Do Pet Mice Eat Insects and Worms?
One thing that explains a lot about the diet of pet mice is that they are opportunistic omnivores. This means that they will eat anything that gets in their way and has some nutritional value. There are no favorite foods for them, only foods that help them survive.
Out in nature, wild mice live in scarcity. A lot of times, they are moving from one place to another, looking for some food to consume. If it is an insect or a worm of some type that they run into, they are going to eat it. But are either of these good for them?
They actually can provide good nutritional value to your pet but only if they eat these a couple of times a week. Although there is a lot of protein in them, there is also a lot of fat which is not good in big amounts. Fat is only good for baby mice that are still growing.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to feed worms and insects to your pet mouse at all. It is only optional since there are so many other foods you can feed them. It is best to go for the healthiest ones so that you can minimize the chances of your pet getting sick.
However, worms and insects make good occasional treats for your little pets.
Feeding Pet Mice Insects and Worms
Insects and worms should be fed to fancy mice as occasional treats. If you drop a portion of them in the cage two times per week, it is going to be more than enough. They need to get some minerals, vitamins and fiber throughout the week as well by eating vegetables, fruits, seeds or grains.
With worms and insects, it is actually very important to get them from a reliable source. You can either buy some canned ones at the pet store or go for the freeze-dried package. Either of these works as they are surely clean and well-prepared.
What you should avoid is looking for insects or worms in your backyard. It is risky because no one knows whether those got in touch with pesticides or other harmful stuff. It is best to avoid them and buy some at the pet store. Feeding them safe bugs is just as important as giving them washed vegetables or fruits.
Worms You Can Feed Your Pet Mice
You can consider worms as protein snacks for fancy mice. Worms you can feed them include waxworms, mealworms, tubifex and superworms. The latter can be dangerous to feed as live so make sure they are killed before giving them to your mouse. Beheading them is the best way to prepare them.
Be careful with the waxworms because they can bite. You can crush their head before giving it to your mouse so that it is safer for them to eat. A great way to prepare them for your pet is to freeze them until they don’t move and then just drop one worm per mouse in the cage.
Feeding your fancy mouse dried mealworms is the best and most popular option when it comes to worms. They don’t contain as much fat as waxworms, which makes them a safe and delicious protein snack for them.
Insects You Can Feed Your Pet Mice
There are various bugs that mice can eat and they are also a great source of protein. Just make sure that you buy those insects at the pet store instead of catching them outside. If you want to feed insects as treats, then you can buy a bag of crickets. Mice absolutely love to eat them every now and then.
It is best to feed live insects to pet mice. After freeze-drying, they are not as nutritious as if you feed them as live treats. It basically maintains its protein content. It is a lot of fun for mice to eat live foods occasionally because their hunting instincts can kick in.
They can finally work for the food they want to eat which makes the whole experience more pleasurable for them. Another popular option is to feed them grasshoppers. You can buy some canned grasshoppers at the pet store, take one out and just give it to your mouse.
It will take some time for him to consume but he is going to enjoy it for sure. There are also dried grasshoppers available in most stores but those lack nutritional value compared to canned ones.
Pros and Cons of Feeding Insects and Worms
No matter what kind of foods you feed to your pet mice, there are always some pros and cons to it. For example, overfeeding them with fruits or vegetables can cause them diarrhea. They simply contain too much water for a little rodent-like a pet mouse.
Now let’s see what are the main pros and cons of feeding worms and insects to your mouse:
– Pros
- They are full of valuable protein that is much needed for pet mice
- Canned or freeze-dried packages for easy feeding without the need to prepare it
- A great way to introduce variety to the everyday mouse diet
– Cons
- Some insects can bite, which is why you need to prepare them the right way
- The risk of containing pesticides if they were collected in the backyard
- Too much fat can cause digestive problems
Wrapping Up
We can conclude that pet mice absolutely love to eat worms and insects. As long as you buy the ones we mentioned, you can make them fit into the diet of your little pet. Of course, the main thing to note here is that you need to get them from a reliable source.
Catching them around the house is really not worth the time and effort because you don’t know if they were in contact with any chemicals. In pet stores, you can get some clean and fresh foods that pose no health risk to your fancy mouse.
All you need to do is to feed them with these protein bombs twice a week and they are going to be fine. Worms and insects come with huge nutritional value if fed as occasional treats and will give a boost of energy to your pet.
