Can Hamsters Eat Mealworms? (Beetles, Pupae & More)

When we own a Hamster, it is important to provide them with a balanced diet. This means we will need to provide a diverse range of food groups, to prevent them from getting bored. Due to this, owners are constantly looking for a way to add a variation in their Hamster’s diet, but can Hamsters eat mealworms? Let’s find out!

Mealworms make an excellent snack for our Hamsters. Mealworms can be fed live or dead. However, the safest options are the dried mealworms. Live mealworms can sometimes harm our Hamsters. Although mealworms have many health benefits for our Hamsters, overfeeding can result in serious health conditions.

Hamsters have a sensitive digestive system. Therefore, they cannot handle changes very well. You need to pretty careful if you are introducing mealworms in your Hamster’s diet for the first time.

In this article, we will learn all about Hamsters and mealworms. We will understand the benefits and hazards of serving mealworms to our Hamsters. We will also discuss the types of mealworms, which are totally safe for our Hamsters to consume.

Are Mealworms Safe For Hamsters?

Mealworms are totally safe for our Hamsters. However, this does not mean that we can feed it to them everyday. Mealworms should be served as treats only.

We must also keep in mind that , sometimes, mealworms end up biting our Hamsters. Therefore, if your pet has the habit to storing food in his cheek pouches, it is recommended to crush the head of the worm before serving it to them.

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Are Mealworms Good For Hamsters?

Mealworms provide our Hamsters with some health benefits. Some of the common health benefits of mealworms for our Hamsters include:

• Excellent Source Of Protein: Mealworms are packed with proteins, which helps our Hamster’s body to build and repair essential tissues. Besides this, it also aids to make enzymes, hormones, and other chemicals in the body.
• Rich In Iron: Iron present in mealworms helps to maintain a robust digestive system. This, in turn, helps to prevent anemia in our Hamsters. Besides this, iron also helps in transporting oxygen throughout the body.
• Rich In Potassium: Mealworms also contains potassium which is good for our Hamsters. The chances of the formation of bladder stones go down drastically if you serve potassium to your Hamsters in the right quantity.

Are Mealworms Bad For Hamsters?

Although mealworms are not bad for our Hamsters, overfeeding can lead to a lot of health problems. Listed below are some of the hazards of overfeeding mealworms to your Hamsters:

• High In Fat: Mealworms have a high amount of fats in them. Therefore, it is important to take care about the number of mealworms we feed our Hamsters. Overfeeding can easily make them obese. Therefore, the best option is to serve mealworms are treats.
• Can Be Difficult To Digest: Mealworms have a hard exoseleton, which contains certain compands. These compounds are pretty difficult for our Hamsters to break down. This can easily cause impaction, as they struggle to digest them properly. This has the potential to cause serious issues.
• Live Mealworms Can Bite: Live mealworms are a problem for our Hamsters. If you Hamsters are served with live worms, then the worms could bite them. This, in turn, can be a huge problem for our Hamsters.
• Your Hamster Might Get Addicted To The Mealworms: Although it sounds crazy, this is totally true. Hamsters get addicted to mealworms pretty easily. Just like humans get addicted to fast food, Hamsters can get addicted to mealworms.

Have a look at these best selling ‘Hamster Chew Toys’ I found on Amazon. My Hamster loves them, yours will love them too.

Do Hamsters Need Mealworms?

If your pet Hamster is content with his current diet and eating routine, you need not necessarily feed them with mealworms. However, if you see your pet getting weaker, you can choose to feed them with mealworms.

Mealworms can play a crucial role in the immediate recovery of your Hamster’s health. Sometimes, Hamsters become addicted to mealworms. Thus, the consumption of mealworms can help them for their speedy recovery.

Do Mealworms Bite?

Mealworms do bite pretty hard when they try to wiggle to escape. Also, sometimes, the bite can hurt our Hamsters really bad.

However, most of the time, as a Hamster bites a mealworm, it dies pretty quickly. Therefore, there is nothing much to worm.

