# Mealworms/crickets for dogs?



## Joanna (Dec 5, 2007)

Okay, so not really a food question, but it is, kinda.

Is it safe for dogs to ingest feeder crickets/mealworms?

I've been trying to come up with new enrichment ideas for my dogs, and I've been thinking about using insects in their feeder toys.


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## Pepper (Jan 27, 2008)

ummmmmmmmm

I have no clue...I want to say no...but I'm not sure, someone's gotta have advice on this...

But there are plenty of things other than....crickets and meal worms to give your dog.


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## Billycourty (Sep 16, 2008)

ROFL

this is priceless.

Jaymee


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## Bellasmom (Aug 14, 2008)

I definetely wouldnt want a dog liking my face after that! LOL


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 22, 2008)

Bellasmom said:


> I definetely wouldnt want a dog liking my face after that! LOL


Well the lick their butt, you know. 

Mealworms and crickets are not poison and they contain protein and fat so they won't hurt your dogs and would be beneficial to them but I think I would still have problems feeding them.


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## trumpetjock (Dec 14, 2007)

Rocky and Mesquite get a plentiful dose of grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, flies, bees and mosquitoes whenever they can hunt them down. I've never had any problems with any of those.

It's when Rocky hunts down green beans and they come out the same way they went in that I worry 

That being said... I don't think I'd want to feed it to them on a regular basis. I've been known to use a grasshopper that they've really REALLY wanted as an impromptu reward for behaviours by walking, but Rocky will work for anything you have in your hand. I've rewarded him with blades of grass and he acts like it's a 10 oz sirloin!

One of the more unique questions I've seen on here, bravo


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## Joanna (Dec 5, 2007)

Thanks RawFedDogs and trumpetjock!

The only toys my husky has any interest in are her feeder toys, and she figured them out long ago. She has a strong prey drive, so I though something moving might keep her interest, and I know many zoos and aquariums use crickets as enrichment for their small carnivores. I wouldn't expect any of my dogs to intentionally eat more that one or two of the bugs, but I can easily see them swallowing them accidentally, so I wanted to know about any potential heath risks.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Back when I had a bunch of reptiles my dogs regularly grabbed loose crickets, mealworms and other assorted stuff. Bandit grabbed a mouse once while I was feeding the snakes. One crunch and he swallowed it.


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## Lexite (Oct 6, 2008)

Crickets and mealworms dont have too high of a nutritional value really. I feed them to my geckos but I have to put vitamin supplements on them so that the geckos can live off of them. Honestly I wouldnt bother.


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## Mandypants (Jun 10, 2021)

There is absolutely nothing that could occur to your pet by feeding it mealworms or crickets. My corgi eats mealworms on the daily when I feed my ducks and she actually loves them,so much so that I have started to give her a handful as I give my ducks a handful.


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

This thread is almost thirteen years old and none of the posters are active. I'm closing it to further replies.


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