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Voted Best Answer
May 30, 2020 - 09:11 AM
We don't add any vitamins or minerals to our insects or their supplies. While this is a common practice with other feeder companies, we realize that birds are very susceptible to vitamin toxicity and it's impossible to gauge how much calcium or vitamins are added at home.
We let the customer decide when to add vitamins and minerals as a supplement and don't add any artificially to any of our products or insects. (Google "Vitamin A toxicity in birds" to see why 'Vita' insects are a terrible idea)
It is our policy to be 100% natural in our products for the health of your animals.
Having said that we do only feed our insects human-grade wheat bran and carrots (we buy the same carrots Souplantation and Tomatoes restaurants buy!) and ensure that your feeders are the most naturally nutritious healthy feeders on the market.
It is always a good idea to add calcium supplementation when feeding wild bluebirds. We sell ZooMed Repticalcium for dusting. You can purchase it without D3 to be the most natural source, though it will not harm birds.
Offering dried, crushed eggshells or oyster shells mixed in with your mealworms is also an option. Just crush them small enough for the birds to swallow, about the size of a sunflower seed or smaller. A blender works very well for this.
Another option is to make up the following mixture which wildlife rehabbers use, and coat mealworms with it before offering them to birds. Don't feed the mixture alone to baby birds - they could aspirate it and die.
Here is the recipe:
- 1 cup high-quality kitten kibble. Wal-Mart's Maxximum or Iams are both good choices. Soak in 1 cup warm water until the water is absorbed and the kibble is no longer crunchy.
- Two hard-cooked egg whites - no yolk - chopped
- Calcium carbonate tablets plus vitamin D that will equal 1800-2000mg. calcium (probably 3 or 4). Crush tablets.
- Combine in a blender. Final consistency similar to thin Dijon mustard. Toss mealworms in it and mix till coated.
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