the first meal they have enjoyed

ColleenT

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Since i brought them home they have not shown much interest in eating but today i offered apple, Tomato, and tiny mealworms. the package said large mealworms. But there were tiny ones instead. Oh well. next time i lift the lid before i buy them.

Bernadette ate some mealworms then dove into the tomato. Wolowitz tried to bite a mealworm and got a mouth full of apple, twice. but he ate it.

turtfeedaptommeal_zps2haak04x.jpg


Berntomato_zpspywqmj4j.jpg
 

dmmj

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Big Bang Theory fan by any chance?
 

MPRC

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Yay! Food! If they start to have 'favorite' foods you can cut up the less favorite stuff really small and mix it with the yummy stuff to get some variety into them. I'm glad they are eating for you.
 

gabby.santana

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I watched a YouTube video about meal worms and this reptile expert for geckos said meal worms are not a good food for them because they have exoskeletons that can plug up the animal due to their short intestines and lead to extreme constipation.

I try not to feed them to my boxie because of this.
 

lisa127

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I use mealworms quite a bit. It's not a problem. Also, if you do not refrigerate the mealworms they will grow pretty fast to the size you want.
 

MPRC

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I have used mealworms without issue for 20 years. Given the option I try to feed freshly molted worms, but I can't imagine them causing an impaction as part of a varied diet in a healthy animal. I haven't offered any to Ruby yet.
 

lisa127

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Superworms can also be offered to adult box turtles. I have always stayed away from giant mealworms though.
 

MPRC

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I believe that standard white button mushrooms are the go-to for most people.
 

ColleenT

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Thanks for the feedback everyone. i appreciate it. Will give them mealworms but not all the time. i want them to try to eat more of a variety.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Good luck, my gulf Boxie only likes worms. But, I tried some deer meat and he ate it up, the first time. I tried mixing finely chopped greens and he will smell and eat some of it. Sure is hard to try and get them to eat, specially greens
 

ColleenT

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yes i did try nightcrawlers one time. And OMG i freaked out. i heard them chomping and the worm was still not dead. Grossed me out so bad. I will give them worms on occasion, but i will hate it. Not that i'm a worm lover, i just hate to know something is suffering.
 

lisa127

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yes i did try nightcrawlers one time. And OMG i freaked out. i heard them chomping and the worm was still not dead. Grossed me out so bad. I will give them worms on occasion, but i will hate it. Not that i'm a worm lover, i just hate to know something is suffering.
Yeah, it's quite messy. But they love them and they are very nutritious.
 

gabby.santana

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I understand what you mean with the suffering part. I read that worms do not have sophisticated nervous systems therefore do not feel pain. However when they are hurt they do curl themselves horribly and look as if they are in agony.

I usually cut both ends of the worm off with scissors, I really don't know which is the head., so I cut off both to be on the safe side. then I put them in Oliver's food and I actually think cutting them into small pieces works because he is then forced to open his mouth wider to get the small part of the worm and also eats his veggies and fruits.

With whole worms he usually just picks up the living worm and walks away from his plate and only eats the worm.
 

ColleenT

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Good Grief, i could not cut them. I'd have a panic attack. If i feed them worms, i have to place it in the dish, get their attention, and leave the room. maybe the smaller ones won't bother me so much. idk.
 

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My RF's LOOOOOVE waxworms! They are soft and plump. It's just hard to find them. My Petco has had this same dead ones in the fridge since December. I know some people breed their own colonies, but I think waxworms are high in fat and should not be used as routine protein source (or am I wrong?) so for me occasional purchase of them is just more practical. My RF babies never took interest in red wigglers/night crawlers/earth worms, that's really what has started my bioactive substrate deal, uneaten earth worms that seemed to be "happy" living in the substrate
 

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