dried ones. Is there any thing I can do to get him to eat a whole one because I'm scared he'll become a fussy eater. (He's a Syrian hamster called Bobby and he's a male)
Hi, did any of your hamsters ever ended up with kidney disease at old age due to eating too much mealworm as they are high in protein? I am worried that might be feeding them too much protein. How long your hamsters lived? I am more interested in Syrians hamster health and longevity and their protein intake. thank you!
Hi, fortunately we've never experienced any kidney problems with our hamsters. Of the 29 hamsters we've raised here only 4 passed away of illness/at a young age - euthanasia due to tumours at 14 months, sudden heart failure at 6 months, fatal seizure at 9 months, brain aneurysm at 1 year (all of these were dwarfs). The rest had natural passings after displaying clear and increasing symptoms of old age for many weeks and ages ranging between 18 - 28 months old. We've only raised 6 Syrians, all of them passed naturally around 2 years old. If I recall correctly only 2 had medical problems but both were related to allergies and were otherwise healthy their entire lives. Our current living Syrian is 23 months as of Feb 2024 and is fed a high protein diet (with dried insects being provided almost daily) but she is also offered a lot of muscle-based exercising opportunities and is very active in them so additional protein is necessary for her. If she was less active she wouldn't need as much. The Hammingway website has a fantastically detailed page about hamster diets citing studies and reputable sources, it includes very helpful information about protein requirements as well as this quick reference guide: "For hamsters under 6 months, we recommend they receive about 18-25% protein. For hamsters between 6-18 months, we recommend they receive about 15-20% protein. For hamsters above 18 months, we recommend they receive about 12-15% protein." www.thehamingway.com/foodmix/guide/nutritional-requirements Definitely check out the full article as I think you'll find the information really helpful :)
I've just got a new roborovski hamster, he's 5 months old and is very scared, but he's also refusing to try any fruit and veg, and also won't take any type of food out of my hand. Therefore I can't start the taming process and i'm unsure on what to do, someone please help :)
Erin! I need help- please! My hamster around an hour ago I believe went into hibernation/topor- He wasn't responding to my touch and I turned off the air/fan and put the cage on a blanket- he woke up within a few minutes and I decided to clean his cage so he could get extra bedding and he decided not to eat and went into a corner and when I pet him he growls a bit and pops up his head and thats it. He is 2 1/2, Syrian, and is already blind and has a stomach tumor... Is it possibly his time?
Wow, I'm about to get a hamster and I've been doing ALOT if research, we went to Petco (not to adopt I'll never get a animal from a petstore I only adopt from rescues or breeders) to get some supplies and I saw a small booklet saying everything about hamsters (dwarfs) and I went through the book and it says they DO NOT eat insects...I'm so glad I decided to do more research than listening to the book...😀
when i heard to crush the heads of the mealworms i was like "nah,i have a much more easy way" i cut the heads of and leave then for like a minute and then feed it to my hamster,lol
