Live Mealworms a Hit

Rolo had an after Christmas treat yesterday evening her first live mealies and she loved them, so much so she nearly took my finger off and once I decided a bowl was a better option than loosing my finger she licked her bowl clean more than twice! She ate the mealies so quickly that I am surprised she actually tasted them!

Now a question as I seem to be getting a little confused!

Should live mealworms be fed in the same quantities as dried (3 to 4 a day) or are the live ones less fattening and can therefore be given more, if more how many?

Thanks and a Happy New Year to all.

Depends on weight. Bodhi doesn't gain weight, so she gets a palmful in her forage tray/rock garden/treat ball (whichever she has), plus whatever she has while she's out, and a couple in her bowl because she waits for them there.

They aren't less fattening when live, but they can be gut-loaded, and therefore be more 'healthy'. They also contain the enzymes used to break down the chitin, which is lost during the freeze-drying process in dried mealworms, so there is a general (in america at least) consensus that while you can only give 3-4 dried a day due to compaction issues, live can be more free-fed.

Obviously, if you have a fatty-hog, you might want to consider roaches, crickets or locusts instead as they are lower in fat (all live, obviously). But for a young hoglet, runner hog, or one that maintains a sensible weight, then up the quantities.

I left Bodhi with my mum for a weekend while I went camping - and she read somewhere that hogs can only have 3-4 live mealworms per day. Apparently Bodhi took those, and then was giving her the "...and where is the rest, pray tell?!!!?" look

Oh, and a top tip for hand-feeding. I hold the mealworm between thumb and index finger, but turn my hand so that when the hog lunges, they hit my thumb-nail rather than flesh. But over time, hogs do get more capable of not trying to eat you as well, occasionally Bodhi's teeth brush my skin, but after the first few being fed nail-first, she calms down from the "OMG, mealies!" state, and is more dainty

Thanks Kiania your advice is much appreciated. Rolo is 14 weeks old and a runner so I will be able to let her have a few more mealies, she will be very pleased!

I feed Neo lots of live mealworms a day, probably more than i should but it is his natural food and he will stop when had enough and does not put on weight . the only thing I do and its working for us is putting them in a bowl, not hand feeding so there is no bites and while he is eating I am touching him (sounds bad this ) but i can cut his nails, touch his ears, between his visor quils, eyes, bum, you name it and he is not huffing or balling up, i can get one leg at a time and cut nails or just pull his leg
he does have a funny spot like a dog and if i touch there his back leg goes up and scratches behind his ear like a dogs

Aww, I wish my hog liked mealies, but I've left them a couple of times and he just ignored them

Brambles loves the mealworms as well, she eats them in record time, and she is very loud eater when she eats them