Feeding Bugs?

[FeatherLover]

What, if any, are your thoughts and/or experiences with feeding live bugs to your birds?

[Monica]

It would be something I'd do if my birds were interested as bugs such as meal worms that you buy, or even crickets (I heard someone does feed their birds these... must be a site to see!) have great extra nutritional value... Though I already know probably what all the birds would do! They'd look in their food dish, eye it, and look as if they were saying "What the heck is that?!? I ain't touchin that thing!"

[Rue]

...finches love 'em!...

[cfulhage]

There is a cag in a pet store I frequent who's absolute favorite treat is crickets. He will fly to anyone to get it, and then fly back to his perch and just devour it. One time he actually played with it a little first- it was pretty funny. Ollie has never tried anything like that, as I'm too scared to buy,touch,handle them!

[Kristi]

Uh-uh. Don't think either of mine would go for bugs....I JUST got Goliath to start eating Nancy's sweet potato concoction and some broccoli....plus, I'm not real excited about having to handle bugs! GROSS!!

[Freedomoflight]

Well- I think my caique might attack a bug- not eat it, just more- attack it. Paco would probably cower in fear, and Mercy would be like "are you trying to poison me?!"
So- no...... I have never, but I can see the reaction in my mind... LOL

[FeatherLover]

So, would you all recommend, if I wanted to feed bugs, that I buy meal worms or waxworms (crickets are out...the cats would go nuts) instead of trying to catch bugs, or is catching bugs okay too?

[raymond]

meal worm is fine.
Just be sure its from a clean source to be safe.

Do update us the response after you tried them with your fids.

[Monica]

It's better to buy bugs that have been bred in captivity rather than actually catching them because if you caught them wild they could be transferring something deadly with them that they picked up while crawling around or eating... better to buy!

[FeatherLover]

Monica, Thanks. I didn't even think about diseases. I guess pesticides/fertilizers/etc. that bugs could carry on them from tree to tree (or whatever bugs live in/on) could be really bad news, too.

You know when you post something, and right after you post it you think you know the answer? Yeah. That's what I did! Thanks for the response, though.

I'll probably get some waxworms or mealworms *from the store* this weekend.