On the other hand, if your Hamster does not eat the worm at one go and store it in his cheek pouches, then you must crush the head of the worm before serving them to your pet.

Can Hamsters Eat Live Mealworms?

Hamsters can surely eat live mealworms once in a while. Although live worms are not known to bite or hurt Hamsters, the best option is to avoid serving it to our Hamsters.

Sometimes Hamsters try to store the worms in their cheek pouches without killing them, which, in turn, can be a matter of risk. Therefore, it is advised to crush the mealworm’s head before offering it to your Hamsters.

Can Hamsters Eat Dried Mealworms?

Hamsters can surely eat dried mealworms. Both naturally dried mealworms and freeze-dried mealworms make an excellent snack for our pets.

Mixing mealworms with our Hamster’s regular diet will have many health benefits in the long run. Also, mealworms in their dried form are the best for our Hamsters.

Can Hamsters Eat Mealworm Beetles?

Just like regular mealworms, mealworm beetles are rich in protein and low in fat. Therefore, I would advise you not to serve your Hamsters any more than 5-6 bottles per week, just the way you serve mealworms.

Some Hamsters love to munch on mealworm beetles due to their crispy shells and crunchy texture. However, your pet doesn’t necessarily need to like it. Therefore, do not feed mealworm battles to your Hamster forcefully.

There are chances that your pet will prefer regular mealworms over beetles.

Can Hamsters Eat Mealworm Pupa?

Hamsters can surely eat mealworm pupae once in a while. Also, the shells of the pupae aren’t as hard as mature mealworms, which makes them easier to digest.

Most Hamsters love the gooey texture of the mealworm pupae. However, you must get these from a reputable supplier only.

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How Do You Feed Mealworm To Hamsters?

As discussed in the earlier part of the article, the best option is to serve mealworms to our Hamsters as treats only. However, to make sure that the process is safe, we need to take care of a few things:

• Firstly, portion control is the key. Mealworms work best as treats for our Hamsters. Overfeeding can lead to various health complications. The rest of their diet includes Hamster mix, vegetables, and some fruits.
• Provide your Hamsters with fresh mealworms. However, do not forget to crush the head of the worm before serving them. This is to make sure that your Hamster is safe from the bites. Also, if you wish to store the worms for a longer period, you can put them in the refrigerator. However, this can cause them mealworms to go into a dormant state.
• Now, it is recommended to serve the worms in your pet’s food bowl. However, you can also choose to hand feed them. The choice is yours.
• You can also serve the worms with your Hamster’s food mix or some healthy vegetables. This will make sure that your pets get all the essential nutrients. However, please do not end up serving them too much at a time.
• The last step is to remove any uneaten part of the worm from your Hamsters cage. This is important to keep the flies away.

Have a look at these amazing Hamster food bowls, I got from Amazon. They are so easy to handle and clean. My Hamster loves them, your will love it too!

How Many Mealworms Should I Feed My Hamster?

Mealworms should be served to your Hamsters as treats only. This is crucial because mealworms tend to carry many fats. Therefore, not limiting the number of worms will lead to making our Hamsters obese.

Mealworms contain an excessive amount of protein, which sometimes can be a problem for our pets. Also, to avoid any fat build-up in our Hamster’s digestive tract, we should feed them only 1-2 mealworms at a time.

It would be best if you also kept in mind that the size of mealworms should differ depending on the age of your Hamsters. Young Hamsters should be fed with a tiny worm, while adults should be fed with larger worms.

How Often Should I Give My Hamster Mealworms?

The frequency of the serving totally depends on the age of your Hamster. However, as a general rule, 1-2 mealworms twice or thrice a week are ideal.

In addition, I would advise you to avoid serving mealworms to baby Hamsters. This is because mealworms have a thick exoskeleton, which can lead to digestive issues.

Best And Safe Mealworm Options For Hamsters!

After consulting my veterinarian friends and talking to a few experienced Hamster owners, I picked out the best commercially available mealworms for our Hamsters. My Hamsters have loved each one of them. I hope your Hamsters will love them too!