Freeze-dried vs live mealies

I have read in many posts that mealies help keep a glider's teeth clean.

Do freeze-dried mealies do the same?

Just wondered since Lucy LOVES the freeze-dried ones, and I can't quite get my brain to accept buying live ones yet.

I'm sorry your post got overlooked! Yes, I would say that the freeze dried mealies do the same. It's my understanding that it is the hard(ish) exoskeleton that helps to clean the teeth and that is still intact in the freeze dried mealies.

My Jeepers used to love the freeze dried mealies, but I could never get Peepers to eat them. Jeepers was happy about that because Peeps was always the one who would eat her regular mealie super-fast and try to steal Jeeper's.

Mine love freeze dried! That is all I used to feed them too. Then one day while out shopping my husband bought them some live worms. I was so grossed out! All he had to do was hold a worm up to them and they were like wild animals attacking their prey. They were begging for more! That is when I decided to start buying them a few live ones. Now I have my own farm! Thinking back I can't even believe it!

While the freeze dried mealies do the same as far as teeth cleaning, I think that if you can handle it, live mealies are a better choice. Simply because of the enrichment. The suggies LOVE attacking their prey (even if it is just between your fingers LOL) and it's good for them to have that stimulation. Now, I say this about mealies but I could never ever feed a pinky mouse alive to my suggies, they get frozen and then thawed pinkies only.. So, while both are great for teeth and yummy too (or so Ive been told by the sugs ) I always feed the bugs live and squirmin simply because it's more fun to eat food that moves! LOL

Amanda

and if you can feed them from your hand because it shows them where the food is comming from aka more trust and bonding

Could you tell me what is a pinky mouse?

a pinkie is a newborn mouse that hasn't developed it's fur yet and most often hasn't opened it's eyes yet either...

Don't worry, LadyH. You will find yourself getting the live ones soon. I started out with freeze dried cause the live ones grossed me out. Then I got the live ones finally and thought the large ones were gross. Now I've graduated to large ones and think the superworms are gross. I think I'll stay where I'm at though because I don't want to have to decapitate anything myself.

lbaker, a pinky mouse is a young mouse that doesn't have qny fur yet so it's still pink because of the color of their skin.

O mercy I know I couldn't feed that to something else. Sorry can't do that. lol Thanks for info

Amanda … you put it well there…