Mealworms on the ground: not a good idea if there are hedgehogs around. They will eat them with relish, but they are quite harmful. Better to have them on a bird table, or with a cage surrounding them.
In what way are they harmful to hedgehogs? I didn't know this.
I have a “pole” bird feeder is there a way to feed mealworms with those? I always assumed they were just for bird tables?
I have two hanging mealworm feeders, both gardmans, one is the smaller green plastic flip cap one, and one is the bigger metal one. Both are popular, but only the smallest birds can manage the flip top one
Mealworms on the ground: not a good idea if there are hedgehogs around. They will eat them with relish, but they are quite harmful. Better to have them on a bird table, or with a cage surrounding them.
In what way are they harmful to hedgehogs? I didn't know this.
They cause metabolic bone disease. High levels of phosphorus in mealworms causes calcium in the bones to disappear into the bloodstream. Any hedgehog welfare website can give you more details. Same goes for sunflower seeds.
@FlyDragon it’s the smaller one I have ordered as I have lots of big birds visiting the feeder and they are so greedy! Hoping to encourage a robin or two with the feeder. We get lots of finches, tits and sparrows and a whole lot of blackbirds and starlings and magpies, jackdaws and pigeons but no robins.
@FlyDragon it’s the smaller one I have ordered as I have lots of big birds visiting the feeder and they are so greedy! Hoping to encourage a robin or two with the feeder. We get lots of finches, tits and sparrows and a whole lot of blackbirds and starlings and magpies, jackdaws and pigeons but no robins.
I don't really get robins on the mealworm feeders, but they do hover underneath to pick up anything that gets dropped.
My most popular item for robins are the coconut halves that have an insect filled suet inside.
When the robins are feeding babies, I get live mealworms from a place in Sheffield. They come next day, and last three weeks in a tin in the garage fridge. This year, robins, tits, and blackbirds were queuing up for them.
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My most popular item for robins are the coconut halves that have an insect filled suet inside.